I turned on the tube last night and just happened to catch the Greensboro City Council’s discussion and debate over the proposed Downtown Design Overlay, which John Hammer affectionately refers to as the beauty police. The council passed the overlay by a 7-2 vote with the compromise that properties north of Fisher Avenue be excluded. Council members Robbie Perkins and Dianne Bellamy-Small voted ‘no,’ because they want all properties in the overlay.
OK, I understand that the guidelines are voluntary, which doesn’t necessarily please some out there who want the guidelines “mandatory and non-negotiable.”
But a couple of things jumped out me during the discussion. First of all, one of the overlay supporters noted that when a property owner comes before the council for a rezoning, the council will be able to take into consideration whether or not they have adopted or plan to adopt the guidelines. Anybody want to guess how the council would vote if the property owner did not adhere to the guidelines?
Council member Zack Matheny made mention of the Guilford County Schools administration building on the corner of Fisher and Eugene, property which the city has targeted for redevelopment. There is little doubt developers of that property will be under pressure to follow the design guidelines.
Perkins noted that the downtown greenway will run along Fisher Avenue past the properties in question. Evidently Perkins believes all property running along the $26 million strip of asphalt should be nice and purty. This is yet another example of making a greenway more than it is, except in this case it will truly have an impact on private developers.
