Public meetings to review 50% design of Phase 1c along Bragg Street have been set for Tuesday, August 22nd from 4:30-6 pm at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church located at 408 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Parking will be available in the church parking lot. Members of the project team will be available to answer questions and feedback received from the public will be used to fine-tune the design.
Questions? Contact Dabney Sanders at dsanders@actiongreensboro.org.
The weather is getting warmer.... which means it is time for FREE Fitness on the Downtown Greenway!
We are partnering with Bryan YMCA for the 5th year to provide great instructors and classes for FREE on the Downtown Greenway.
Classes start on May 2 and run every Tuesday from 6:00 -7:00 pm May-June and August-October at Morehead Park Trailhead Parking Area (475 Spring Garden Street). No classes in July due to heat and vacations-- stay cool!
Click here for a complete list of classes and instructors.
Stop by Morehead Foundry located beside the Morehead Park trailhead parking area for a sweet treat or dinner after your class!
Founded in 1991 and located in downtown Greensboro since 1995, Boulton Creative takes great pride in being a woman-owned, Greensboro-based agency. At Boulton Creative, we specialize in helping our clients achieve their communication goals through creative, impactful design and messaging. From complete branding and strategic marketing plans to brochures, ad campaigns and web development, Boulton Creative delivers exceptional service and design to clients in the Triad and across the United States.
In 2007, we moved into our building on the corner of Smith and Spring Streets, and we are excited that the Greenway will run directly beside our building. Over the past ten years we have enjoyed watching the Greenway become a reality and how it has helped increase foot traffic by our building - our dogs seem to enjoy this too. The Greenway has become a foundation for growth. The energy it has brought to downtown Greensboro has been contagious, and that's apparent in all the new projects that are taking shape downtown currently. We are proud to be a part of this project, and we look forward to the continued excitement the Greenway will bring to businesses and residents downtown and throughout our community.
Over the years the City of Greensboro Department of Water Resources has been extremely responsive to stormwater issues adjacent and on the Downtown Greenway. Stormwater Department Manager David Phelgar has been a member of the Downtown Greenway Oversight Committee since 2010 and has been a bike lead for the Run 4 the Greenway several times. We worked with David and his team to install the first stormwater tree wells on the section of the Downtown Greenway along Smith Street in 2013. Read more about the tree wells here. Special thanks to Virginia Spillman and Jeremy McCall with Water Resources for serving on the Technical Team over the years. We are very appreciative of the great partnership we have with Water Resources and Stormwater Management- thank you for helping keep the 'green' in Downtown Greenway!
David Phlegar, Water Resources
Mike Simpson, Matti Carey, & David Andrews
The City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department has been instrumental in keeping the 'green' in the Downtown Greenway since the first section opened in March 2010 with the opening of Five Points between South Eugene and Freeman Mill Road. From spreading mulch, watering, replacing plants, mowing, pruning, the Parks & Recreation Staff, supervised by Mike Simpson and David Andrews who leads the crew that is responsible for maintenance, have made the Downtown Greenway a priority. They have also assisted and included the Downtown Greenway with many events over the past years-special thanks to Matti Carey for her dedication to all Greensboro trails and the Downtown Greenway. This is a partnership we are very grateful for and could not do without! Thank you to all the Parks & Recreation staff for their dedication and service.
Members of the Triad Chapter of the NC Native Plant Society came out on March 25 to get the Bird, Bee, Butterfly Garden at Woven Works Park ready for spring by pulling weeds. They have another work day set for Saturday, April 15. Special thanks to these volunteers: John Bartlett, Laurette Guay, Diane Laslie, Elizabeth Link, Deborah Staves, Lynda Waldrop, and Judy West.
If you are interested in volunteering, please email Dabney Sanders at dsanders@actiongreensboro.org.
THE PREYER FAMILY
Greensboro natives, Calder and Nicole Preyer, Britt Preyer, Jr., and Will Preyer opened Preyer Brewing Company in downtown Greensboro in May 2015. The Preyer Family comes from a line of many successful business owners in Greensboro over the past century and Preyer Brewing Company adds to that success. Calder has years of experience in the craft beer industry and a degree from Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago. Nicole is behind the scenes handling the communications and business administration for the brewery. Will has the art expertise in the family and manages the businesses graphics and web design. Britt, Jr. is sales manager for Eastern NC accounts. Together they have helped make this section of downtown a regular destination for many Greensboro residents.
