Downtown Greensboro Developments

[cityboi]

Downtown Greensboro's newest coffee shop Melrose Coffee Lounge at the corner of East Friendly and North Church Streets.

 

[cityboi]

The old AP store is about to be torn down at MLK Dr and South Elm Street.

These 7 story lofts are supposed to be built in its place.

Edited October 18, 2023 by cityboi

[DJ8hep]

8 hours ago, cityboi said:

The old AP store is about to be torn down at MLK Dr and South Elm Street.

These 7 story lofts are supposed to be built in its place.

That is a really interesting design! It almost looks like a modern industrial mixed with old style warehouse!

[AlmaPinnix]

10 hours ago, cityboi said:

The old AP store is about to be torn down at MLK Dr and South Elm Street.

These 7 story lofts are supposed to be built in its place.

This project needs to happen! It would solidify that intersection and create more re/development! This would increase the need for another grocery store in that area.

Edited October 19, 2023 by AlmaPinnix

[cityboi]

$800 million in the pipeline for downtown development projects some of which are unannounced. Also construction on Carroll's ballpark development with the AC Hotel will begin next year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2023/10/20/downtown-greensboro-restaurants-housing-tourism.html

Edited October 20, 2023 by cityboi

[KJHburg]

11 hours ago, cityboi said:

$800 million in the pipeline for downtown development projects some of which are unannounced. Also construction on Carroll's ballpark development with the AC Hotel will begin next year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2023/10/20/downtown-greensboro-restaurants-housing-tourism.html

couple quotes from that article

“I have said every time I've done this (update), ‘residential, residential, residential.’ Without residential, we don't continue to grow, “ he said. “When I started with Downtown Greensboro in 2015 I think we had about 1,800 people living in downtown. Today we've got about three 3,300, so almost doubled. And we're not stopping there.’

We've got over $800 million in the pipeline of planned projects. $800 million. That's amazing. Our tax base right now is about $1.1 billion.”

[cityboi]

9 hours ago, KJHburg said:

couple quotes from that article

“I have said every time I've done this (update), ‘residential, residential, residential.’ Without residential, we don't continue to grow, “ he said. “When I started with Downtown Greensboro in 2015 I think we had about 1,800 people living in downtown. Today we've got about three 3,300, so almost doubled. And we're not stopping there.’

We've got over $800 million in the pipeline of planned projects. $800 million. That's amazing. Our tax base right now is about $1.1 billion.”

I think once we get about 10,000 to 12,000 people living downtown, the center city will reach its "critical mass" for a lot of retail services downtown. That's when we start seeing stores such as urban Targets there. At that point downtown, which is a square mile would be the most densely populated area of the city.

Edited October 21, 2023 by cityboi

[rancenc]

Impressive statistics for downtown Greensboro.

https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/downtown-greensboro-over-8-million-visited-over-20-new-businesses-major-growth-sucess-growing-in-size/83-5dd5a2b0-ac14-4848-8f92-a26873b79647

[cityboi]

1 hour ago, rancenc said:

Impressive statistics for downtown Greensboro.

https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/downtown-greensboro-over-8-million-visited-over-20-new-businesses-major-growth-sucess-growing-in-size/83-5dd5a2b0-ac14-4848-8f92-a26873b79647

Very impressive. I can't wait until the "exciting" things are revealed once they get permission from the developers. $800 million is a lot so there must be multiple big projects under development.

[cityboi]

Zack Matheny gives another hint about some unannounced downtown projects. One of them is likely what the Ryan Companies has planned for the News and Record property but I can't wait for the announcement of the others. Could we finally see multiple skyline additions? $800 million is a lot so these are some very big projects. All the planned downtown development is probably a direct result of all the jobs announcements within the past year.

"We have a lot to celebrate this year, including a staggering number of visits to downtown, new business openings and tremendous progress on several large transformational projects for the future"

 

https://www.downtowngreensboro.org/articles/post/growth-momentum-and-robust-pipeline-take-center-stage-at-dgi-annual-celebration/

Edited October 24, 2023 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Old AP store is being demolished at this moment.. for the Lofts at 110 MLK project 

Edited October 29, 2023 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Redevelopment of Greensboro's first train depot from 1899 is in the works. No word yet on what it will be transformed into. But I hope they restore it to its original architecture.

https://1899depot.com/

The depot before changes over the decades were made.

