2026-10-20 - City Council

00:38Welcome to [music] the

00:40meeting of the Statesville City Council

00:42on October 20th, 2026. I would accept a

00:46motion from a council member.

00:48>> I move that the City Council go into

00:50closed session as permitted by North

00:52Carolina General Statute 143-318.11.A.6

00:58to discuss individual public officers or

01:01employees,

01:02specifically regarding the evaluation of

01:05a city council employee. And as

01:08permitted by 143-318.11.A.4

01:12to 11.A.4

01:14to discuss matters relating to the

01:16location or expansion of industries or

01:19other businesses in the area served by

01:22the city.

01:23>> Do I hear a second?

01:24Seconded by Mr. Marshall. All in favor,

01:26please say "Aye."

01:27>> Aye.

01:28>> Thank you. We will come back as quickly

01:30as possible.

01:38>> [music]

01:49[music]

02:12[music]

02:31>> 100 years of the greatest homecoming on

02:35earth. Welcome to Gate City Insider. I'm

02:38Rosemary Plybon. North Carolina

02:39Agricultural and Technical State

02:41University Centennial Homecoming

02:43celebration is coming soon and we're

02:45diving into the history, through

02:47traditions, and the fun. James Stewart

02:50is university archivist. Hello and

02:52welcome.

02:53>> Hello, it's a pleasure to be here.

02:54>> It's so nice to have you. First of all,

02:56you're an A&T grad, correct?

02:58>> Class of 2008.

02:58>> 2008, okay. So, let's go back in

03:00history, way past 2008. Way before that,

03:04I should say. How did homecoming

03:06actually start at North Carolina A&T?

03:09>> Well, homecomings overall at colleges

03:11started between the 1890s and the early

03:121910s, but they didn't really start

03:14coming to HBCUs until 1924. We know that

03:18year that Morehouse and Howard had a

03:19homecoming and we recently learned that

03:21Virginia State University had one. It's

03:23a bit of a mystery, but sometime between

03:251924 and 1926 the tradition began at A&T

03:29and we have a lot of theories.

03:31F.D. Bluford, who was A&T's third

03:33president, was an alum of of Howard

03:35University. And then,

03:37a lot of we played a lot of games with

03:39Virginia State and these other colleges

03:41and a lot of faculty and staff attended

03:44some of the PWIs HBCUs at homecomings.

03:46So, we're still wondering how it came,

03:48but we're glad that it came.

03:49>> Yeah, certainly. so. maybe they were

03:51saying, you know, we need to have this

03:52too, right? Like So, what did that first

03:54homecoming look like?

03:55>> We don't know a whole lot about it

03:57except we had a game against Hampton

03:59and we lost.

04:00>> Okay. That's all right.

04:01>> unfortunately, but you know, 14 to 6.

04:03But, we know that it was an exciting

04:05game and it was widely covered in the

04:06black press.

04:07>> Oh, that's cool. Okay, so what were some

04:08of the early traditions as homecoming

04:10kind of became uh you know, a yearly

04:12thing?

04:13>> We're still trying to narrow down who

04:15was the first, but we know in the 1927

04:17homecoming we had entertainment by the

04:19um the Twin City Brass Band. So, that

04:22was a all-black band based out of

04:23Winston-Salem, the Twin City,

04:24Winston-Salem.

04:25>> And you're Winston-Salem.

04:26>> Yes. And that's exciting for me to know

04:28cuz I'm always learning something new

04:29about my hometown even through this job

04:31here in Greensboro. So, we had the Twin

04:34City Brass Band and there was some

04:35performing by the A&T Rooters and

04:37Singers, who we believe was the famous

04:40A&T Quartet, who used to travel around

04:42the country.

04:43And then the gradually A&T started

04:44bringing in more performers. So, by the

04:46end of the decade, we had a Chitlin'

04:47Circuit band, uh

04:49Smiling Billy Stewart and his Seller

04:51City Serenaders. So, Seller City is

04:53Sanford, Florida.

04:54>> Oh, okay.

04:54>> So, Chitlin' Circuit band all the way

04:55from Florida. So, that says a lot that

04:58we were able to get someone to come all

04:59the way from Florida for homecoming.

05:00>> You were already starting to kind of

05:01build a reputation as a as a place to

05:03come for homecoming, for sure. What were

05:05some of the early traditions in addition

05:07to music and football games? I mean,

05:09what were some of the other things that

05:10happened that maybe aren't happening

05:12anymore?

05:13>> We know that the earliest homecomings,

05:14there would be a luncheon with the

05:15president. Uh we don't know what that

05:17was like. We're assuming it was good

05:19food. Of course, you look at menus back

05:21then, it's different. Like, mayonnaise

05:22was listed as a side for some reason. As

05:24some of these other not homecoming

05:25necessarily, but other college

05:26traditions.

05:27Yeah, so boiled eggs, potato salad, who

05:29knows?

05:30Uh but, we know today that there is a

05:32Chancellor's Circle Dinner. So, we've

05:33seen a lot of these traditions disappear

05:35and merge into something newer. Uh one

05:38tradition that has disappeared is there

05:40used to be an agricultural fair at

05:42homecoming. And we know those go back to

05:44around 1931 and sort of disappeared

05:46through the decades. And there was

05:48always a social

05:50we're assuming dancing, music, maybe the

05:52students provided, but there was always

05:54an opportunity to gather social and eat

05:56following the game.

05:57>> Yeah. So, what made it grow to kind of

06:00to kind of what it has become today? I

06:02mean, was there like a an event or was

06:05it just kind of a slow people hearing

06:07about it, starting to come back?

06:09>> I think part of it is that A&T was able

06:11to secure venues that allowed more

06:13people to come. So, in our earliest

06:15days, football games were played on a

06:17piece of land called Dudley Field with

06:19the students now called Holland Bowl,

06:21which is in front of Williams Cafeteria.

06:23And we also played at a park near A&T,

06:25Cone Athletic Park. That's been gone for

06:27decades. That's kind of near where the

06:29Cookout the intersection of Wendover and

06:31Summit is now. But in 1927, A&T was able

06:34to get

06:36the Homecoming game in the War Memorial

06:38Stadium. And we now know that that 1927

06:42Homecoming was the first time people of

06:44color were allowed to play in that

06:46venue.

06:47>> Wow.

06:47>> And that would be the home of Aggie

06:48football for the next 54 odd years, and

06:51now we own it, interestingly fittingly.

06:53>> Yeah.

06:54>> But that was a big deal. It was widely

06:56publicized that A&T could now have a

06:58game in a venue that could seat over

07:0010,000 people. So, we were able to

07:02secure more people, have a bigger space.

