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GREENSBORO - As a city grows, new streets pop up everywhere. Just not downtown.

"It is extremely unusual," Ed Wolverton, president and CEO of Downtown Greensboro Inc., said of street development in the center city, where transportation patterns have been determined for decades. "It is rare to see a new road created."

But that could change in the near future.

A proposal unveiled last week to create an expanded cultural district around Church Street calls for two new roads downtown.

In one case, Isley Street, a glorified alley that runs behind the Greensboro Children's Museum, could be extended from Lindsay Street to Friendly Avenue, cutting through the Weaver Foundation property at the corner of Friendly and Church.

In the other, Lyndon Street could be extended one block so that it would cut through what is now the Greensboro Transit Authority property and intersect with Isley.

"More and more people are beginning to realize that building new streets is one of the tools in the tool kit for better urban design," said Deb Ryan, an associate professor at UNC-Charlotte and a consultant on the Church Street plan.

"Connecting those two (streets) does create some really good things."

Those who worked on the cultural district plan say the new streets would pay off in a number of ways, including improved traffic flow.

The streets also would reduce the size of two of the larger blocks downtown.

"You have more street frontage for development," said Milton Kern, one of the downtown stakeholders who worked with the consultants on their report. "It makes it more friendly for people to walk."

If Isley Street is extended, it would be more like something found in a new residential neighborhood; the lanes would be narrow to keep traffic slow.

"Right now, as drawn, it's meandering," Wolverton said. "I see it more as a European model street."

If carried out, the extension of Lyndon would be more traditional.

Currently, the street covers only three blocks, running from East Washington Street to East Market Street. The consultants' plan calls for it to cross Market, cut through the city's transit authority property and connect with Friendly.

The city plans to abandon its current transit facility and rebuild on a new site, a move that opens up the downtown property for development.

The consultants say whoever develops the property should be required to extend Lyndon. The street isn't heavily traveled, but the cultural district plans call for the surrounding area to become a hub for arts and design businesses.

But the consultants stress that the creation of new streets hasn't been decided. "It's definitely not a done deal." Ryan said.

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com