I read with interest and an open mind yesterday’s N&R write-up (unposted) on the next phase of Greensboro’s downtown greenway. This next phase will connect Lee and Spring Garden Streets, in the process rehabbing a trash and graffiti-covered underpass.
OK, I’m glad the underpass will be cleaned up, and I actually get the idea of historic connectivity between the College Hill and Warnersville neighborhoods. But when I finished the article, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they’re overdoing it just a bit with the Blandwood-influenced steel furniture, decorations by professional graffiti artists (ironic considering that law enforcement is still hunting down the non-professional graffiti artist that’s been vandalizing downtown for weeks now) and LED illumination that “will be programmed to interact with movement from passersby and trains overhead.”
The quarter-mile section will cost $1.5 million, but Action Greensboro’s Dabney Sanders says “(n)ationally, greenways are economic drivers…for every dollar invested, we can expect $5 to $12 in return investment. Nearby property values typically increase as well.”
JLF research has debunked that theory. Remember also that this is public money they’re spending, and when you read all the proverbial bells and whistles they’re adding on to what is basically a sidewalk, you realize why the cost is so extravagant. Bottom line is projects like this are a big reason why we’re in this mess right now.