07:05And then the very first parade was 1934,

07:08and the parade would conclude inside the

07:10stadium. So, being able to have a venue

07:13with more space attract more people uh

07:15meant a lot to the university. And so,

07:17whenever we have teams out of town, they

07:19could bring their entire entourages

07:21well, and people come all over the state

07:22to see these big homecomings.

07:24>> So fun. And from out of state, too.

07:26Yeah, not just around the state, for

07:27sure. So, when was it named or when did

07:29it earn the title greatest Homecoming on

07:33Earth?

07:34>> That is something we're still

07:35investigating. One theory is that an

07:37alumnus came up with the name around

07:381999 and 2000, and we're still checking

07:41our alumni publications to um to that.

07:45However,

07:46we know from coverage that we were

07:48always known for having exceptional

07:49homecoming.

07:50The oldest existing photo of a

07:52homecoming is the 1936 parade and it was

07:55circulated in two black newspapers, the

07:57Chicago Defender and the Atlanta Daily

07:59World and both of them were like

08:01A&T has an exceptional homecoming among

08:04race institutions. So even 90 years ago,

08:07people were talking about A&T has a

08:09super huge homecoming with a parade and

08:12Miss A&T and coronations and food and

08:15dancing and guest performers. So we're

08:17starting to become the greatest. We

08:19probably been

08:20I'm not being biased. We've probably

08:22been the greatest for 90 years.

08:23>> I was going to say, I mean that was just

08:2410 years after it started. So I mean I

08:26mean that was there was clearly a lot of

08:28momentum behind it and people who, you

08:30know, a passion I think is really an

08:32important point. I mean and and we know

08:33that. I mean that is something that A&T

08:36has passion of the graduates, of the of

08:39the students, of the alumni and of the

08:40community. I think that's a big part of

08:42it. So how do you think that, you know,

08:44Greensboro played a part in this?

08:45Obviously you mentioned War Memorial

08:47Stadium. That's a big part of it.

08:49>> Our campus was too small to contain the

08:51Aggie pride and the momentum. So we know

08:54that by 1970 we started having concerts

08:56at the Greensboro Coliseum. Aretha

08:58Franklin played at the Greensboro

08:59Coliseum in 1970 and we're still trying

09:01to figure out was the first when was the

09:03first time we had to use an outside

09:05venue for our concerts. So our we did

09:08our field was too small for homecoming.

09:10So War Memorial for the game, Greensboro

09:12Coliseum for the concerts and then

09:14gradually as you start having these big

09:16names come to campus to sing. We've had

09:19Aretha Franklin, Bobby Ella Johnson

09:21brother sister duo, Lionel Hampton,

09:23we've had Common, we've had Snoop Dogg,

09:25we've had Big Daddy Kane. Martin

09:27Lawrence did a comedy concert here a

09:29year or two before Sitcom premiered. So

09:31as we started having these bigger bigger

09:33names that would attract everybody

09:36there had to be a need for the city of

09:37Greensboro to really be supportive and a

09:40lot of vendors began to us, you know,

09:41people are coming to the store to get

09:43their snacks before they go to the fest

09:45and so I we're still trying to look at

09:48it year by year, but by the '70s for

09:50sure, we see a big big momentum with the

09:53city of Greensboro behind A&T's

09:55homecoming.

09:55>> I love what you said that the campus is

09:57not big enough for Aggie pride. I love

09:59that. That is a great quote.

10:01>> That is a great quote. Yeah, and maybe

10:03the city isn't even big enough for it. I

10:04love that, too. Yeah. So, um there's

10:07there's a lot going on to kind of

10:08celebrate 100 years including a trivia

10:10contest which I imagine you have a small

10:12part in play in.

10:13>> Yes, um I know for sure I've supplied

10:15about 25 of the questions and with more

10:17to come. So, it's trivia about not only

10:20just homecoming but also interesting

10:22facts about A&T, historical alumni,

10:25things you don't know about the campus

10:26and then notable, you know, things about

10:28the Miss A&T's. Uh some I try not to

10:31make too easy like which one is

10:33currently a vice chancellor.

10:35>> Yeah.

10:35>> And then some are some are trickier like

10:37which one was the first African American

10:38woman to get a PhD in library science

10:40from Columbia.

10:41Which one has a PhD and works for NASA?

10:43Just things like that that we were

10:45trying to build up and collect and give

10:47to the university so they can build the

10:48trivia.

10:48>> Yeah, and reminders of just all the

10:50great things that are happening at A&T

10:52for sure. Yeah, so why do you think this

10:54event just means so much to so many

10:56people?

10:57>> Homecoming always meant coming back

10:59home. So, for many for generations of

11:02Aggies, A&T is the place that changed

11:04your life.

11:05Um Henry and Shirley Fry met at A&T. I

11:07met my wife Shavonna at A&T. We have two

11:09children now. A&T is the place that

11:12changes you career-wise, professionally,

11:14mentally, and spiritually. People

11:16started ministries here, businesses. So,

11:19it's always great for alumni to have an

11:21opportunity to come back and gather and

11:23not just with the the the people that

11:25they went to school with. You never know

11:27who you're going to meet. One of my

11:28colleagues met Jesse Jackson at a

11:31about five or six years before he passed

11:32away. Um

11:34and you don't know what's going to be

11:36what's going to happen to you while

11:37you're here. Uh story that I have, the

11:39very when I came to A&T in 2004, the

11:42very first student I talked to was

11:43Anissa Rashid. She became A&T just Miss

11:46A&T just a year later. I didn't know

11:48that. I I helped open the door up for

11:50her mother and her as a little girl in

11:51the cafeteria. I said, "Okay, I remember

11:53I remember you." And it's like, "Oh,

11:55she's Miss A&T." Didn't know that. So,

11:57we have a lot of fun recollections of

11:59our experiences being students, being

12:02faculty, being uh a part of the

12:04community, and it means a lot to come

12:06back and to see how much the campus has

12:07changed and um how you can contribute

12:10and how you can share.

12:11>> Yeah, how you can be a part of it. Yeah,

12:12what is your favorite part about

12:14homecoming?

12:15>> My favorite part is always meeting

12:18different generations and welcoming them

12:20into the archives and sharing the

12:22history. Um for sure, I've I've already

12:25met several of the Golden Aggies, the

12:26class of '76. I've met alumni as early

12:29as the class of '52. And always they

12:32always want to reflect and look to the

12:34history and see something that they've

12:36forgotten. I have to disappoint them

12:38when I tell them we're not selling

12:39yearbooks, but it's always a joy to hear

12:43their memories of A&T, their

12:44recollections of past homecomings, and

12:47um

12:48tell them we want up that to be a part

12:50of the institutional record.

12:52>> You You live North Carolina A&T history

12:53every single day. Your work Your work

12:55life, of course.

