"The rumors are that the city is attempting to get Smith and Ray Warren homes sold to UNC-G and A&T Universities and converted into much more curb appealing student housing. Both of those properties are within close eye view of two major roads leading into the Council's precious downtown projects. Those folks would be relocated to the Hicone Road location to the tune of about 220 units. In this location there is no library, no recreation center, no bus service and only one grocery store. The schools in this area have already been taxed and the Reedy Fork development is only 700 houses into a 3500 house project. We haven't even mentioned the beating that home values have already taken in Reedy Fork due to the school system's perceived lack of success in dealing with discipline problems at Northeast High School."
My reply:
"This is the exact same thing the City of Greensboro did to Bessemer when we were young. And while I'd like to be rid of these and other low income housing projects like those on Phillips Ave exporting my neighborhood's problems to your community is not a sustainable solution.
Greensboro should be working towards solving our economic problems instead of simply putting money in the pockets of connected developers. If they go through with the project as rumored they will sell the projects at pennies on the dollar to connected developers who do the least amount of work necessary to convert them to student housing before selling them to UNCG and A&T.
This is exactly as was done in Glenwood and along Lee Street. Properties were bought and sold under false names. People should have been jailed."
Marc Ridgehill is a lifelong Greensboro resident, retired Greensboro Police Officer and resident of District 2 in Northeast Greensboro who is running for City Council at large.
