After more than two decades and over $50 million in public and private funding, Greensboro's Downtown Greenway stands as a testament to both civic ambition and a profound lack of accountability. Conceived in 2001 as a transformative 4-mile urban trail to connect neighborhoods and spur economic growth, the project has become a cautionary tale of endless delays, escalating costs and a governance structure that operates with far too little scrutiny.
While the vision of a vibrant, art-filled pedestrian corridor is commendable, the facts remain: the Greenway’s completion is years behind schedule, its budget has ballooned, and the public has been asked to trust a process that is strikingly opaque. As the project nears its hoped-for completion in 2025, a full 24 years after its inception, it is simply irresponsible not to demand a full, independent audit of its spending and management.
A Protracted and Costly Timeline
The numbers alone tell a troubling story. With an estimated price tag of over $50 million for four miles, the Downtown Greenway represents one of the most expensive per-mile pedestrian projects in the state. To put this into perspective, the cost exceeds $12.5 million per mile. For a city grappling with crumbling infrastructure, underfunded public services and ever higher taxes and fees, this staggering figure demands justification. Residents are right to ask what they are getting for such an extraordinary investment and whether these funds could have been better spent addressing more urgent civic needs.
The timeline has been equally staggering. For a project of this scope, the progress has been glacial. Only one mile was completed in the first 16 years. While complex land acquisitions and construction issues are cited as causes, they do not fully explain a quarter-century timeline. In a city of Greensboro’s size, it is difficult to imagine a school, road, or public safety project of similar cost being allowed to operate for over two decades, spanning five mayoral terms, without a single thorough audit released to the public.
A Web of Connections Demanding Scrutiny
At the heart of the concern is the tight-knit leadership overseeing both the project and the philanthropic dollars that support it. The primary organization shepherding the Greenway is Action Greensboro, a nonprofit under the umbrella of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.
This arrangement creates a web of connections that demands a level of transparency Greensboro has yet to provide:
- Walker Sanders serves as CEO of the Community Foundation, which wields immense influence over local grantmaking and downtown strategy.
- His wife, Dabney Sanders, has led the Downtown Greenway’s implementation as its project manager since 2008.
Both are respected civic leaders and there is no evidence of impropriety. However, this familial arrangement in a project involving millions of public and private funds naturally raises questions about potential conflicts of interest, governance, and fiscal accountability. Without impartial oversight, these questions will persist.
The Pressing Need for an Audit
At a time when Greensboro faces pressing needs in infrastructure repair, affordable housing, and public safety, every dollar must be accounted for. Critics rightly question whether the Greenway’s costly features, including multi-million-dollar public art installations, were the best use of limited resources when weighed against these fundamental community needs.
An independent, public audit conducted by an outside agency is the only way to build trust and provide answers to the questions residents deserve:
* How much money has gone directly to construction versus administration, consulting, marketing, and public art?
* What have been the salary and benefit costs for executives and project managers throughout this prolonged timeline?
* What competitive processes were used to award contracts, especially given the overlapping professional and familial connections?
* Is the public getting the best value out of each dollar spent?
A Call for Accountability
Greensboro can still celebrate the Greenway’s vision and its eventual benefits. However, celebrating a project’s promise does not exempt it from scrutiny. Good intentions are not a substitute for accountability.
The prolonged timeline, astronomical costs and overlapping leadership demand a comprehensive audit of Action Greensboro and all expenditures on the Downtown Greenway. This audit is not about assigning blame; it is about ensuring transparency, learning lessons for future projects, and restoring public confidence in how major civic initiatives are managed.
After $50 million and 20-plus years, Greensboro’s taxpayers and donors have earned the right to a full accounting. It’s time to shine a light on the numbers, the process, and the relationships that have defined—and delayed—this high-profile project. The city council must commission this audit immediately.