12:56Are you ever surprised? I mean, or are

12:58you surprised all the time?

13:00>> Constantly.

13:00>> Yeah.

13:01>> Finding out about the Franklin here in

13:021970, for sure. Um

13:04finding out all the guest singers and

13:06um

13:07and also learning more about our amazing

13:09alumni.

13:10For example, we're since we're doing the

13:11100th, we're learning more about the

13:131926 football team.

13:15And one of the football players was Dr.

13:18I'm going to mispronounce his first

13:19name, probably, Dr. Maceo Elliott

13:21Patterson. And he was the first

13:24he was the only black doctor in Farrell,

13:26Pennsylvania for over 20 years, but he

13:28was a big big football player,

13:31student council president. So, we're

13:33learning more about even who was part of

13:36each homecoming decade by decade that

13:38oh, we didn't know you were the first

13:40person to practice medicine in this

13:41town. We didn't know you were the first

13:43one to get a PhD here. So, even with

13:46going through the history about our

13:47players, the Miss A&Ts, who's in the

13:49band, we're always blown away with what

13:51Aggies have done or as people say what

13:53Aggies do.

13:54>> Yeah, what Aggies do. Well, thank you.

13:56Thank you for what you do

13:57>> Thank you.

13:57>> uh for Greensboro, for North Carolina

13:59A&T, for our community, and we are so

14:02excited about homecoming. We're going to

14:04keep talking about homecoming, of

14:05course. Uh North Carolina A&T homecoming

14:08today, what's going on and how you can

14:10get involved coming up after this break.

14:27Welcome back to Gate City Insider.

14:29200,000

14:31fans are expected to be in Greensboro

14:33for the greatest homecoming on Earth. It

14:36is the 100th anniversary, and Crystal

14:38Boykin is associate vice chancellor for

14:40alumni relations at North Carolina A&T.

14:42Hello and welcome.

14:43>> Hello. Hello.

14:44>> She is also Miss A&T 2006.

14:47>> Yes, 2006-2007.

14:49Yes, so glad to be here.

14:50>> So glad to have you with us. And so,

14:52you're a graduate, of course, of North

14:53Carolina A&T. What has it meant to you

14:56over the years? And you know, how did

14:57you get there, what it meant to you, and

14:59why have you stayed?

15:00>> Yeah, so A&T is so special. I came from

15:03Washington D.C. to Greensboro, and as a

15:06student,

15:08uh was really nurtured at North Carolina

15:09A&T. I was able to bring all I had and

15:12learned in Washington D.C. to

15:14Greensboro, and it was cultivated even

15:16more. Um I got to develop a lot of skill

15:19sets, uh network with amazing people,

15:23got to travel as a student,

15:25um, and

15:27earned two degrees.

15:29And so, I started working at North

15:30Carolina A&T in 2008 as a temporary

15:34associate in the undergraduate

15:36admissions office. So, I got to recruit

15:37students. So, I got to be a student, I

15:40got to be a student leader as Miss North

15:42Carolina Agricultural and Technical

15:44State University, and then as an

15:46employee, I got an opportunity to

15:48recruit the future for North Carolina

15:50A&T. Now sitting where I am, I get to

15:53see both sides. So, I got to see

15:54students start, and I got to see

15:56students finish. And so, I am grateful

15:59to represent the greatest alumni on

16:01earth every day. So, what A&T instilled

16:04in me, I'm able to help cultivate in

16:06other students and keep the engagement

16:09going for alumni.

16:10>> Love it. So, how do you even begin to

16:13prepare for an event of this magnitude?

16:15I mean, it's big every year, but 100th

16:17anniversary.

16:18>> It's It's more than just a celebration.

16:20It's more than a week long, but the for

16:22the greatest homecoming on earth, we

16:24plan after one homecoming ends, we start

16:27up for the next one. And so, we assess,

16:29do SWOT analysis, have,

16:32um,

16:32debriefs with our campus partners, our

16:35community partners to really see what

16:36we've done well and what we need to

16:38improve on, and get right in gear for

16:40the next one. So, we have a

16:41university-wide homecoming committee,

16:44that meets throughout the year. It's an

16:46interdepartmental,

16:48um, committee with over 40 people. So,

16:50it takes then almost every unit on

16:52campus working together to execute

16:54homecoming. As well as we have some

16:55amazing partners, the city of

16:56Greensboro, county commissioners. We

16:59have a community partners meeting that

17:00we started this year that really brings

17:02everyone together to ensure that we are

17:04working cohesively. So, it's safe, it's

17:07fun, enjoyable for everyone. So, it

17:09takes a lot of moving parts, and we have

17:11amazing sponsors, because we can't do

17:13without them as well.

17:14>> Yeah, all hands on deck for homecoming

17:16weekend. That is a homecoming homecoming

17:17week, I should say for sure. So,

17:19speaking of, let's talk about it. Tell

17:21us about some of the things coming up

17:22this year.

17:23>> Yes, so we're so excited with the

17:24Centennial. We are we'll be celebrating

17:27beyond homecoming, but that Sunday we

17:30kick it off October 25th. This year we

17:32have a Centennial historical exhibition

17:35and it's curated with artifacts from

17:37alumni. They were able to donate items

17:40as well as our Bluford library. Our

17:43archives has an amazing

17:47um

17:47archives has an amazing catalog of

17:50items. And so, we will have a historical

17:52rib um gallery ribbon cutting on that

17:55Sunday

17:56to kick it off. And then we have the

17:58coordination of Mr. and Miss A&T. The

18:00students have their infamous jersey

18:03giveaway. They have a Hornet Carnival.

18:06They have some partnership activations

18:08with Shea Moisture. A lot of events

18:11throughout the week, but one feature

18:13that we're really excited about, in

18:15addition to the historical gallery, is

18:17we'll have the first-ever drone show at

18:19homecoming. So,

18:21yeah, so Truist Stadium will be blue and

18:23gold. It'll be lit up with the night

18:25lights of blue and gold. And so, that's

18:28a community event that everyone can come

18:29and celebrate and enjoy.

18:32Throughout the week there'll be many

18:34events on campus. We'll also have fall

18:36convocation. At that event we celebrate

18:39alumni We give out alumni achievement

18:41awards. So, alumni who've done amazing

18:44things in their career in their

18:46communities.

18:47All the colleges will honor someone and

18:49then we have three awards named in honor

18:51of alumnus. So, Howard Barnhill, Julia

18:55Brooks, and Velma Speight. So, we'll

18:56honor them on Thursday. We have the top

18:59of the T donors reception, Chancellor's

19:01Circle donors reception. Oh, our parade.

