This is pretty typical. After years of private developers trying to make the Canada Dry property work, the City of Greensboro decides to step in and buy it. Now comes word there might be a developer for the other piece of property no one seems to know what to do with — the corner of Lee and South Elm Streets. Remember how that was the original site for the new downtown baseball stadium?
But guess who the developer is this time —- Guilford County Schools:
School, city and business leaders said the move to the South Elm and Lee streets intersection would have to be revenue neutral for the school system to proceed. To that end, the school system is considering paying for its share of the project by selling property, including the main administrative offices at 712 N. Eugene St., officials said. As much as $6.5 million could be raised by the sales, they said.
For starters, there’s been a lot of talk about GCS consolidating its operations for some time now. I’ve heard through the Fisher Park grapevine that the current administrative office site has been targeted for mixed-used development — a la Bellemeade Village —- for some time now. Unfortunately development around New Bridge Bank Park has been stalled, with no immediate hope in sight.
No matter how bad the city wants that site developed, this is going to meet with resistance, given GCS’ record for handling money, which isn’t real good right now. With that in mind, something interesting — I don’t know what — is going to happen at tonight’s school board meeting. The board wilbe asked to transfer $15 million from the Eastern Guilford High School project to various other schools throughout the county. That’s the same Eastern Guilford that burned down two years ago and for which voters approved a $45 million bond on May 6.
There’s got to be a good explanation, right?