Project Overview

Click here to download The South Elm Street Redevelopment Plan.

Click here to download The South Elm Street Redevelopment: A Map of Where It’s All Happening

Several specific principles for redevelopment guided the South Elm Street Redevelopment Planning. They include:

  • Transform South Elm Street into a standard-setting gateway to Downtown Greensboro -- a visually attractive, safe, and a vibrant destination for a broad range of users.
  • Forge connections to the neighborhoods lying to the east and west of the planning area, as well as to Greensboro’s downtown community of merchants and residents.
  • Address existing environmental challenges to create an area that is safe, ecologically responsible and economically viable.
  • Support the area’s important and unique cultural heritage and, to the extent possible, repurpose and reuse historic buildings to preserve a sense of the character of the district and add value to new developments.
  • Restore economic use and vitality to the area, creating viable opportunities for private investment.
  • Establish a dynamic mix of uses that creates a unique, compelling identity, while supporting users of a variety of ages and income levels.

Revitalizing older, urban neighborhoods, such as South Elm Street, often requires cleaning up contaminated brownfield sites, and Greensboro is no different. As a prominent gateway to downtown, improving South Elm Street is vital to the city core. Formerly industrial land along this corridor is undergoing remediation so it can contribute viable economic uses and enhanced visual appeal in the community.

During a public planning process for South Elm Street, Greensboro established a vision for the future of the corridor as well as a redevelopment plan that identifed the specific steps to be taken to achieve improvements. Funds committed by the City of Greensboro, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have made this process possible and signify a commitment to environmental responsibility and downtown reinvestment.

One of the central goals has been to revive and integrate south Greensboro -- a long underserved sector of the city south of downtown -- with newer economic development occurring to its north. The implementation of the Redevelopment Plan will help to position Greensboro to realize South Elm Street’s greater potential.

The Plan is an interesting read; please check it out!

  • Chapter 1: project background, site analysis and the planning principles established during public discussions.
  • Chapter 2: the corridor area, culminating in a framework plan for public improvements.
  • Chapter 3: alternatives for the core area, illustrating the preferred scheme in detail, and offers design guidelines for public improvements and private development.
  • Chapter 4: implementation recommendations, including technical requirements for redevelopment as stipulated by state statute.