19:04We have a celebrity grand marshal,

19:07Terrence J, who is a proud alumnus of

19:09the institution. He will be the grand

19:11marshal. The parade will be live

19:13streamed this year. So, it's something

19:15for everyone in addition to game day

19:18tailgating. We have vendors at the

19:21Sheraton, vendors on campus. We have a

19:24Centennial store where people can buy

19:26exclusive merchandise for the

19:28Centennial. So, it's really something

19:30for everyone. We are very strategic

19:31about having events

19:34that cross generations, that are

19:35intergenerational, and that we can bring

19:37the community in to celebrate with us.

19:40>> Yeah, so when do you expect I know the

19:41events could start on Sunday. When do

19:43you expect the bulk of the alumni and

19:46and the visitors to come into town?

19:47>> Well, we're expecting visitors as early

19:49as Wednesday. We've heard from our

19:51alumni. Many of them are coming in on

19:53Thursday. Looking at the trends from our

19:54hotel partners, a lot are checking on

19:57Thursday.

19:57>> Yeah, and you were talking about a

19:58little bit about this, but of course

19:59it's not just on campus. I mean this

20:01there's going to be events really all

20:02over Greensboro.

20:03>> Absolutely. So, we partner with the city

20:05of Greensboro for Fan Fest, which is

20:07near campus but not on campus. We have

20:11events at the Sheraton, which are

20:12vending. We have the Aggie Alumni

20:14Homecoming concert. We also have

20:17fitness. So, we have fitness at our

20:19various hotel partners. So, we'll have a

20:21brick class. We'll have yoga, sunrise

20:25yoga at Grandover. We'll have

20:28>> morning.

20:28>> [laughter]

20:30>> Yes, so there are events all over the

20:32city.

20:33Um

20:33>> Yeah, as as as Jane said, the North

20:36Carolina A&T campus is not big enough

20:38for Aggie Pride.

20:39>> big enough for that. It is a Piedmont

20:41Triad takeover for Homecoming.

20:42>> That's right. We're going to put that on

20:43a t-shirt. I think that needs to be on a

20:45t-shirt. Okay, so what is your Do you

20:47have any recommendations for making the

20:48most out of the celebrations, for

20:50planning your visit, to figuring out

20:51what you're going to do, where you're

20:52going to be, how you're going to get

20:53that downtown in?

20:54>> Right. Right. So, planning early is

20:57always important. So, people can get

20:59updated information on our website,

21:02ncat.edu/homecoming.

21:05There will be a game day ready guide

21:07that will be loaded on our website. All

21:08the events and links will be there. Um

21:11one thing we want people to prepare for

21:13is safety. So, our university police

21:15department has a Aggie Alert system

21:17that's just for that week. We can

21:19provide that information where people

21:21can text Aggie's 100th um and they can

21:25get Aggie alerts just about homecoming

21:27week. Um and so, the traffic patterns

21:29information will be put on our website.

21:31So, plan early.

21:33Uh visit the website, sign up for the

21:36Aggie Alert, and if you see something,

21:38say something. That's what our

21:40university police guides us is that if

21:42you see something that seems suspicious,

21:44report it. But come to have fun. Be

21:46patient with our local businesses. The

21:48businesses are preparing for everyone to

21:50come. Support our local businesses and

21:53come back after homecoming as well.

21:55>> Yeah, don't make it just that one week.

21:56Yeah, become a friend to the to the

21:59university for sure. What is your

22:00favorite part about it?

22:03>> There's so many events that I enjoy and

22:05like to see

22:07um from planning to execution. I love

22:10seeing things come together and how

22:12they're crafted. But I really enjoy

22:15seeing alumni, family, and friends come

22:17back. There are people that come back

22:19that I went to school with. Some of our

22:21season Aggies that I've never met. Just

22:24embracing everyone coming for one common

22:26cause to support North Carolina A&T in

22:29the greatest homecoming on Earth brings

22:31my heart joy. And I didn't mention um I

22:34look forward to meeting some of our

22:36Aggie centenarians. So, with the parade

22:38this year, we will honor some of our

22:40honorary grand marshals this year will

22:42be Aggie centenarians and we'll be

22:44celebrating 10 of them. And some of them

22:46will be here in Greensboro. So, meeting

22:48them and hearing their stories from when

22:50they were at North Carolina A&T just

22:52brings me joy.

22:53>> That is so great. Yeah, to honor the

22:55past to to celebrate the present and to

22:58look forward to the future.

22:59>> Absolutely. That's what it's about.

23:01That's why people continue to come back.

23:03>> Yeah. Thank you so much. Uh once again,

23:05the website

23:07>> www.ncat.edu/homecoming.

23:12>> That's where you can find all the

23:13events, make your plans now, and just

23:15prepare for a very good time. All right,

23:18we have a very good time coming up

23:20because there's more to come on Gate

23:22City Insider. When we come back, North

23:23Carolina A&T royalty in the house. Stay

23:27with us.

23:42>> [music]

23:44>> All hail the king and queen. Welcome

23:46back to Gate City Insider.

23:49Today is all about the greatest

23:50homecoming on Earth. And of course, the

23:52title belongs to North Carolina A&T

23:56State University right here in

23:57Greensboro. We are so lucky to have with

24:00us Mr. and Miss A&T. We have Kennedy

24:02Brown and Ryan Fennington. Hello,

24:04welcome.

24:05>> How you doing? How you doing?

24:06>> much for being with us.

24:07>> Thank you for having me.

24:07>> All right, we're going to go back about

24:095 years when you were looking at

24:11colleges. You were in Dallas, you were

24:13in Maryland. What made you pick North

24:15Carolina A&T?

24:16>> I know for me, like I found out about

24:19North Carolina A&T in ninth grade. And

24:20at the time, I was a track athlete. I

24:22knew I wanted to go to a HBCU. My mom

24:24was a HBCU grad. And I also wanted to go

24:26somewhere that cared about academics as

24:28well. So, I wanted like the full like I

24:30had three things on my checklist and

24:31North Carolina A&T immediately checked

24:33off all of those. So, I was very hooked

24:34on A&T from the beginning, but it wasn't

24:37until I was able to step foot on campus

24:38in February 2023 for honors weekend and

24:41I fell in love. I was like, I don't care

24:42if I get a scholarship or not, we're

24:43going to make it work. And I ended up

24:45here.

24:45>> I love it. I love it. What about you,

24:46Ryan?

24:47>> My story's a little different. I never

24:48had an official tour. Um one of my mom's

24:51family friends gave me a tour to show me

24:53around campus. And everybody I saw,

24:55everybody I talked to just gave me a

24:56warm welcome, a warm greeting. So, I

24:58felt that family, that sense of

25:00environment and just connection right

25:01then and there. And then I always heard

25:03that A&T [clears throat] had one of the

25:04best engineering schools. Being a

25:06mechanical engineer, I definitely knew

25:07that that was something that I wanted to

25:09attach myself to. So, I would say just

25:11the programs, opportunities, and that's

25:13definitely shown to be true in my four

25:15years here so far. And I

25:17don't look back at all. I mean, made the

25:18right decision. So.

