A comprehensive plan is a city's long-term overarching guide to growth and development.

The greatest, most memorable cities don't just happen. There is a roadmap that has guided them to become places of lasting value and opportunity for all residents, and destinations visitors desire to return to. That roadmap is a guide to a shared vision for the future and is called the comprehensive plan; GSO2040 is the City of Greensboro's adopted Comprehensive Plan.

The Plan provides a common touch point to align projects, programs, and policies with the community's vision for the future. The updated plan will help residents, employers, and community institutions understand how they each play a role in Greensboro's roadmap for success. You may view GSO2040 here.

During the April 2023 City Council meeting, Planning Department staff presented to council the Draft Fleming Road Area Plan and accompanying proposed amendments of the GSO2040 Future Land Use Map and Future Built Form Map

City Council held a public hearing to receive comments on the plan and amendments. Two speakers addressed the Councilmembers to express their support for adoption of the Fleming Road Area Plan.

Following the public hearing, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the Fleming Road Area Plan and proposed amendments, to become effective upon adoption.

The Fleming Road Study Area consists of areas surrounding the Fleming Road corridor from Ballinger Road on the south, to an area north of I-840, along Lewiston Road (click on map graphic to enlarge).

Located in northwest Greensboro, adjacent to Piedmont Triad International Airport, the Fleming Road Study Area has a quiet, countryside character. Residents describe it at as peaceful, safe, convenient, and friendly.

The vision, goals, strategies, and objectives described in the Fleming Road Study Area are organized under the same framework as the City’s Comprehensive Plan GSO2040. The Six Big Ideas from GSO2040 are carried over into this plan, with relevant goals and strategies followed by more specific objectives for the Fleming Road Study Area. These objectives reflect the ideas and priorities voiced by the community, combined with the planning team’s analysis of conditions and future opportunities.

The City initiated this planning process in collaboration with residents, property owners, and other stakeholders to take a proactive look at the needs, concerns, and opportunities in the area, before potential market pressures or unanticipated development presents itself.

This planning process launched in Spring 2022 and engaged community members through nearly 800 touchpoints (defined as total instances of engagement) to understand their priorities for the future. The outcome is this small area plan, which is intended to serve as a strategic document to help guide future decision-making.

A recap of the planning process is provided in this summary.

East Gate City Boulevard Corridor Plan

View the East Gate City Boulevard Corridor Plan

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The East Gate City Boulevard Plan was initiated in recognition of the importance of the road, and to coordinate new growth and future investment so they reinforce each other and benefit local neighborhoods.

The road is a significant entrance into Greensboro, home to a number of important institutions, and a primary transportation route for many nearby neighborhoods. The plan covers East Gate City Boulevard from South Elm on the west to the I-40 interchange on the east, spanning approximately 3.4 miles. Specifically, the area is significant for these key reasons:

• The significant public investment in the Windsor-Chavis Nocho Community Complex (WCNCC) project
• Previous investments in Barber Park, Gateway Gardens, Gateway Research Park, and the Union Square Campus
• As a major thoroughfare for east Greensboro
• As a key entry corridor to get in and out of the city and downtown
• In conjunction with West Gate City Boulevard, a connection point to many of the city’s major institutions

The creation of this plan is part of the implementation of GSO2040, the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Planning processes such as these help bring the Comprehensive Plan to life by taking the plan's principles to a specific, smaller geography and focusing on local concerns. The East Gate City Planning Process has been underway since summer 2021.

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The video below highlights some of the key locations along the corridor:

 Visit our interactive map.

This group of plans has proposed redevelopment activities that are underway or remain to be implemented.

• Arlington Park Redevelopment Plan
• Eastside Park Redevelopment Plan
• Heritage House Redevelopment Plan
• Ole Asheboro Redevelopment Plan
• Phillips Lombardy Redevelopment Plan
• South Elm Street Redevelopment Plan
• Willow Oaks Redevelopment Plan

The Arlington Park Redevelopment Plan  was approved in 1979 with the objectives of removing structurally substandard buildings and encouraging extensive rehabilitation.

Comprehensive neighborhood revitalization activities have been underway in the neighborhood since the early 1980s. Over the years, most of the goals of this neighborhood plan have been accomplished.

The redevelopment area encompasses 90 acres and is bound to the north by Andrews Street, to the south by Florida Street, to the west by Vance Street, and to the east by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Key recommendations for redevelopment include the development of four remaining lots currently owned by the Redevelopment Commission of Greensboro. Redevelopment in the area is still active. 

The Redevelopment Commission of Greensboro first began work here in the 1970s and initiated the most recent redevelopment activities along Bingham Street in 1990, with an expansion to include a wider area in 1993. 

