EdCone.com

The significance of the Commencement House was never going to be enough to stop the redevelopment at Elm and Cornwallis. That battle was lost years ago, long before the project that's now cleared the land across from St. Pius X was even conceived, back when the Regions Bank building replaced the old Seventh Day Adventist church on the coner -- a change that went virtually unremarked at the time, I guess in part because the church building was seen as no great loss.

Oops.

But thanks to Tom Lassiter and friends for documenting what Greensboro lost.

Zack Matheny: "Developers are frustrated because we passed the Protest Petiion. They're frustrated because it's not as easy, you've got to have more support from Council...it's tough, when you've been doing business for 20 or 25 years, to change that. Neighbors are stepping up more..."

He gently admonished developers to speak more carefully and with consideration for their newly-empowered neighbors.

Keith Brown: "How do the citizens of Greensboro feel for the past 30 years? The local developers are frustrated but the citizens of Greensboro have been getting the shaft in the zoning process for a long time."

As for the rezoning at hand, well, we've covered that before: "The hard truth is that it's been Dunkirk ever since the Regions building went up, which is a lesson to neighborhoods across the city: give them an acre and they'll take a block."

The City Council plans to reconsider Stratton Development’s rezoning request for the corner of North Elm and Cornwalls on Tuesday, February 2; the revised plan will include 14 townhouses. 

Some key points from the neighborhood group's latest update:

*Rental homes may have been bought in anticipation of further rezoning along Elm and in the Wrenn/Newlyn neighborhood. There is concern that approval of this rezoning could lead to further spot rezoning.

*Neighbors are working on a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NCO) to prevent ad hoc zoning changes and guide future development. An NCO can give developers and residents confidence in the future.

*Because protests petitions are in force, a three-quarters majority of voting council persons will be required to approve rezoning. Perkins cannot vote because of his interest in the property. Vaughan cannot vote because of her husband’s representation of the neighborhoods. With only seven Council people voting, two voting in the negative would defeat the project. If defeated, developers cannot ask for the same rezoning for one calendar year.

*The Council must reconsider the rezoning conditions which were defeated last December...It is not clear that Council can or will approve substituting the new conditions for the ones defeated in December.

UPDATE: A commenter says preservationists have tried to put money behind their efforts, but have been rebuffed by the developers.

City Council vote for rezoning at Elm and Cornwallis fails to meet the margin dictated by protest petition law. Another vote may happen soon. Briggs has the historic preservation angle; another group that had been opposed rezoning was ready to accept the revised Stratton plan as the best deal they were going to get, but let it be known they would fight further encroachment on the neighborhood.

At what point do proponents of preserving the Commencement House have some obligation to do more than fight the current property-owner's plan, i.e., put some money and plans of their own on the table?

Zoning Commission approves redevelopment at N Elm and Cornwallis. Although many of the neighbors have capitulated, the decision likely will be appealed to City Council.

You can watch the hearing here, starting at about 7:00 mark.

Highlights include UNCG prof Patrick Lucas describing in some detail the historic significance of the 1957 Commencement House (39:25); developer John Stratton countering (55:30) with "nuh uh, it was designed by girls!" (paraphrase); and most importantly, Dick Levy's contextualization of the issue, including the impact on the neighborhood and the awfulness of the existing Regions Bank building and a challenge to the attitude that developers are entitled do as they please (45:45).

Looks to me that the developers will win, with the neighbors getting a somewhat less-bad plan than the original, albeit one that adds to our bloated inventory of high-end housing.

The hard truth is that it's been Dunkirk ever since the Regions building went up, which is a lesson to neighborhoods across the city: give them an acre and they'll take a block.

New plans for NW corner of Elm and Cornwallis, to be discussed at a neighborhood meeting this afternoon. I'm hearing from neighbors who are not at all happy with the latest proposal, at least as they understand it so far.

Word is that Cornwallis Elm LLC will withdraw their request for commercial zoning at the corner of North Elm and Cornwallis at next Monday's meeting of the Zoning Commission, and will eventually submit a residential plan for the area in question.

