College Hill residents were on the receiving end of what I like to call a Greensboro ‘City Council special’ —- a unanimous vote approving development of a student housing development on the former Newman Machine Property off Spring Garden Street. The vote was 8-0 —- council member Nancy Vaughan abstained because her husband —–state Sen. Don Vaughan —- was representing College Hill residents in last night’s rezoning hearing.

Vaughan and College Hill residents made the case that another developer would propose a more neighborhood-friendly development if the council turned down this proposal. The council rightly didn’t buy that argument, especially when you look at the way property development’s going here in Greensboro. If they turned down his proposal, the Newman Machine building would likely sit vacant for a very long time.

On the whole, I’d say the process worked. College Hill residents filed a protest petition, and the council approved the project with the necessary supermajority. And although I’m more tolerant of developers than many of my brethren in the local blogosphere, I’m always surprised when the council unanimously approves a project despite such organized protest from affected neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, the council voted 5-4 to kill the controversial amphitheater project at the Greensboro Coliseum complex. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t in favor of continuing the amphitheater, but now $130,000 in taxpayers’ money has been flushed down the toilet. Coliseum director Matt Brown constantly talks about ‘sponsorship dollars,’ so perhaps he will find a sponsor to finish the project. Perhaps.