ENVISIONING A FUTURE The Western Area Land Use and Infrastructure Plan envisions a future where the economy continues to grow and prosper and the lands valued for their agriculture or historical importance are conserved. MAY 2013 Greensboro Western Area Land Use and Infrastructure Plan PREPARED FOR: City of Greensboro Planning Department 300 West Washington Street Melvin Municipal Office Building Room 315 Greensboro, North Carolina PREPARED BY: LandDesign 223 North Graham Street Charlotte, NC 28202 In Association with Warren & Associates Martin/Alexiou/Bryson Simon Resources, Inc. MAY 30, 2013 A Special Thanks to Members of the Technical Advisory Committee TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Kevin Baker Dena Keesee Roger Bardsley Melinda King Mike Borchers Mark Kristner Bill Bruce Kenney McDowell Lee Burnette Craig McKinney Mike Cowhig Tyler Meyer Kathi Dubel Bruce Oakley Les Eger Ted Patrick Gregory Errett Kathleen Patterson Adam Fischer David Powell Heidi Galanti Robin Rhyne Jeff Hatling John Schoffner David Hauser Andrew Scott Peggy Holland Drew Spiliotis David Hyder A Very Special Thanks to Members of the Public Advisory Committee PUBLIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE Karen Bullins Carl Petzler Lynn Davis David Reed Donald Dillon Andrew Ritenour Mary Fabrizio William Shular Brian Hall Patricia Stafford Eddie MacEldowney Dr. Marian Stypa Bill McNeill Barbara Sumner Philip Peaslee 8 : Greensboro Western Area Land Use + Infrastructure Plan Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 2 History of the Planning Area 3 Role and Purpose of the Plan 3 Guiding Principles 3 Western Area Profile 14 A PLAN FOR THE WESTERN AREA 15 Planning SubAreas 17 Campus Village 21 West Market Street Village 23 Employment Area 25 Future Employment Area 26 Residential Area 29 Agriculture Area 31 General Recommendations 31 Transportation 33 Gateways & Corridors 34 Utilities 35 Cultural & Historic Resources 36 Governance 37 APPENDICES A Implementation Matrix B Process to Develop the Plan Summary from Public Meeting Summary from Public Workshop C Existing Conditions Report D Market Analysis Greensboro Western Area Land Use + Infrastructure Plan : 9 1 : Greensboro Western Area Land Use + Infrastructure Plan Introduction HISTORY OF PLANNING IN THE WESTERN AREA The Western Area Land Use and Infrastructure Plan is the next step in implementing a vision for the area first introduced in Greensboro Connections 2025 and further reinforced in the Heart of the Triad (HOT) Study. The City of Greensboro pro-actively The Western Area Land Use and engaged in this planning process as it has Infrastructure Plan is the first community- responsibility to continue to understand and based comprehensive plan generated for prepare for changes in the Western Area this study area (See Exhibit 1 Study Area primarily due to: Map). Several other planning efforts have addressed specific issues or geographies • being adjacent to an airport that is including and surrounding the study area but seen as a major driver for the region’s this plan specifies the direction and pattern of economy. growth desired by existing residents from the • being adjacent to several major highway Colfax community and greater Western Area. projects that have been completed and Previous planning efforts include: more that are planned for the future. • large tracts of undeveloped land that • Greensboro Connections 2025 are close to properties with significant • Heart of the Triad Study, June 2010 investments. • 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan • Piedmont Triad International Airport By doing so, the City in cooperation with Master Plan, May 2010 residents, businesses, investors and • City of Greensboro 2010 Water Supply neighboring jurisdictions, can help ensure Master Plan that the existing quality of life is preserved • The Piedmont Triad Aerotropolis Plan, and pro-actively manage change to identified 2008 desired community outcomes. Furthermore • City of Greensboro and Guilford County the process enables the City to coordinate Consolidated Plan 2010-2014: Plan for a long-term public investments, such as water Resilient Community and sewer lines and road improvements, with • Sustainability Action Plan, Greensboro, land use and economic development goals. North Carolina, April 2010 Greensboro Western Area Land Use + Infrastructure Plan : 2 INTRODUCTION • Greensboro Urban Area, Bicycle, Pedestrian and Guiding Principles Greenway Master Plan, October 2006 Individuals, families and employers continue to choose • High Point Northwest Area Plan the Western Area for their homes and businesses. • High Point Airport Connector Feasibility Study Elected officials, City planners and economic • Oak Ridge Land Use Plan developers realize that in order to sustain and enhance • Future 1-73 Connector Feasibility Study the quality-of-life which attracts these groups this plan • Guilford County Airport Area Plan is necessary to balance