Burned out, green and artsy
So there are a few more exciting things to report regarding the evolution of downtown Greensboro that made the news this week. . .
First of all, the burned out building in the 200 block of South Elm (former home to the Mantelworks Restaurant? before my time. . . ) has been bought by the developers of Smothers Place Lofts. They plan to tear it down within the next two weeks and replace it with a six story mixed use (residential and office) building. While it is sad to see such an old facade disappear from the downtown landscape and the height of the proposed development may be inappropriate for this stretch of Elm, this building has been a blight on downtown for many years. Further, bringing more office space and residences to the south end of downtown will be a good addition to the mix. Construction probably won't start for another year or so.
Secondly, the city of Greensboro has finalized plans for streetscape improvements to the south end of Greene Street. The interesection of McGee and Greene will feature a roundabout and the stretch between McGee and Washington will feature angled parking and a median in the middle of the road. Trees and lighting will also enhance the soon-to-be completely two-way road. The improvements will make the area much more pedestrian friendly and downtown easier to navigate by car.
Finally, Downtown Greensboro Inc. has commissioned artists to create unique way finders throughout downtown. Visitors will be guided through downtown by a series of unique yet informative pieces of art. Very cool.
2 Comments:
I hope that the new building proposed for the 300 block of South Elm will include some retail on the ground level. There are some nice small shops in the 200 and 300 blocks that could use some company,
We shouldn't just concentrate on residences and nightlife. Much more attention should be paid to the day business in downtown.
Parking is becoming a worse problem both day and night.. Where will the residents of this huge building park?
There are not enough places downtown to shop for groceries, clothes, household goods, etc. So, shopping within walking distance is not an option.
Where are some competent city planners? Not in Greensboro it would seem.
Thanks for your comment. I, too, hope that the new building includes some ground-level retail as well. I know the developer's nearby Smothers Place Lofts includes one retail space in Phase I (located on the corner of South Elm and Smothers Place). The Carolina Hotel phase of Smothers Place also includes 4 retail spots (in the form of live/work units) as do the other phases. Thus hopefully this new building will include retail also. However, I think the stated intent to include office space is key, though, because the south end of downtown lacks the type of office traffic that is present a few blocks north. Such traffic would be a healthy addition to the mix.
As far as parking goes, I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure that the development would include parking to support its varied uses (probably located underneath the building like Smothers Place and Governor's Court developments).
I agree there needs to be more ammenities downtown. A full grocery store closer than Friendly Shopping Center or Golden Gate, for example, would be very very nice (I'm routing for a grocery to be in the mix of things in the mixed use development at the old North State Chevrolet next to the Baseball Stadium). I'd guess that with the law school and the (fingers crossed) redevelopment of the old Wachovia building (on the corner of Elm and Friendly), such things will follow.
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