Greensboro is lucky to have both historic train depots standing downtown. The newer and larger depot which was built in 1926 is the Amtrak station which is a part of the multi modal transportation hub.

Edited November 24, 2023 by cityboi

[KJHburg]

I would bet some kind of restaurant space.  It is hard to have a hotel or apartments that close to the tracks.  But great job Greensboro!  

[HRVT]

15 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I would bet some kind of restaurant space.  It is hard to have a hotel or apartments that close to the tracks.  But great job Greensboro!  

I've tooted this horn elsewhere, but is the space big enough to possibly have a food hall? I can't imagine it would be able to host anything like Optimist Hall in Charlotte, but is it big enough to be like Stock and Grain in High Point?

[cityboi]

I do know they were talking about a potential food hall at the other depot. I've always thought it would be a cool place for a blues club/bar.  If there weren't so many breweries nearby, that would be a cool use for it as well. But whatever the use, it needs to be something different. Not the typical bar or restaurant.

[cityboi]

Cocktail bar called Muddle is opening downtown.

[cityboi]

Greensboro city manager says the city is looking to build  a large live music venue, a soccer stadium and or an arena downtown. He said since downtown doesn't have a convention center it needs more venues to attract people downtown. He didn't mention how they would be funded exactly but my guess is through hotel/motel tax eventually under the umbrella of who ever manages the coliseum and Tanger Center.

"He envisions a future downtown entertainment district that includes the existing First National Bank Field where the Greensboro Grasshoppers play as well as a soccer stadium, a music hall or arena and a food hall."

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2023/12/14/tanger-center-coliseum-westin-soccer-tai-jaiyeoba.html

Edited December 14, 2023 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Former Greensboro mayor Robbie Perkins has ideas in to how to attract more development and office space downtown.

 

" Perkins sees health care, technology and the biosciences as areas of growth for downtown office space"

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2023/12/15/greensboro-jaiyeoba-marvin-price-robbie-perkins.html

Edited December 15, 2023 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Local investors purchase the former Triad Stage.

https://www.downtowngreensboro.org/articles/post/partnership-of-local-investors-to-purchase-triad-stage/?preview=true

[cityboi]

Because of the success of the downtown trolley, the pilot program is being extended until June. I think the city will figure out a way to keep it permanent.

https://greensboro.com/news/local/greensboro-hopper-trolley/article_06fd4510-9e8b-11ee-9dd1-df44e0dbe2d9.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

[KJHburg]

From the Biz Journal about downtown Greensboro. 

Downtown Greensboro in a period of transition moving into 2024 with Tanger management, News & Record site in limbo - Triad Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

""Downtown Greensboro is in a period of transition heading into the new year, with multiple major developments in progress and the long-delayed Westin Hotel still a question.

One of the most prominent of these is the roughly $300 million mixed-use transformation of the former News & Record planned by Ryan Cos. and TH3 Partners. The 6.5-acre tract, spanning a city block, has for years been viewed as the most significant redevelopment opportunity in downtown Greensboro in decades.

Connor Lewis, vice president of real estate development for Ryan, told the Triad Business Journal in June that he expected about half of the 500,000 square feet in the two 10-story commercial buildings planned for the site to be office space. About 300 to 400 apartments and possibly some retail space are also part of the plans for the site. However, Lewis said the four potential tenants who had shown serious interest were "not typical commercial office space users."

Downtown Greensboro is also set to have another large-scale mixed use project with major developer Roy Carroll's Carroll at Parkside, formerly called Carroll South of Ballpark. Billed by Forbes as the richest man, Carroll's site will have a 161-room AC Hotel with a rooftop bar as well as 348 upscale apartment units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space near First National Bank Field and Carroll at Bellemeade. The project is supposed to wrap around the city-financed Eugene Street Parking Deck which opened in 2021.

Another new parking deck tied to a major downtown project remains under construction. The five-story February One-Westin Hotel parking deck, which the Greensboro City Council approved up to $30 million for in 2017, is expected to be completed this year.

