Last night the Greensboro City Council voted to close a portion of Lindsay Street to accommodate high-powered developer Roy Carroll’s $50 million hotel, retail and residential development. The vote was 8-1, with council member Jamal Fox casting the lone ‘no’ vote.
When watching the meeting I was surprised there was not more opposition. Speakers opposing the move included owners of Zito wine shop and the Smith Street Diner —notably absent was the owner of the trendy Undercurrent restaurant. Also speaking out in opposition was former City Council member Florence Gatten, who said “this is a public street being closed for a private use.”
Gatten’s right, and Carroll does have a helluva nerve making this request, especially when he warned the council there was no ‘Plan B’ if they didn’t vote in favor. But he’s Roy Carroll, after all. Now —looking at the other side of the coin here —will the public truly be inconvenienced by having the portion of Lindsay Street right across from New Bridge Bank Park cut off? I’ll only speak for myself —as a tony fisher Park resident, I travel those streets often and I occasionally take Lindsay off Eugene Street to get to the new SECU on Murrow Boulevard or to get to my mechanic on Elm Street. But are there other routes I can take? Sure.
So here’s hoping Carroll’s development is everything he and his supporters say it will be.