25:19>> I love it. Okay, so greatest homecoming

25:21on Earth. Had you heard about that part

25:23of A&T before you got here?

25:27>> I hadn't. I would say I didn't.

25:28>> No, no. I love it. So, so what was that

25:30first one like for you?

25:33>> I'm not going to lie. It was very It was

25:35a little bit overstimulating. You don't

25:37realize how many people come back until

25:40you're in it. And so, freshman year, I'm

25:42walking around. I had to take a couple

25:43breaks and go back to my room. I'm like,

25:45"Oh my gosh, there's so many people."

25:47But I think later down the line, like I

25:48learned to really appreciate that cuz

25:50you see the sense of community, how many

25:51people want to come back or putting it

25:53on their calendars a year in advance to

25:56make sure that they're there. I'm

25:57already planning for my grad return. I'm

25:59ready.

26:00>> I love it.

26:01>> From the promotions to the marketing, as

26:02soon as they announce when the dates

26:04going to be, as soon as they announce

26:05the homecoming lineup, you can just see

26:07the how it's just broadcasted

26:10everywhere. People from here, people

26:11from there, people from out of the

26:12country, in the country. The likes,

26:1420,000 likes on this post, 15,000, like

26:16whatever it may be. As a freshman, I'm

26:18like, "I didn't know that's the school I

26:20signed up for." I mean, I had a feeling,

26:22but I didn't really like expect it. And

26:24then I saw it. And I had an amazing

26:25experience from the free food to the

26:27free connections.

26:29Um it's a beautiful experience, for

26:30sure.

26:30>> family, a huge family experience, that's

26:33for sure. Well, now you're an integral

26:35part of it. So, what does it mean to be

26:36Mr. and Miss A&T?

26:39>> It feels very surreal. I know when I

26:41came in my freshman year, I just kind of

26:43walked around and I was just experienced

26:45it experiencing it for the first time,

26:47but I was able to see Miss A&T. She was

26:50on the homecoming float. They had

26:51coronation, which I was able to attend

26:52my freshman year, and I realized how big

26:54of a part they played in the culture of

26:57North Carolina A&T, and then also

26:58celebrating our 100th this year, like

27:00you really hone in on the culture and

27:02legacy that you're representing. And so,

27:04you see all of these people that are

27:05coming back to celebrate, and you really

27:06want to make sure that you represent to

27:08the best of your ability. And for me,

27:10like I'm just honored to, you know, have

27:12been chosen to be in this position, and

27:14I look forward to the week of events.

27:16>> Yeah.

27:16>> Yeah. Yeah, from representation to just

27:18being able to honor this position. When

27:20I was a freshman, the Mr. A&T at the

27:21time, Marcus Scott Jr., he was a he was

27:24a pinnacle part of my career, um my just

27:26matriculation through college. The way

27:27he impacted people directly, indirectly,

27:30that's something that I wanted to be.

27:31And now that I'm in this position, I

27:33want to be able to just represent the

27:34best way I can, just make be that person

27:37for somebody else that he was for me.

27:39So.

27:39>> Yeah. So, what does it mean to what do

27:41you do during the year? It's not just

27:43Homecoming week that uh your

27:44responsibilities include, right?

27:46>> Yeah.

27:46>> Yeah, no. So,

27:48we actually just got finished recording

27:50our coronation shoot yesterday. So, we

27:52do a lot of preparation for that, and

27:53then we have our second game this

27:55weekend, our second home game, and we

27:57represent the institution there. Anytime

27:59this um institution needs us, we show

28:01up. That's what we're here for. But even

28:03more so, we're here to connect with

28:04students on a more personal

28:06relationship. I know um both me and Ryan

28:08try to make it our um effort in our

28:11everyday lives to connect with the

28:12student body, make sure we're a visible

28:14part on campus, so students know that

28:15the leader that they elected into the

28:17position is there for them. And so, it's

28:19that representation part for on like a a

28:21broader scale for the institution, but

28:23also on a more intimate level with the

28:24student body.

28:26>> Yeah. Just to add on that of service.

28:28One of the main things we do is we

28:30conduct service in the community for

28:31students to come out to and volunteer,

28:33just to be able to connect with the

28:34community, connect with our students.

28:35Because like Kennedy said, we want to

28:37make sure the students feel welcome, the

28:38students feel a part of this campus, a

28:40part of this a part of this community,

28:41to just be able to impact others, impact

28:43each other, and just feel love, and to

28:45feel that community while they're doing

28:47it. So.

28:48>> What are your favorite homecoming

28:49traditions?

28:51>> I was I'm going to start I'm going to

28:52start something.

28:53>> [laughter]

28:53>> The night before, I think before 12:00

28:56hits, everybody goes to the student

28:58center outside. It's It looks like the

29:00first day of class almost. The first day

29:01of class, everybody goes to the student

29:02center, puts on their best outfit, and

29:04before that, see that Saturday night

29:06before G Ho starts on Sunday, everybody

29:08goes to the student center, there's a

29:09big speaker, people do line dances, they

29:12play games, they make Tik Tok videos,

29:14and it's like a countdown, then it hits

29:1512:00 and everybody just goes crazy. And

29:18it's a beautiful thing. So.

29:19>> it. Yeah, there are so many to choose

29:21from. I'm like going through my head

29:22trying to pick my favorite.

29:25And I would just have to say the day of.

29:27I I have grown to appreciate all of the

29:29people that come back. Especially now

29:31being a senior, you have so many um

29:33graduates, um

29:35people who have graduated from A&T that

29:37have impacted you throughout this

29:38journey. You look forward to seeing them

29:40when they come back. And so I think

29:41that's my favorite tradition is the

29:42tailgating cuz like Ryan said earlier,

29:44you're connecting, you're networking

29:45with people, you're getting free food.

29:47>> [laughter]

29:48>> Yeah, we don't know.

29:49And you're also like seeing everyone in

29:51one central location. I no longer I no

29:53longer stay on campus now being a senior

29:55student. Um and so being able to just

29:57see everyone in the same place, it's

29:59just very heartwarming.

30:01>> Yeah, and why do you think this event

30:02just means so much to so many people?

30:05>> A&T has impacted a lot of people's

30:06lives. So anytime you get to come back

30:08and pour into the students that are

30:09currently here,

30:10I understand coming back. I understand

30:12showing up and being able to reconnect

30:14with people that you went to school

30:16with. Like nearing the end of my college

30:17journey, I'm I'm sad about graduating

30:20and realizing, you know, this this

30:22one-of-a-lifetime opportunity that, you

30:24know, I will leave behind. Church will

30:25be forever, of course, but leave behind.