The city's plans for the downtown Westin Hotel above the parking deck are also still in the works, according to Jaiyeoba, despite concerns about the delayed project. Located at 203 S. Elm St., the 180-room upscale hotel is projected to include a public restaurant, rooftop bar and event spaces.

Developers of the Westin Greensboro said in a press release in June that, "the project has experienced delays for a host of reasons (including legal challenges relating to the property purchased by the city for the parking deck and the pandemic shutdown of the hospitality industry) but the development team is confident that now is the time to move the project forward." 

The downtown office market, like Winston-Salem and other cities across the country, continues to be challenged by remote work policies initially enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a panel on the future of development in Greensboro that the Triad Business Journal convened in December, veteran real estate broker and former mayor Robbie Perkins said he sees health care, technology and the biosciences as industries that can be part of the growth of downtown office space, especially since Greensboro has two large universities — the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and N.C. A&T State University — close to downtown.

Another aspect of Greensboro's downtown that is in limbo is the management of the Tanger Center as Matt Brown, the managing director of the Tanger Center and the Greensboro Coliseum and the city's highest-paid employee will be retiring soon and the city is searching for a private management firm to take over his duties.

Downtown Greensboro President Zach Matheny said at the organization's meeting in October that there are $800 million planned projects currently in the pipeline.

“The good news is Greensboro rockin’ and rollin’, especially compared to a lot of communities throughout the country," he had said then. " The bad news is I can’t tell you all of it."""

By the way I think Parkside is a much better name for Caroll's project downtown formerly Caroll SOB

 

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Edited December 29, 2023 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

downtown Greensboro greenway is now complete.

Downtown Greenway To Celebrate Final Mile Construction Start - The Rhino Times of Greensboro

[Nick2]

On 1/18/2024 at 3:15 PM, KJHburg said:

downtown Greensboro greenway is now complete.

Downtown Greenway To Celebrate Final Mile Construction Start - The Rhino Times of Greensboro

I've been on it. Street crossings could be better but a fantastic addition to Greensboro. The black sheep of North Carolina 

[cityboi]

On 1/18/2024 at 3:15 PM, KJHburg said:

downtown Greensboro greenway is now complete.

Downtown Greenway To Celebrate Final Mile Construction Start - The Rhino Times of Greensboro

The last leg will be the most expensive and most attractive section of the greenway and will include a boardwalk of sorts next to a natural creek running through downtown.

[KJHburg]

Lincoln Financial put some of their space in downtown Greensboro on the sublease market after determining that they needed less space given flexible and hybird working arrangements.   

From the Triad Biz Journal:

""Lincoln Financial Group is leasing space on six floors of one of the most prominent office buildings in downtown Greensboro amid an office market that has been seeing increasing vacancies largely due to the shift to remote work after the Covid-19 pandemic.

NAI Piedmont Triad recently all listed six floors of office space for lease in its building located at 101 W. Friendly Ave., part of the Lincoln Financial office complex. Also part of the complex is Lincoln Financial Group's 18-story skyscraper at Market and Elm Streets — which housed more than 1,500 employees before the pandemic.

The company's building at 101 W. Friendly Ave., which was built in 197 and fulling renovated in 2018, is 105,061 square feet and categorized as Class B office space.

According to NAI Piedmont Triad's listing materials, all six floors are available for lease. That includes:

8,136 square feet on the ground floor;
18,950 square feet on the second floor;
17,248 square feet on the third floor;
18,950 square feet on the fourth floor;
18,950 square feet on the fifth floor;
18,950 square feet on the sixth floor.
That's a total of 101,184 square feet of available space. According to the NAI's marketing materials, individual floors cannot be sub-divided.

A spokesperson from Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE: LNC) confirmed that the company's decision to lease the space is due to more employees working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Lincoln Financial's facilities and real estate teams evaluate our physical locations on an ongoing basis to ensure they continue to meet the needs of our business and employees. During this review, we identified the opportunity to lease space in the Friendly Building of our Greensboro location," the spokesperson said. "This space was freed up following the implementation of a hybrid work model during the pandemic. Lincoln is partnering with local brokers to list the space for lease, ensuring the space is utilized to its fullest potential."""

this has happened all over the country and in all the major NC cities including Charlotte and Raleigh but still hate to see it as sublease space is like adding additional space on the office market but not anything newly built.