If this proves out, it's a big win for the neighborhood, and a reminder that well-organized groups can protect their interests against Greensboro's powerful estate industry.

N&R picks up on Cornwallis-Elm development developments.

The resistance group is pleased but not about to relax. "Bet the neighborhoods won't trust Cornwallis Elm LLC until they've much more than words to consider." The disposition of the Commencement House could be a sticking point.

From an email from the Protect Elm-Cornwallis Neighborhoods group:

Cornwallis Elm LLC will withdraw their plan to rezone Elm/Cornwallis to build medical offices.  Instead, they say will propose "high end townhomes."

That's great news and an immediate testament to the power of neighborhoods and neighbors.

Here are the specifics:

• Yesterday, Henry Isaacson called Don Vaughan and asked if the neighborhood would consent to a continuance so the developers could propose a townhome plan.  The new plan would require removal or destruction of the Commencment House.

• After consultations with steering group representatives, I told Don we would consent to a second continuance and would consider their new plan when it was presented. 

• On Monday, Isaacson will ask the Zoning Commission for a 30 day continuance and Don will agree on our behalf while stressing that the neighborhoods will consider the new residential plan after it is presented.

We've won round one but this battle isn't over.

Protect Elm-Cornwallis Neighborhoods is a site covering the eponymous zoning battle and related issues.

Is the widening of Elm St. from MoCoHo to Cone Blvd a done deal with the passage of the recent transportation bond, with all land taken from the east side of Elm? Are developers buying properties on Wrenn St, behind Brown-Gardiner, in hopes of future rezoning?

John Hammer was very interested in the last attempt to widen Elm. Will the Rhino cover this story? Will the N&R dig in and do some reporting on it?

Elm-Cornwallis rezoning continued til next month's meeting. Developers wanted a two-month delay, will meet with various opposition groups, who would be wise to present a united front to the extent possible.

Elm-Cornwallis zoning battle leads the local section of the daily paper.

A compromise is suggested by the developers' lawyer. A resident of Kimberly Drive told me this week that the integrity of the neighborhood is at risk and he doesn't want to see any non-residential development of the property.

The article did not mention that one of the firms involved is run by a City Councilman. I hear some powerful folks are lining up with the opposition.

Briggs has an update on the Elm-Cornwallis situation: "Monday's Zoning Commission meeting will be held at 2:00pm as scheduled, but the developers may ask for a continuance. The Zoning Commission may or may not grant the request, and it is possible that the rezoning request could proceed as planned even if there is nobody representing neighborhood interests. Those who wish to have a voice in this project must attend the meeting and be prepared to state their case. The Planning staff contacts for the Zoning Commission are Rawls Howard and Fred Boateng and they can be reached at (336) 373-2144."

Continuances and system-working are SOP for developers. Neighborhood groups that use the net effectively are better positioned to deal with those tactics.

UPDATE: Alert reader my mom writes: "We have been advised that the developers cannot ask for postponement prior to the scheduled meeting. The zoning office strongly suggests that neighbors be present at the scheduled time and place (2 pm Mon., Dec. 8, Melvin Municipal Bldg.) -- the change may or may not be granted, the proponents may or may not act."

I'm told that 100-150 people turned out for last night's meeting on the proposed rezoning at North Elm and Cornwallis. An attendee (not my mom, who wrote a good comment here) says, "My impression is that the only ones who were in favor of this were the developers and their cronies."

More: "I was stunned by the size of the proposed development -- they plan to erect two buildings, each of which is two stories and almost as big as the existing bank building on the corner. (Each building will be approximately 20,000 square feet.) If you stand at the Elm Street entrance to Fountain Manor and look across Elm Street slightly to your left, you would see the end of one of these buildings, as well as the entrance to the top level of a two story parking structure."

Another neighborhood meeting is planned for this evening at the Fountain Manor clubhouse.

Previously, previously.