The overall objectives of the plans were to provide rehabilitation assistance to homeowners to acquire blighted properties, eliminate illegal activities, and construct a neighborhood park, in addition to other improvements.

The redevelopment area encompasses 47 acres and is bound to the north by Peachtree Street, to the south by Spencer Street, to the west by O. Henry Boulevard, and to the east by Bingham Street.

Key recommendations for redevelopment include neighborhood reuse plans for six lots currently owned by the Redevelopment Commission. Take a look at the Eastside Park Redevelopment Plan. Redevelopment in the area is still active.

The Ole Asheboro area was designated in 1979 and the first comprehensive neighborhood plan was adopted in 1983.

This comparatively large neighborhood revitalization encompasses the area between E. Lee Street to the north and the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and E. Florida Street to the south. To the east, the area boundary runs along Arlington Street approximately to Broad Avenue, where the Arlington Park Redevelopment Plan area begins. To the west, Bennett Street defines that boundary.

Activities have included stabilizing existing housing stock, providing for new housing, adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of historic buildings, development of a daycare center, and upgrading of the area’s deteriorated infrastructure.

City Rehab, local ordinance enforcement, and Lead-Safe Housing Assistance programs are active in the area.

A second redevelopment plan was adopted in 2004 to respond to the changes in neighborhood and market conditions. Several areas for development were rezoned as Traditional Neighborhood Zones as part of the 2005 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive North Plan.

Although most activities in the original plan have been completed, Ole Asheboro will remain an active redevelopment area until activities in those rezoned areas are complete. Take a look at the Ole Asheboro Redevelopment Plan

Adopted in 1989, the Phillips Lombardy Redevelopment Plan focuses on removing blighted properties and improving traffic circulation and land use patterns.

The plan also describes measures for developers to use to ensure consistent, new construction housing options.

The plan acquired a large contiguous site bounded by Phillips Avenue, Lombardy Street and the eastern property lines of Bartos Place. This redevelopment plan is still considered in active status.

The South Elm Street Redevelopment Plan was adopted in 2006. This redevelopment plan covers a 10-acre core area between Lee and Bragg streets bounded by the railroad spur to the west and Arlington Street to the east.

The target area is situated within a 75-acre redevelopment corridor that stretches from the Norfolk Southern rail line to the north to the intersection of Elm and Eugene streets to the south.

The central goal of this plan is to clean up contaminated brownfield sites and revive and reconnect this location into downtown.

Redevelopment of the site is planned for a mixture of uses including residential, commercial, and institutional.

The redevelopment area will remain active until the properties owned by the Redevelopment Commission of Greensboro are sold for development.

The Willow Oaks Redevelopment Plan, an update to the Morningside/Lincoln Grove Redevelopment Plan, was approved in 2000. This plan calls for removal of substandard buildings, elimination of blighting factors, creation of a Traditional Neighborhood Development district, rehabilitation of existing homes, construction of new homes and apartments, and the upgrading of certain public improvements.

Two-hundred and 10 rental units and more than 100 single-family homes have been constructed.

Still to be completed are more than 150 single-family homes, Phase III Cottage Grove, Phase III McConnell Road, and the commercial/retail component of the Willow Oaks Village Center.

Remaining single-family lots are owned by the Greensboro Housing Development Partnership, which acts as the agent for the Redevelopment Commission of Greensboro. The commission owns the land earmarked for the Village Center. Until these activities are complete, the redevelopment area will remain active.

This group of plans is where the redevelopment activities have been completed. The policies incorporated within these plans remain in force.

• Benjamin Benson Redevelopment Plan
• Bingham Street Area Redevelopment Plan
• College Hill Redevelopment Plan
• Cumberland Project Redevelopment Plan
• Downtown Redevelopment Plan
• East Market Street Redevelopment Plan
• Glenwood "A" Redevelopment Plan
• Glenwood Northeast Redevelopment Plan
• Glenwood West Redevelopment Plan
• Gorrell Street Redevelopment Plan
• Hampton Redevelopment Area
• Logan Redevelopment Plan
• McConnell Road Redevelopment Plan
• Office Center Project Redevelopment Plan
• Pear Street Redevelopment Area Plan
• Phillips Avenue Redevelopment Plan
• Southside Area Development Plan
• Retreat Street Redevelopment Plan
• Rosewood Redevelopment Plan
• Vance Redevelopment Plan
• Warnersville Redevelopment Plan 
  • Project I
  • Project IIA
  • Project III
• Washington Project Redevelopment Plans
  • Project I
  • Project II

In January 2009, the College Hill Neighborhood partnered with the City to begin the process of creating a neighborhood plan.

