Southside Development Plan Wins National Planning Award 
November 11, 2002

The City of Greensboro Southside Development Plan has been awarded the 2003 American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Award for Implementation. The awards honor the most outstanding efforts in planning and serve as a showcase for cutting-edge achievements in the profession. The Southside Plan reflects APA's slogan "Making Great Communities Happen" and the award was specifically given for Southside's significant achievement in accomplishing a positive change with long-term measurable results.

In announcing the award, Bruce Knight, Chairman of the 2003 APA Planning Awards Jury noted that, "The Jury was impressed with how implementation of the Southside Project changed the face of this neighborhood, not only by physically improving it, but also by giving its residents something to be proud of again."

The initial idea for the Southside Development Plan began in 1990 when the area was identified as a unique development opportunity for the Center City as part of the Center City Master Plan. A two-year planning process that focused on community participation led to the development of a plan for the area that envisioned re-establishing Southside as a turn of the 19th century neighborhood. Through a collaborative effort led by the City's Department of Housing and Community Development, innovative and improved methods of approaching the project were achieved and construction began in 1999.

The Southside Development today consists of 10 acres located at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Gorrell Street, and includes 100 residences, a combination of townhouses, live/work units and single-family homes, ranging from $129,000 to 261,000. Historic houses already in the area have been renovated and new sidewalks, old-style streetlights and decorative brickwork and landscaping help to preserve and enhance the historic character of the area. Residents began moving into Southside in summer 2001 and the development continues to grow with the addition of more townhouses and live/work units underway.

Housing & Community Development Director Andy Scott states that, "Southside has taught us a lot about urban infill development; lessons that have led to a number of innovations; such as collaborative planning and Traditional Neighborhood Development, that will ensure a higher quality of infill development in Greensboro in the future."

The award will be presented at the annual APA conference in Denver, Colorado in March 2003.