Council appoves College Hill rezoning
GREENSBORO — Despite tense neighborhood opposition, the City Council unanimously voted to allow a 219-apartment student housing development on Spring Garden Street.
Ohio-based Edwards Communities is expected to build apartments at the Newman Machine Co. property, near the western end of downtown.
Residents of nearby College Hill fought the development proposal, arguing that it would inundate the diverse neighborhood with students and cars. Dozens showed up at the council meeting Tuesday, donning large “Save College Hill” buttons.
“You hate as a council member to disappoint anybody, but this will be good for this neighborhood,” said Councilman Zack Matheny, who was booed by the opposition in the audience.
Edwards operates student apartments in six states. The Greensboro plans call for nearly 700 beds.
Nearby property owners have opposed the plan since last year. They argued that the large complex is not the right fit for the historic neighborhood. Neighbor after neighbor told the City Council on Tuesday night that College Hill could do better than what Edwards was offering.
“It’s too big. You know it’s too big, and we can do better,” said Melanie Bassett, who lives on Spring Garden next to the Newman Machine Co. “We can stop and think about all this student housing and get a plan for the neighborhoods — all the neighborhoods around UNCG — that are being affected by this willy-nilly, piecemeal development.”
The developers adjusted the project to make it more compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, including decreasing the height of some buildings and adding fences and landscaping.
The developer plans to remove leaking underground storage tanks from the property.
“The redevelopment of this property for student area would appear to make good sense, and the contamination which has occurred there over the years would be remediated by the developer,” said attorney Henry Isaacson, who represented the developer. “As a community, our goal should be to revitalize this property and not allow it to sit vacant and become a serious problem for everyone and everything around it.”
Some council members argued that the apartments would be a better fit for the neighborhood than the current, industrial uses for the site.
The council approved the development 8-0, with Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan abstaining because her husband represented the opposition in the case.
Staff writer Dioni L. Wise contributed to this report.
Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: Tim Lindeman holds a painting of the home on Walker Avenue in which he lives as he speaks opposing the construction of student housing in the College Hill neighborhood.
City Council Insider
News and notes from the City Council meeting.
The council voted unanimously to support a resolution in favor of Susie’s Law, which aims to increase penalties for animal cruelty.
Roberta Wall, who cared for Susie before she found a permanent home, said the dog’s abuser should face a stiffer punishment.
Lashawn Whitehead, 21, was sentenced in March to probation for felony animal cruelty, and six to eight months in prison for setting personal property — Susie — on fire.
Wall said justice was not served in Susie’s case.
“It should not be OK to abuse an animal,” she said. “They have no voice. Somehow, Susie was given a voice, and we need to learn to save others.”
— Amanda Lehmert and Dioni L. Wise
Related Links
Search News-Record.com
closeSearch News & Record Article Archives
Not all of the newspaper's content appears online.
*There is a fee for downloading some older articles.