"Truthfully, we aren't entirely sure how to explain why we chose to open Preyer Brewing on the Greenway. I think our cynical side would say that from a business perspective, it made good sense, since pedestrian paths bring customers, increased profit, and more to their areas. But it means so much more to us - it feels like being a part of keeping Greensboro, well, green. Our parks, paths, and trails are a huge part of Greensboro's character. Our city gets a bad rap for being boring, but we disagree - sure, Greensboro isn't for everyone, but it is for the people who want to get outdoors, even in an urban environment. It is for people who value the solitude you can find on an early morning hike on the watershed trails. It is for people who are seeking an urban city, and all the amenities that brings, but with a strong nod to the rural and the wild. The Greenway is about building community, in line with Greensboro's outdoorsy character, and we just had to be a part of that. As business owners born and raised in Greensboro, it's in us, and we couldn't not bring that to the bar at Preyer Brewing." Nicole Preyer, Preyer Brewing Company
ANDY ZIMMERMAN
Through his 15-year-old company, AZ Development, Andy Zimmerman works as a real estate developer, new product developer, and consultant for the outdoor industry. Previously, he was founder/owner of Legacy Paddlesports for seven years and Wilderness Systems for 15 years. Andy built and sold kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. He currently holds four patents for outdoor products. Andy has a passion for downtown rehabilitation, and he has renovated buildings for both the Forge (Greensboro's Makerspace) and Gibbs Hundred Brewing. Preyer Brewing and Crafted-Art of Street Food occupy his building on Battleground Avenue, which will be adjacent to the Downtown Greenway. In addition, AZ Development has renovated the HQ Greensboro space at 111 West Lewis Street. Andy has just opened BoxCar Bar & Arcade at 120 West Lewis Street - it is an arcade and bar, located in downtown Greensboro, for the ultimate drinking and gaming experience!
Andy shares with us his love of greenways and Greensboro:
From a developer's standpoint, the Downtown Greenway is Greensboro's 'icing on the cake.' The Downtown Greenway has helped influence numerous development decisions in the downtown area; it's truly a small ingredient within the larger finished product. Andy believes that successful downtowns and cities have greenways-gathering places that tie people together-and he wants Greensboro to be a leader in greenway development.
Andy is also a strong proponent of biking. He bikes every day in downtown Greensboro; he bikes for exercise or for riding 4-6 blocks to a meeting instead of getting in his car and hassling with traffic and finding a place to park. He has three bikes at HQ for members to utilize at either HQ or the Forge. At any given time, there are 5-10 bikes available for use at the Forge. Andy feels that Greensboro's downtown and the city, itself, are not complete without a finished greenway.
JIM JONES
Greensboro native Jim Jones has spent most of his professional life in the few blocks surrounding Joymongers Brewing Co. For 25 years, he and his brother ran North State Chevrolet. Then after its sale, they developed the remaining six acres of downtown space into two Greenway apartment communities. And the beer lover that he is, Jim next partnered with Mike Rollinson and Jim's son Brian to open Joymongers. Now his new favorite activities are music and beer research!
"I have spent my professional life invested in downtown Greensboro. My partners and I recognized the intrinsic value of urban greenways long before Greensboro began theirs. This public/private venture has inspired us to create more than $30 million of new tax value in both our apartment communities and a new brewery in just the last five years. The Downtown Greenway is a home run-and it isn't even finished!"
Lookout for more 'spotlights' in the coming weeks!
LEE COMER
Lee Comer, owner of Iron Hen Café and the new Fresh.Local.Good. Food Group, has opened a 30,000-square-foot retail multiplex in November called Morehead Foundry. The building, located along Greensboro's Downtown Greenway,
operated as a coal and ice factory when it was originally built in the 1920s. The former factory now houses 6 business spaces, all owned by Comer. Four Flocks & Larder, Revolution Burger, The Baker & The Bean, Hush (a members-only speakeasy), Carolina Event Rentals, and an event space called The Public are located at Morehead Foundry. The space offers outdoor seating and overlooks Morehead Park on the Downtown Greenway at the corner of Spring Garden and South Edgeworth Streets.
Lee talks about the importance of urban development near the Downtown Greenway: "We want Morehead Foundry to be a place that connects all types of people within Greensboro. Developing these businesses near the Downtown Greenway was very important to me because of the shared goal with the Downtown Greenway: bringing people together. The Downtown Greenway promotes a connectedness and a strong community spirit that is key as we continue to grow and advance as a city."
We look forward to making connections with Lee at Morehead Foundry and the Downtown Greenway.
Lookout for more 'spotlights' in the coming weeks!