At the neighborhood's request, the process was put on hold in fall 2009, when a proposal to re-zone the former site of the Newman Machine Company was received by the City.

In October 2013, College Hill and the Planning Department re-launched the planning process. The College Hill Neighborhood Plan was adopted by the Greensboro City Council on March 17, 2015.  

The Plan includes background information describing the neighborhood's history, current conditions, geographic features, and recent trends. The Plan also contains a shared neighborhood vision statement, an extensive table of goals, strategies, and action steps to achieve the vision, and a map of future land uses in the neighborhood.

Additional Information

Re-Starting the College Hill Neighborhood Planning Process
College Hill Neighborhood Plan Draft - November 2009
College Hill Neighborhood Plan Draft Vision, Goals, & Strategies - November 2009
Basic Neighborhood Planning Process Diagram
Frequently Asked Questions About Neighborhood Planning

The Downtown Area Consolidated Plan was accepted by City Council in 2011, this plan emphasizes downtown's connections to adjacent neighborhoods and nearby economic centers. The plan synthesized previous plans for downtown and identified a time-line to implement recommended action steps. 

 
 Visit this interactive map to view the neighborhoods.

The Aycock Neighborhood Strategic Plan was adopted in September 2003. This plan was a follow-up to the Aycock Traditional Neighborhood District Plan, developed by the Aycock neighborhood.

The area is loosely bounded by Church Street, Bessemer Avenue, and Lindsay Street, centered on Summit Avenue.

The objectives of this plan were to identify issues and concerns, set common objectives, and develop proposed actions.

Key recommendations included the improvement of Summit Avenue as a primary gateway to downtown, enhance the organization of the Neighborhood Association, and highlight the historic nature of the neighborhood.

The Aycock Neighborhood is now known as the Dunleath Neighborhood.

City Council adopted the Cedar Street/Bellemeade Area Plan in November 2005 for an area bounded by Battleground Avenue on the north, Eugene Street on the east, Friendly Avenue on the south, and the railroad tracks between Prescott and Hillside streets on the west.

This study of the northwest corner of downtown was developed in response to a series of contentious rezoning cases.

Goals of the plan include:

• Stabilizing, protecting, enhancing and complementing the existing neighborhood’s character, diversity and appearance

• Encouraging appropriate future development of a variety of uses (business, commercial and residential) in the neighborhood 

• Improving how Cedar Street is perceived and seen as a downtown neighborhood

• Creating a pedestrian, bicycle, and resident friendly environment in the area that encourages walking to downtown, the stadium,  universities/colleges, and adjacent neighborhoods.

The Central Gateway Corridor Plan was adopted in December 2008 and covers the area along W. Lee Street and High Point Road, between S. Eugene Street and west of Siler Street, at varying distances between 200 and 2,700 feet from the centerline of W. Lee Street/High Point Road.

The objectives of this plan are to guide future development and redevelopment of a key reinvestment corridor identified in the City’s Connections 2025 Comprehensive Plan and present a coherent strategy for coordinating significant public and private investment to overcome an existing decline in character, property values, business district strength, and neighborhood vitality.

Key recommendations in the plan are focused around spurring reinvestment and re-envisioning land-use patterns, improving transportation access and safety (especially for pedestrians bicyclists, and transit users), improving quality of infrastructure, enhancing appearance of properties, capitalizing on key assets in the corridor, and improving public safety.

Balanced Economic Development: a Strategic Plan for East Greensboro
Completed in 2011, this strategic plan includes a market analysis and recommendations for areas of east Greensboro pertaining to residential development, household income, the street network, and public schools.

The East Greensboro Study Committee was created in March 2014 to undertake a holistic examination of east Greensboro and identify strategies to make it attractive, safe and prosperous for residents and businesses alike.

The committee collected existing conditions data for a study area comprised of approximately 60 square miles of the City generally lying east of N. Elm Street, US 220 South and Randleman Road. Extensive public input was sought through a series of focus groups to understand east Greensboro’s strengths, opportunities, aspirations and desired outcomes.

Recommendations based on this input were drafted in four broad categories.

• Economic Opportunity
• Education
• Community Pride
• Quality of Life

These recommendations will be used to guide and prioritize policies and programs and build new partnerships to help achieve the committee’s goal of an attractive, safe, and prosperous area. The East Greensboro Study Committee Report was approved in August 2015.

Yes, the Friendly Avenue Area Plan covers a section of Friendly Avenue from Elam Avenue to Holden Road and was adopted by City Council in December 2016.

Designated as an Activity Center in Connections 2025, Greensboro’s Comprehensive Plan, the Friendly Avenue study area has seen an increased rate of change and development since 2000, including major expansions of Friendly Shopping Center and Wesley Long Hospital.

