While we’re on the subject, it just so happened I did an article on Greensboro’s comprehensive plan back in 2004, with the focus being the (correct me if I’m wrong) most controversial zoning case to date involving the plan, the retail center at corner Battleground Avenue and Horsepen Creek Road.

Two major isssues there: Though the comprehensive plan called for the land in question to be low-density residential, half of it was already zoned commercial business, as was the land surrounding it, as evidenced by the many restaurants, shops and convenience stores making up the intersection. One developer told me that nobody in their right mind would build residential on the land because nobody in their right mind would want to live there.

A couple of local leaders had some interesting insight, too. Here’s what City Councilman Tom Phillips had to say about the comp plan at a March ’04 meeting:

“I’m upset with myself because I got talked into it, and it’s never going to happen again. We need to get some sort of consensus on what we think this plan is going to do for us. Now we have a plan with a lot of problems with it. It’s become clear — and I think a lot of it is that we passed the plan without any policies or procedures in place — so everybody’s out there winging it.

Here’s HOT steering committee co-chair Robbie Perkins, who was on the City Council at the time:

“I haven’t talked to anybody yet who went through the generalized land-use map on a property-by-property basis and looked at it and determined what made sense. I know when we voted on it the question was raised whether the map would be used as a generalized guide or essentially a zoning bible. The message that’s being sent to the development community at this point in time is that it is a zoning bible and that if you’re not in compliance with that map, you’re going to have stiff opposition to your case.

The question is whether or not anything has happened in the last three years to clearly define what the comprehensive plan is. I’m not sure anything has, and Jeffus’ bill, the way I see it, just wants to send the clear message to developers that, when push comes to shove, exisiting zoning regulations still apply. I think that’s fair. By the same token, I don’t think it renders obsolete the comprehensive plan’s use as a long-term guide.