Motivation

NEW AT 4:00. THE CITY OF GREENSBORO IS TAKING THE FIRST STEP IN TURNING A RUNDOWN PROPERTY INTO SOMETHING VIBRANT AND ACTIVE PART OF THEIR COMMUNITY. JOSHUA DAVIS WITNESSED THAT MOMENT. DEMOLITION STARTED TODAY AT THE REGENCY INN AND JOINS US NOW WITH REACTION. PRETTY SOON, THIS ENTIRE PROPERTY WILL BE COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED AND CLEARED OUT, PAVING THE WAY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN A CITY THAT CONSISTENTLY NEEDS THOSE RESOURCES. WHEN YOU THINK OF DEVELOPMENT, ITS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT. OVER THE NEXT 2 TO 3 WEEKS, CREWS WILL BE DEMOLISHING THE REGENCY INN AND SUITES, LOCATED ALONG NORTH OHENRY BOULEVARD IN GREENSBORO. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THERES A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR DEVELOPERS OF THIS SITE THAT WILL BE GOING OUT THIS WEEK. AS WELL. THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THE PROPERTY INTO AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS. WE BELIEVE THIS SITE COULD ACCOMMODATE BETWEEN 150 AND 200 UNITS. OVER THE LAST YEAR, WEVE PUT 400 UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING BACK INTO THE MARKET IN THE CITY OF GREENSBORO, AND THATS REALLY JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET COMPARED TO WHAT WE REALLY NEED. NEIGHBORS I SPOKE TO SAY THEYRE HAPPY TO SEE THE PROPERTY BE USED FOR SOMETHING POSITIVE. ONE WOMAN TOLD ME THE INN HAS BEEN A NUISANCE FOR YEARS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT PROPERTIES LIKE THIS THAT HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEYRE IN FOR A REALLY LONG TIME, ITS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ALSO STABILIZE THE AREA. BUT THERES STILL CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY AND WANT TO BE KEPT IN THE LOOP OF ANY FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. A FEW YEARS BACK, THERE WERE CONVERSATIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH BUSINESS OWNERS, WITH NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS, AND THEN ONCE WE KIND OF GET SOME DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS BACK IN, WELL HAVE THAT SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS AGAIN, JUST SO WE ENSURE THAT THERES NEIGHBORHOOD BUY IN. MITCHELL SAYS HER DEPARTMENT WILL LOOK AT A VARIETY OF PROPOSALS AND IDEAS TO SEE WHAT EXACTLY CAN BE BUILT HERE, FROM A REHABILITATION CENTER TO TOWNHOUSES AND EVEN TINY HOMES. IN GREENSBORO, IM JOSHUA DAV