30:27And so any opportunity to come back and

30:28relive that or um reconnect and pour

30:31back in um to the next generation, I I

30:34see why they take advantage of that.

30:35>> Yeah. I would say since 1891 when when

30:38the when the school was founded, it's

30:40been

30:41impacting people in many ways, and

30:43people want to just pass that on, carry

30:44that tradition, be able to impact the

30:46next person, be able to just pass it on.

30:48Carry carry the traditions, carry the

30:50love, carry the family, the sense of

30:51community, and that's something that I

30:53know I want to be doing. If I can't come

30:55every year, I'll come every other year.

30:56If I can't come every other year, every

30:575 years, but I want to make sure that I

30:59impact people, that I just share that

31:01love and community the same way that it

31:02was instilled and shown to me.

31:04>> Yeah. You are now part of that history,

31:06part of that that the story of North

31:08Carolina A&T on this momentous

31:10centennial celebration of homecoming.

31:12It's unbelievable. Tell us about what

31:14you're going to do next. What what's

31:15next for you?

31:17>> Post-grad?

31:17>> Yeah.

31:18>> Oh, post-grad, I I hope to return back

31:20to Houston. Of course, I'll apply to

31:22hospitals all around, but I really want

31:25to go straight into the emergency room.

31:26I like the emergency medicine. I love

31:28the thrill. I love being able to help

31:29people in those like scary moments and

31:31being there for them. And that's why I

31:32chose nursing cuz I care about people

31:34and I love to help people and I love

31:35medicine.

31:36>> Yeah, love it. And how about you, Brian?

31:37>> Being a mechanical engineer, especially

31:39on having an aerospace track, there's so

31:41many different things I can do. Um, I've

31:43used internship experiences to kind of

31:44see what I want to do, see what I don't

31:46want to do. So, I'll be able to market

31:47myself to many different companies and

31:49just organizations, opportunities. A&T

31:51has one of the largest career fairs, so

31:53I was able to talk to many companies,

31:55have uh three next-day interviews. So,

31:57just opening up to many opportunities

32:00and seeing what God has in store for me.

32:02>> I love it. Well, I would not be doing my

32:03job as a Greensboro ambassador if I

32:04didn't say, "Please consider staying in

32:07[laughter] Greensboro." You are two

32:08shining examples of just of just the

32:11talent that is made here and we would

32:13love to see you stay or at least maybe

32:14consider coming back one day. Yeah.

32:16Yeah, and you'd be so much closer to

32:18homecoming. I'm just saying. You know,

32:19you know.

32:20>> [laughter]

32:20>> Easy trip. You could have friends stay

32:22with you, you know. I'll keep putting

32:24the hard sell on you. Thank you.

32:25Congratulations.

32:27Enjoy every moment. Take all the

32:29pictures. Live in the moment. Have so

32:31much fun.

32:32>> Thank you so much.

32:33>> us.

32:33>> We appreciate you.

32:34>> Thank you. Okay, the greatest homecoming

32:36on earth is October 25th through

32:39November 1st. It is right here in

32:41Greensboro. You can learn more about the

32:43events, the

32:44the traditions, you can plan your week.

32:47You go to north ncat.edu/homecoming.

32:51That's ncat.edu/homecoming.

32:56For all of us here at Greensboro

32:58Television Network, thank you for

33:00spending some of your time with us. Have

33:01a wonderful day.

33:10You know Backpack Beginnings because of

33:12course their food backpack program,

33:14their family market. Well, they're

33:15getting into a new business and it has

33:18to do with what I like to call the

33:19floating lights or the Sunset Hills

33:22Christmas balls. All right, Cooper, tell

33:24us again how you got started making

33:25Christmas balls.

33:26>> So, it started when I was 11 years old.

33:30I was at the corner farmers market and

33:32someone asked me if I knew how to make

33:34the Christmas balls and if I could sell

33:36the Christmas balls. [music] I went home

33:38and I went back to the market the next

33:39week. I think I had 15 or 20 Christmas

33:41balls made and they sold out and so I

33:45went back the next week and they were

33:46sold out and it kind of just kept going.

33:49>> Philanthropy has always been part of

33:50this for you.

33:51>> The first year, I think something that

33:53was instilled upon me by not only my

33:55parents but

33:57um Kathy Newsom, I credit her to [music]

33:59a lot of my ideas about how business and

34:01service should go together. I was

34:03introduced to the food insecurity which,

34:05you know, at 11 years old when you have

34:07food and you eat every single day, you

34:09really take it for granted that, you

34:12know,

34:13not everybody has that. Kids don't

34:14always have that. And now I get to see

34:16it in another way which is wonderful

34:17with Backpack Beginnings.

34:19>> So, you graduated high school in spring

34:21of 2026 and what did you think was going

34:23to happen to this business?

34:25>> I you know, I thought it had come to a

34:26natural end

34:27and I was kind of at peace with it but

34:29then I got an email from Parker White,

34:32who is wonderful

34:34family friend.

34:35Um

34:36I'm friends with Avery, her daughter,

34:39um through Grimsley. She convinced me,

34:41she, you know, told me her ideas, and I

34:43was like, you know what? This is a good

34:44moment of transition. I think transition

34:46is like the word of the year for me.

34:48I've also given [music] them my contact

34:49list, so if you're on that contact list,

34:52get ready.

34:53Um

34:54but really just support. I'm here to

34:56support them through this transition.

34:59>> Parker, how did this partnership take

35:00shape?

35:01>> So, I've known Cooper for a long time.

35:03He's really close friends with my

35:04daughter, and I approached him about a

35:06year ago and asked what he would be

35:07doing with Cooper's Christmas balls when

35:09he left for college, and he didn't have

35:11any plans for it. So, I asked if he

35:13would be open to Backpack Beginnings

35:15collaborating with him and eventually

35:16taking it over so we can employ seasonal

35:19employees, um some of our guests, and

35:22our [music] clients to help make the

35:23Christmas balls.

35:24>> So, how is this going to work?

35:26>> So, we have been learning how to make

35:28Christmas balls as a staff by Cooper.

35:30He's been training us. We are going to

35:32then train seasonal employees to come on

35:35and help us. And these are our families

35:37that are here shopping in our family

35:39market, receiving our services. We'll be

35:41paying them to make these Christmas

35:43balls. So, we're really excited to be

35:44able to get more money into their homes,

35:47provide um a flexible revenue stream for

35:50them, and we're calling this pilot

35:53program FlexWorks.

35:54>> You're making the Christmas balls that

35:55are going to be for sale through [music]

35:57Backpack Beginnings through the holiday

35:58season, but then this could really be a

36:00year-round effort.

