Dunleith Site Design Charrette


Rendering from the dunleith charrette work.

Dunleith Charrette Portfolio

Background

Dunleith Charrette, Nov. 18-21
The City of Greensboro hosted a design charrette from November 18-21, 2009 at the Event Center at Revolution Mill Studios in Greensboro North Carolina.

Neighborhood residents and property owners, City officials and staff, and all interested parties were encouraged to attend.

A charrette is a set time and location at which people involved in a design project can meet to work together on the project.

This charrette included several, short intense workshops aimed at developing a strategy for a vacant tract of land in the Charles B. Aycock Historic District known as Dunleith. Dunleith was the antebellum estate of prominent North Carolina Judge Robert P. Dick. Today, this six-plus acre tract is one of only a few large undeveloped sites remaining in center city. Urban designers from Duany Plater-Zyberk, a nationally recognized urban design firm, teamed up with Piedmont Community Design Forum to facilitate a charrette for the Dunleith site located on Chestnut Street in the Charles B. Aycock historic district. The charrette was made possible by a grant from the Marion Stedmon Covington Foundation.

The work generated strives to respect the special character of the neighborhood, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The design team employed cutting-edge urban design principles including "light imprint" development approaches and "green" building techniques in their discussions and approaches. 

Information from the November 18, 2009 meeting

Information from the November 20, 2009 meeting

Information from the November 21, 2009 final meeting

Future
The goal is to provide creative suggestions for a development that will be successful from a market and economic standpoint. City staff believes that a successful development of the Dunleith site will encourage investment in the restoration of nearby homes in this historic district and bolster downtown revitalization efforts. City staff is also interested in using this project to develop a model for future planning efforts within the community.