2018 Downtown Greenway Recap

2018 Downtown Greenway Recap:

Construction:

  • Bragg Street between Eugene and MLK and section between MLK/Bragg and Gate City/Murrow completed.
  • Construction completed along Fisher Avenue between Greene and Eugene.

 Design:

  • 100% plans for railroad corridor completed which completes all design work for the project.

 Public Art:

  • Planning and fabrication for 2 pieces in dialogue with each other designed by artist Vandorn Hinnant at Arlington and Bragg and MLK Jr. Blvd and Bragg along with the City of Greensboro’s re-installation of the MLK bust in preparation for an installation and dedication on 1.21.19.
  • Bike rack installed in December on Fisher Avenue; designed and fabricated by Greensboro College art student Darrah Robertson.

 Community Engagement:

  • 25 community meetings and events servings 1,388 people.
  • Public meetings held in Ole Asheboro on January 29, February 5 and April 9; and in College Hill on February 26.
  • Spoke to 12 local community groups reaching 445 people including the Wednesday Study Club, High Point Rotary, Westerwood Annual Neighborhood Meeting, Hamilton Lakes Lions Club, Little Gate Garden Club, Guilford Rotary Club, Sheppard Center, Well-Spring Resident Program, Realtors Commercial Alliance, Association for Symphony Guilds, and Westminster Presbyterian Senior Group

Social Media:

  • FaceBook: 4,768 Followers; Twitter: 5,651 Followers; Instagram:  3,401 Followers

Programs:

  • Free Fitness at Morehead Park: every Tuesday from 6-7 pm from May – October except July; average 15-20 people per class; 20 classes held with over 215 people attending throughout the season.
  • May 6: The 3rd Wheels on the Greenway at Morehead Park was scheduled for Sunday, May 6, 2018, but had to be canceled due to thunder storms.   Over 125 gently used bicycles were donated to the Warnersville Recreation Center.
  • June 2: National Trails Day – celebration at LoFi Park and walk along the Detour route with 15 participating.
  • June 21: America Walks WebinarDowntown Greenway Project Manager, Dabney Sanders was one of the panelists in a webinar hosted by America Walks- Walkable Transformations: Healthy, Active, and Engaged Communities that reached a national audience of 300.
  • July 25, August 8, and August 22: Woven Works Wednesdays – a series of 3 events held at Woven Works Park from 10-11 am on fitness with the Bryan YMCA, learning about insects with the GSO Public Library, and healthy eating with the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market and Think Eat Grow; 20 people attended the August 8 and 22 classes- the July 25 class was canceled due to weather.
  • August 2: Pop-Up Elderberry class at Meeting Place – 14 people attended the pop-up class at Meeting Place at Tradition Cornerstone at Prescott and Smith to learn how to make elderberry syrup and harvest elderberries found at the edible orchard at Meeting Place.  Jennifer Zullo with Syrups and More shared her expertise with participants.
  • October 27: 9th annual Run 4 the Greenway – over 300 people attended the run, walk and party in Morehead Park; costume contest for the best dog, adult and kid costumes, band, food trucks, and vendors made for a great party in the park.

 Volunteers: 

  • A total of 300+ volunteers were engaged with Downtown Greenway activities throughout the year. A volunteer appreciation event was held on January 30 at Preyer Brewing Company with about 40 people attending.
  • Workdays on open sections of the Downtown Greenway: Greensboro Permaculture Guild, VF Corporation, Lincoln Financial, J. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society, NC Native Plant Society, Leadership Greensboro Alumni, students from NCA&T, and elementary students at West Market Street United Methodist Church all participated in clean up and maintenance activities throughout the year.
  • Other activities: Volunteers helped with National Trails Day, Wheels on the Greenway, and Run 4 the Greenway, and multiple public meetings.

 Economic Development News:

  • Exciting announcements from the Arden Group for a multi-use project between Gate City Boulevard and Bragg Street and South Elm and the railroad tracks. The current plan is for a mixed use project encompassing the full west block. They are intending to build 30-40 townhomes for sale, and, along GCB, 50K+ SF of office/commercial space, 8-10K SF of retail space, and 60+ apartments. The projected value of the total development once complete is around $36 million, and construction should start in 2020.
  • Project announcement for development of the site between MLK, Bragg, and Gate City Boulevard with housing. Prestwick Companies have a sales/development agreement with the City and the Redevelopment Commission to build senior housing on property behind the Family Dollar and Nettie Coad Apartments, and that they are applying for funds for the project, and that if they move forward we expect the project to begin within the next 2 years.
  • Plans by the United House of Prayer for All Peoples for the site along East Market Street between Pastor Anderson Way and Dudley Street just a short block from the Downtown Greenway along Murrow Boulevard.

 Community Projects that the Downtown Greenway has been a part of:

  • Piedmont Legacy Trails is a collaboration between the Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) and the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) along with representatives from surrounding counties to help brand the Piedmont Triad as a trails destination. http://www.piedmonttrails.org/
  • Plan2Play is Greensboro Parks and Recreation’s new system-wide Master Plan. The master plan provides a framework for the use and development of the City park system for the next 20 years. greensboro-nc.gov/departments/parks-recreation/about-us/park-planning-development/plan2play
  • Downtown Streetscape Master Plan is a collaborative project between the City of Greensboro Department of Transportation and Downtown Greensboro Inc (DGI) and will provide a framework for streetscape enhancements in the central core of downtown. With a goal to improve the pedestrian experience, the project will encompass a variety of elements, such as new sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, bicycle facilities and signage.  http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/departments/transportation/gdot-divisions/engineering/projects/downtown-greensboro-streetscape-master-plan
  • PLANIT GSO is a City initiative signed to spark community conversations about how Greensboro should grow and develop in the future. The final plan is expected to be adopted during the summer of 2019.  greensboro-nc.gov/departments/planning/planit-gso
  • GCAMP Task Force was created by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, the City of Greensboro, and Arts Greensboro to consider a Greensboro Cultural Arts Master Plan for the City of Greensboro. The recommendations are to: provide stained support for arts and culture by enhancing and expanding resources, foster cultural equity and arts participation for all, create a prosperous environment for artists and arts and cultural organizations, and support development of a vibrant city by raising awareness and enhancing visibility of the arts.  The plan was adopted by City Council on 12.18.18 and will begin implementation in 2019. greensboro-nc.gov/government/greensboro-cultural-arts-master-plan-gcamp
  • Public Art GSO was created and developed by Action Greensboro and is now managed by the Public Art Endowment at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. The website and map documents the collection of public art found in Greensboro and has a platform for submitting new works as they appear.  publicartgso.org