development forces with the • Guilford County Northwest Area Plan need to preserve the natural, agricultural and cultural • Greensboro Airport Area Modeling Study assets of the region. The Western Area Land Use and Infrastructure Plan Role + Purpose of the Plan is guided by a set of principles set by the City of The Western Area Land Use and Infrastructure Plan Greensboro: is being created through community collaboration to define a direction for future growth and development • To prepare a plan that will enhance economic in and around western Greensboro and Guilford development opportunities while protecting County. It is a policy document that conveys a future the integrity and heritage of western area vision and the steps needed to achieve that vision. communities; The Plan is intended to clearly reflect the community’s • To identify infrastructure needs, market trends, expectations and desires and to guide decisions of regulatory needs, and any changes to the City’s Greensboro staff, Guilford County staff, appointed and Connections 2025 Comprehensive Plan and / or elected officials, developers and others involved in the Generalized Future Land Use Map (GFLUM); local development-related activities. More importantly, • To identify preferred locations for varying the Plan will facilitate consistency in the decision intensities of residential area and appropriate making that affects this area, which is governed by two transitions between residential uses and non- jurisdictions. Such decisions include those related to residential areas. development proposals for properties within the study area, regulatory changes, and public infrastructure investments. Western Area Profile The Western Area Land Use and Infrastructure Plan anticipates change in the Western Area over a twenty PLANNING AREA year time period. The Plan and supporting findings Located on the western edge of Guilford County, the are based on a detailed analysis of existing and future study area encompasses the western fringe of the demographic and market trends (see Appendix D City of Greensboro and a unincorporated portion of for the full Market Analysis Report), environmental Guilford County which includes the Colfax community. features and constraints and existing and planned The major road corridors of the study area include infrastructure improvements to the road network West Market Street, Pleasant Ridge Road, Interstate 40, and water and sewer utility systems (see Appendix NC 68, and the future Interstate 73. C for the full Existing Conditions Report). These finds are supplemented with feedback collected during an The study area’s northernmost boundary is Reedy Fork extensive public engagement process (see Appendix B Creek. The southern edge is the annexation agreement for a summary of the public engagement process). line, established in 2008 with the City of High Point, generally following I-40. The eastern boundary is the Piedmont Triad International Airport (not included in 3 : Greensboro Western Area Land Use + Infrastructure Plan Summerfield the planning area) and NC-68. The Plan Boundary western most boundary generally Existing Buildings Airport Runway follows Bunker Hill Road. D Counties Beaver Creek R L O O Freeway H C S Railroad T S E W Streets H O a k R i d g e T R The Western Area is divided O Major Roads N Hydrology between the industrial zone that Places of Interest Lakes Moores Creek has developed along the West ALCORN RD Parks Floodplain Market Street and Pleasant Ridge BEESON RD Municipalities Reedy Fork Creek Road and the agricultural and rural Greensboro STAFFORD MILL RD High Point Beaver Creek Kernersville GTCC RD residential areas in the central NE LI Y D OakNT Ridge EDGEFIELD RD OU R C E N ALLA R B RD U and northern portions of the study R BO D A LE area. Preserving and enhancing both of these areas is critical to the M A R Western Area’s future. C S CR H U O D S D A S R L E L L R C L S D R I M E I H T E H K R RD E R K D N D BU R N E N REGIONAL RD G NATIONAL & I D R NT ASA PLE REGIONAL CONTEXT Triad Park ?{ Brush Creek B R The history and development of I KIDD RD G H Tarheel Triad Girl Scouts A M D R V D L Western Guilford County is closely B N A Y Kernersville R tied to the land. Catawba Indians Colfax Elementary B FedEx Magnolia Manor originally hunted the area for large D R W MARKET STREET L L I H game. The area’s first settlers, S R T /0i2 E A K N D Piedmont Triad N A U R B D International Airport D English Quakers and a small band S R !"_$ SANDYRIDGE RD of Welsh immigrants, settled and TRIAD DR TRIAD DR BURGESS RD quickly established successful N REGIONAL RD homesteads with spacious fields of !"_$ G r e e n s b o r o sustaining crops. (Stockard, Sallie, TYNER RD The History of Guilford County, H i g h P o i n t S REGIONAL RD 1902.) As populations grew, trade West Fork Deep River G A L LI routes heading north to Virginia MO D R E R E IK CLINARD FARMS RD D ND AI PEGGRD TH OR RY R and south to the coastal plain D developed.