New Greensboro Construction Drawing People to Live Downtown
arbor house, center pointe, condominiums, culture, downtown greensboro inc., greensboro, ray carroll, ray gibbs, real estate,
Forget lush lawns‚ the downstairs den and commuting to work. Suburban icons like those are fast losing ground to balconies with city views‚ 10-foot ceilings and walking to the office.
America – and Greensboro‚ in particular – is moving back downtown.
Attracted by the city’s growing cultural amenities‚ close-by entertainment and walkability‚ many Greensboro residents who grew up and then raised families in the suburbs are opting for the faster but more convenient pace of urban life. Since May 1999‚ 275 downtown dwelling units have been built‚ with another 475 units under construction‚ 525 in the planning stages and 350 in the concept phase. Another 1‚000 condos and apartments are coming on the market in the next two years.
Who’s moving in?
“Most of them are local‚ moving from other places in town‚” says Ray Gibbs‚ president and CEO of Downtown Greensboro Inc. “In general they are baby boomers‚ but downtown does not really have a demographic – it has a personality.”
Gibbs says the mix of downtown dwellers includes people from 18 to 80‚ single men and women‚ married couples‚ black‚ white‚ Asian‚ students and artists‚ lawyers‚ stockbrokers and engineers. Empty-nesters make up a large segment of the city’s downtown residential population‚ as do young professionals. In general‚ he says‚ two to four percent of a city’s population would be interested in living in an urban environment.
The shift from the ’burbs to the boulevard is a nationwide trend‚ says Gibbs‚ and can be traced in part to the popularity over the past decade or so of such city-centric TV shows as Seinfeld and Frazier.
Developer Ray Carroll‚ who is turning the former Wachovia Bank building into chic residential condos‚ agrees.
“I think we’re probably experiencing a cultural shift in terms of high-rise living‚” he says. “I grew up like the Cleavers‚ raised on the American dream of living in the suburbs with a little piece of land. But we’ve got a whole generation of people who grew up with Seinfeld and Friends‚ and they saw how people interact‚ the sense of community in an urban setting.”
Center Pointe‚ his new development‚ is offering buyers deluxe amenities‚ from granite countertops and walls of floor-to-ceiling glass to personal trainers‚ doormen‚ valet parking and 24-hour biometric security. But one of Center Pointe’s biggest draws‚ he believes‚ is its “front yard” – the new $12 million Center City Park across the street.
“When we began in 2004‚ we felt that downtown Greensboro was coming alive‚ that there was a lot of synergy between the new ball stadium and the park‚” Gibbs says. “It has inspired a lot of people to take another look at Greensboro. We are seeing more interest in downtown than I can ever recall.”
Interest in the project has been impressive. More than half the units – ranging from 700 square feet to a penthouse condo at 6‚500 square feet‚ and priced from $182‚500 to $2 million – had been spoken for by December 2006. In fact‚ Carroll and his family are among those planning to live at Center Pointe.
“The kids are excited. Our front yard is a $12 million park with 300 trees – and the best thing is I don’t have to mow it.”
Story by Laura Hill
Photo by Wes Aldridge