36:01>> Yeah, absolutely. We're going to launch

36:03it and start selling them mid-October,

36:06so people can come to our warehouse and

36:07purchase them for $25. But, we hope to

36:10grow it beyond what we can do this

36:12season.

36:12>> [music]

36:12>> So, we hope to maybe double how many we

36:15sell next year, or maybe we find also we

36:17find other projects for our seasonal

36:20employees to be able to assemble and put

36:21together. So, looking to expand

36:23FlexWorks beyond Cooper's Christmas

36:25balls, but this is the first way we're

36:27going to start.

36:28>> So, for those who want to get involved

36:29and they're interested in the

36:30employment, how is that going to work?

36:33>> So, we have been doing some information

36:34sessions with our family market guests.

36:36We reached out to those who might be

36:38interested, and we've already [music]

36:40been uh talking to them, telling them

36:42more about it, and we'll be working with

36:44them this week, actually, to start

36:45putting them together.

36:46>> Okay, great. And so, then if a business

36:48wants to partner with you, I have a an

36:50idea of something that might work really

36:51well for this, how do they [music] do

36:53that?

36:53>> That is what we're looking for. We're

36:55looking for people to reach out and say,

36:57"I need help assembling something or

36:59putting something together, and I think

37:00Flexwork would be a great partnership."

37:02They can reach out to me, Parker at

37:05backpackbeginnings.org, [music]

37:06reach out to Backpack Beginnings, just

37:08talk to us about that project.

37:10>> I mean, Backpack Beginnings just keeps

37:11growing and growing. What started, of

37:12course, in your dining room as just

37:14getting food to children [music] on the

37:15weekends has grown to a full market, to

37:18clothing, to now workforce [music]

37:20development.

37:21>> Yeah, we are really trying to listen to

37:22what the families are telling us they're

37:24struggling with, and we're trying to

37:25think creatively of how can we impact

37:28that. This is a great natural next step

37:30for our Beyond the Basics program, which

37:32is doing coaching and goal-setting.

37:35We're hearing that the goals are more uh

37:38income in the homes. They need more

37:40money to pay their bills and to to

37:42support their children. So, this seemed

37:44like a a natural next step.

37:46>> And so, to see these balls hanging at at

37:49lights at Christmas time, the holiday

37:50season, what does that mean to you?

37:53>> I'm just really excited to see um

37:56these balls being put to use in another

37:59wonderful way, to be able to help

38:01families that might be struggling around

38:03Christmas time, to provide more light to

38:05our community, literally and

38:06figuratively. So, um yeah, we're really

38:09excited about this. It's a pilot

38:11program. Hopefully, it goes well, and we

38:12can grow it next year.

38:14>> I mean, you have thousands of Cooper's

38:16Christmas balls hanging in Greensboro

38:17already. So, to know that this business

38:19is going to continue, and that there are

38:20other hands who are going to be making

38:22them, hands of people who really need

38:24the work and who maybe need some light

38:26in their lives. What does that mean to

38:27you?

38:28>> [music]

38:28>> It means the world. I really think that

38:30business and service go together hand in

38:32hand and I think that is lost on a lot

38:34of people right now and so obviously now

38:37it's moving from this business but it

38:39was a business into a full nonprofit

38:42initiative. It's something that is

38:44important to me because I've gotten the

38:46fruits that I want from it and now to

38:48see other people benefit from that,

38:50that's something that's really

38:51um that I'm really excited for.

38:54>> We still drive through the balls and in

38:55wonder and look up.

38:57>> I still will and I'm going to bring my

38:58friends home for the running of the

38:59balls because you know, now I have a

39:01bunch of new friends that have they

39:03don't even know what they are and they

39:04they saw me post about you know, the

39:06Christmas balls and they're like, "What

39:07are these?" I'm like, "Listen, you're

39:09going to have to come in you know,

39:10winter and see because there's really

39:12something." So I it's just a

39:15win-win-win. Everybody wins in this, I

39:17think.

39:17>> Cooper's Christmas balls [music] will be

39:19for sale through the holiday season. You

39:21can get them at Backpack Beginnings.

39:23Find out more at backpackbeginnings.org

39:25[music] or just stop by the warehouse on

39:27Alliance Drive in Greensboro.

39:33Healthcare close to you. [music] Cone

39:35Health has partnered with North Carolina

39:37A&T to bring healthcare to East

39:40Greensboro at the Resurgent.

39:42>> [music]

39:43>> Do you want to tell us what is the

39:44Resurgent?

39:45>> I feel like it's a just a one-stop

39:47medical home, urgent care if there's a

39:49need for that, primary care to [music]

39:51build a relationship with a medical home

39:53and we also have women's care so we can

39:55get you started early and get those

39:56babies you know, in a healthy routine.

39:59>> Love that and this is a community that

40:01hasn't had this for a while.

40:03>> Exactly, [music]

40:03exactly. So that's why it's so exciting

40:05to partner with North Carolina A&T to

40:07bring this vision to light because it is

40:10again, we're bringing care [music] to

40:12the people, to the community.

40:13>> Let's talk about the urgent care first

40:15because I I think that is so many

40:17people's first entry into [music]

40:19their health care, the easiest access

40:21sometimes.

40:21>> Absolutely. And urgent care is when you

40:23have that immediate need and you do need

40:25to see [music] someone right away. It

40:27may not be an emergency visit that you

40:29need, but coming to someone to again

40:32establish that care and then maybe

40:34possibly [music] be referred on to

40:36establish with a primary care provider.

40:38>> Primary care [music] is just upstairs.

40:40>> What's great about the building, some

40:42days they may send them straight up to

40:44be seen and they can establish care with

40:46a provider at that point.

40:48>> Julie Wenzel is the director for [music]

40:49women's health. Tell us about the space

40:51we're in right now.

40:52>> We are in the Center for Women's Health

40:54Care at the Resurgent. This is a brand

40:57new office opened just a few months ago

40:58and we are here to serve [music] women

41:00for all of their OBGYN needs.

41:03>> And this is in East Greensboro. What

41:05kind of response have you had so far?

41:06[music]

41:07>> So far our response has been excellent.

41:09We're exceeding the volumes that we

41:10expected already with just a few days a

41:12week. [music] Unfortunately, we had to

41:14temporarily close a location in the

41:16vicinity a few years ago and we're happy

41:18to bring the service back to East

41:20Greensboro.

41:20>> Okay, we're going to take [music] a

41:21little tour.

41:21>> Yes.

41:22>> This is the mom baby room?

41:24>> Yes, so the mom plus baby combined care

41:25program is an excellent program where we

41:27serve mom and baby together. So once

41:30baby's born, they come to all of their

41:32[music] visits together and mom gets to

41:34be seen a lot more often and babies get

41:36their pediatrician care with us.

