Jessi Rae Morton
News Editor
Photo credit: GSO2040
On February 6, 2024, the Greensboro City Planning Department published its Growth and Development Trends Report. Planning Director Sue Schwartz began the report with brief remarks, contextualizing the February 2024 trends in relation to Greensboro’s former reputation. She wrote, “I don’t know how the unflattering moniker “Greens-boring” started back in the early 2000s…Now it is 2024 and we are no longer boring; we are GreensBooming!” The Growth and Development Trends Report suggests progress toward the GSO 2040 plan.
GSO 2040 “is a policy document used by city leaders and staff, developers, business owners, and residents to inform and guide land use and policy decisions.” When Greensboro developed the plan in 2018, the city “cultivated over 6,000 responses from all neighborhoods, ages, and races.” At its core are “six big ideas,” including becoming car optional, prioritizing sustainability, and building community connections. Many other cities have similar long-term plans and policy documents, several of which have similar dates. Charlotte’s is called “Charlotte 2040,” and Winston-Salem and Forsyth County have their “Forward 2045” comprehensive plan. Implementation reviews and updates for GSO 2040 are available online.
The latest Growth and Development Trends Report illustrates overall growth in several areas. However, the report notes some challenges. For example, “In 2022, the poverty rate in Greensboro was 18.1%, deviating from the state and national trend lines. Greensboro and High Point both experienced an increase, compared to other areas’ decrease in poverty rate.” The city has been taking steps to mitigate the effects of poverty on residents. Recent reporting for The Carolinian by Sophia Sousa has highlighted ongoing improvements in this area, including new projects to assist unhoused populations and new funding for breakfast programs.
The Doorway Project is another resource the city uses to assist unhoused residents. According to the 4th Quarter 2023 Implementation Update, the Doorway Project concluded that “30 buildings with 56 beds and electricity are now available for people experiencing homelessness. A shared bathroom unit complete with two showers (one with a ramp) is provided. Overnight lighting at the park and round-the-clock security coverage are also provided.” The city’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Department operates the Doorway Project, which Greensboro funds and a contracted onsite service operates.
The City of Greensboro appears to be working toward better living conditions for all residents, focusing on safety and sustainability. However, there are some areas the city government may be unable to influence. For example, the report notes that “Guilford County, along with Forsyth County…has not yet reached the employment levels observed in 2019,” even though “In 2022, Guilford County witnessed a job growth of 2.3% since 2021, equating to a notable increase of 6,400 jobs, effectively recovering almost half of the jobs lost during the 2020 COVID pandemic.” Additionally, “average annual pay in Guilford County is lower than US and NC figures. Comparatively, the median value of owner-occupied housing units is lower in Guilford County, pointing to a lower cost of living than in those geographies.” Notably, though, much of the data for the latest Growth and Development Trends report is from 2022, the most recent available, and may not fully capture the experience of Guilford County residents in 2023.
The report includes some 2023 data; however, it is mainly city-specific information. For Example, a City News post points out, “The value of construction as measured by city-issued building permits hit a historic mark of more than $1 billion, a 37% increase from 2022.”
Additional population and statistics information for Greensboro is available online, including previous years’ Growth and Development Trends Reports.
Links:
https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/greensboro-nc-comp/page/implementation
https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/greensboro-nc-comp/doc-viewer.aspx#secid-52
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