The plan’s recommendations cover access,  land uses, and communications.

• Access

A holistic look at transportation issues such as strategic improvements to major roads, improving access for pedestrians and cyclists and slowing cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods

• Land uses

 Includes a focus on preserving neighborhood integrity and stability and encouraging denser development in land that is already commercial

•  Communications

Ensures the different neighborhoods and institutions in the area work together to implement the plan

City Council adopted the Glenwood Neighborhood Plan in February 2008.

The plan covers a large triangle bounded on the north by West Gate City Boulevard, on the east by Freeman Mill Road, and on the west by Coliseum Boulevard.

Glenwood is one of Greensboro’s oldest suburban neighborhoods, which over time became troubled as homes fell into disrepair, businesses closed, and crime increased.

Plan goals are to increase home ownership and maintenance, improve walk and bike-ability, promote desirable infill, reduce crime and perceptions of danger, promote vibrant and accessible retail and services, and strengthen the community fabric.

Approved in 2013, the Heath Community Strategic Plan was prepared for a group of neighborhoods that are bound together by their proximity, type of development, and common challenges.

The plan includes neighborhoods that lie on either side of Franklin Boulevard between E. Market Street and McConnell Road.

The goals and recommendations were developed in a year-long planning process that involved significant neighborhood input. The goals of the plan include improve traffic safety, create community pride, address code violations, invest in public infrastructure, and encourage economic development.

The Jonesboro/Scott Park Neighborhood Plan was developed over a period of time beginning in 2007 and adopted in 2009.

City Planning Department staff worked with neighborhood residents and property owners to develop a plan that included the goals of increasing public safety, improving the appearance of the neighborhood, upgrading public facilities, and increasing home ownership. The area is located east of US Hwy. 29 North and NC A&T State University.

East Greensboro Now is working with the neighborhood association and City staff to implement the plan.

On March 19-22, 2014, Greensboro residents, business owners and government officials gathered to participate in a community design workshop focused on the Lawndale Drive corridor. The specific focus areas was the Kirkwood Corridor of Lawndale Drive between Cone Boulevard and Cornwallis.  Urban Design Workshop Report (2014)

The Lawndale Drive Corridor Plan, Phase I was adopted in April 2015. The City, in cooperation with neighborhood stakeholders, developed a shared vision for the future character of this section of Lawndale Drive as a guide for future growth decisions. The desired outcome is a set of tools and strategies the City can use to support stability in the neighborhoods adjacent to Lawndale Drive while accommodating anticipated growth. 

City Council adopted the Lindley Park Neighborhood Plan in August 2004.

The plan covers the area bounded by W. Market Street on the north, S. Elam Avenue and Bitting Street on the east, Oakland Avenue on the south, and Holden Road on the west. Walker Avenue forms the southern boundary between Holden Road and W. Market Street.

The plan includes studies of the Spring Garden Street and Walker Street corridors and resulted in the Spring Garden Street Pedestrian Scale Overlay.

Other recommendations focus on balancing the mix of residential, commercial and industrial land uses, taking advantage of Lindley Park, and using the neighborhood association to its full potential.

 Background

The Randleman Road Phase I Corridor Plan was adopted in May 2016. This phase covers the northern half of Randleman Road, from Freeman mill Road south to I-40. The Plan's recommendations focus on improving public perceptions of the corridor, transportation, enhancements and encouraging reinvestment. The June 2015 Existing Conditions Summary includes data and analysis for the entire corridor.

Adopted in September 2013, the Western Area Plan is bounded by Interstate-40 on the south, NC 68 on the east, and N. Bunker Hill Road and Reedy Fork Creek on the west and north.

The need for this plan was identified in the Heart of the Triad study and it envisions a future where the economy continues to grow and prosper and lands valued for their agricultural and historical importance are conserved. The City saw a need to plan for the area because it is next to the airport and several major highway projects, and contains large tracts of undeveloped land.

The plan’s recommendations focus on directing growth to areas with existing infrastructure to balance the need for jobs, agriculture, and green space. 

Adopted in 2015, the Fresh Food Access Plan  focuses on increasing retail access to fresh, local produce in Greensboro's food deserts.

The plan was made possible by a grant from a US Department of Agriculture program aimed at supporting local food business enterprises that connect farmers with consumers. This includes expanding entrepreneurial opportunities both for local farmers and residents interested in starting local food-related businesses.

The plan takes into consideration all parts of the food system, though it does not contain recommendations for helping feed people with immediate needs. The focus is on strengthening the local food system with elements that are economically viable and sustainable as business enterprises, particularly in food deserts.