Front-pager in Saturday’s News & Record on high-profile Greensboro developer and UNC Board of Governors member Marty Kotis’ ambitious project: a $100 million high-rise mixed-use development on a narrow stretch of property behind his RED Cinemas movie theater.
Kotis believes the key to the development’s success will be the as-yet-unfinished section of Gboro’s greenway that will link downtown with outlying areas.
Kotis said he thinks restaurants, retail and other venues would give people a reason to park, walk or come out a mile or so from downtown.
He’s an energetic traveler. From London to Buenos Aires to Dallas to Greenville, S.C., he uses any idea he thinks can improve his businesses in Greensboro. And Kotis said he believes it’s time to bring some of those urban concepts to the city.
“The key takeaway for me in visiting these other cities, whether it be Greenville or Houston or Dallas,” Kotis said, “you have to have things for people to do along the greenway. You have to have places for people to stop and do and enjoy themselves along the way.”
Question is how will the greenway connector be funded, and how much will it cost? Mayor Nancy Vaughan said she “feels optimistic” the greenway will be on a bond package for the November election. Question how much it will be—-brace yourselves, Gboro voters— the still under construction four-mile Downtown Greenway is comes with a $26 million price tag.