41:37>> Oh, this is such a fun [music] room,

41:39too.

41:40>> Yes, the goal is to keep them interested

41:42while they're waiting.

41:42>> Why is it important to have a

41:44relationship with a primary [music]

41:45care, not just rely on the urgent cares

41:48or emergency visits?

41:49>> Well, um I'll say this, primary care

41:51[music] it's much more than a doctor's

41:52visit. It is truly building a

41:54relationship. You're having someone that

41:56you know, they understand your health

41:58and they can help you stay well. [music]

42:00That's the thing, primary care isn't

42:02just about taking care of you and your

42:04illness. We're here to help you stay

42:06well and that's why it's so important.

42:07[music]

42:07It can prevent, you know, having to go

42:09to the ED and just really being on top

42:12of your care in the later in life,

42:14>> [music]

42:14>> you will have a healthier outcome.

42:16Look, having health

42:18affects more than just the individual.

42:20It affects the community. When families

42:22are well, children [music] are staying

42:24in school, they're doing better,

42:25families can work, they can better uh

42:27serve the community. So, it it really

42:29does extend beyond the individual

42:31[music] receiving the care.

42:32>> What are you hearing from the community

42:34now that it's open and and people are

42:35[music] starting to see, you know,

42:37doctors and and other practitioners

42:39here?

42:40>> I believe um again, it's the access,

42:42[music]

42:43um being able to come.

42:45Again, we're in walking distance with a

42:47[music] lot of communities. And again,

42:49just really

42:50valuing the community and and being

42:53there right with them in their journeys.

42:55And coming to them, I think that's the

42:57biggest thing.

42:58>> [music]

42:58>> And that's the whole point of these

42:59community centers, right?

43:01>> Absolutely. Cone Health is they're doing

43:03a wonderful job at doing [music] that in

43:05different areas of Greensboro,

43:07especially the high need communities.

43:10>> Your journey to a healthier [music] you

43:11can start at the Resurgent in East

43:13Greensboro, Market Street, straight

43:15across from North Carolina A&T. The

43:17urgent care is open 7 days a week. You

43:20can make [music] an appointment for a

43:21primary care visit by going to

43:23conehealth.com.

43:27Cone Health now has four mobile medicine

43:30units taking health care straight to

43:33you. The newest in the fleet, one for

43:35heart care and OBGYN services.

43:39Dr. Anwa Hijazi is an OBGYN with Cone

43:42Health. How long have you been with Cone

43:44Health?

43:44>> I have been here for 18 years.

43:46>> How have you seen maternal health care

43:48change over the years in our community?

43:51>> With the new technologies that have been

43:52developed in the last 18 years, it has

43:56been amazing. We have a lot more

43:58patients, especially in our own

44:01practice, which is the Center for

44:02Women's Health Care, than we had when I

44:04started in 2008.

44:07>> Yeah, so it sounds like you're saying

44:09that um that [music] access to health

44:11care was more difficult maybe when you

44:12first started and that's improved, but

44:15we still have a lot of challenges.

44:16>> We do. We have a lot of challenges

44:18because a lot of patients, even with our

44:21multiple sites across the region, still

44:24do not know that they can come to us.

44:26>> So, how is the best way to access care

44:29[music] for for those who are worried

44:30about the transportation, worried about

44:32the money, worried about language

44:33[music] barriers, or or seeing somebody

44:36who looks like them when they go to the

44:38doctor?

44:38>> Place that has the most information is

44:40on our website. So, [music]

44:42if you go to the Cone website and then

44:45go to Center for Women's Health Care,

44:46[music] you will see information about

44:48all of our sites. It is important to be

44:50able to see the different areas where we

44:54are and know which area is closest to

44:57you. Cone Health does a good job of

44:59being with you. We open prenatal care

45:02clinics in [music] most of the

45:04communities where we serve and more are

45:06coming.

45:07>> And if you can't get to one, maybe you

45:09see this roll up to your neighborhood.

45:13>> Yes. So, we are very excited about the

45:15mobile unit to be able to reach

45:17communities where we don't have a

45:18physical [music]

45:19presence. This is very, very exciting

45:22for us. It is going to be staffed

45:23initially by our certified [music] nurse

45:25midwives, but we are excited that this

45:28is one of the many, many venues that we

45:30have to give prenatal care.

45:31>> In this mobile unit, what [music] kind

45:33of services will be offered?

45:35>> So, here you can get some screenings

45:39done, tests done, just evaluation of the

45:42mom, evaluation of the baby. And that's

45:45just from the OB side of things. As you

45:47can see, it's an OBGYN mobile unit. Now,

45:51patients can also come here for GYN

45:53concerns.

45:54>> What is your message to women about

45:57their health care?

45:59>> I would say that they need to be more in

46:02charge their health, okay? They need to,

46:04you know, take ownership of their health

46:06care and make sure that they take care

46:09of themselves. We're usually in our

46:10families where we're taking care of

46:12everybody else. We're taking care of our

46:14children,

46:15of our partners, of our spouses, but

46:18then we don't take care of ourselves.

46:20So, I feel like women should really make

46:23it a priority to take care of

46:24themselves.

46:25>> Health care might be [music] closer than

46:27you think. You can schedule your visit

46:29at conehealth.com. While you're there,

46:31look where the mobile units are going to

46:33be. Maybe one will be close to you.

46:34conehealth.com/mobilehealth.

46:45>> Good morning and welcome. My name is

46:47Chelsea Phipps. I work for the city of

46:49Greensboro in the Parks and Recreation

46:51Department, where I serve as your

46:53Greenway and Gardens Program

46:54Coordinator. And I'm very excited on

46:57behalf of the Downtown Greenway's

46:58public-private partnership with Action

47:00Greensboro and the city of Greensboro to

47:03welcome you here this morning. This is

47:05edition number three of our four-part

47:07speaker series that's been part of our

47:09year-long celebration of the Downtown

47:11Greenway's completion. Of course, May

47:1316th, 2026 if I know many faces were

47:16there. It was a very exciting day and

47:18we're still continuing the celebrations

47:19throughout the year.

47:21A few sort of administrative notes of uh

47:24for this morning. For restrooms, head

47:26straight down the hall towards the lime

47:28green walls and turn right at the

47:30beautiful mural on your right. Uh in the

47:32community kitchen, there is uh coffee

47:35and ice and water machine next to the

47:37sink. Help yourself. And then we have a

47:39few refreshments up here.

47:41The main portion of our program is of

47:43course going to be hearing from our

47:44speaker, Brian Leary, but at the end

47:46there will be some time for some

47:48audience Q&A. And then anytime after

47:50that, we'll just sort of be able to

47:52spend time together, connect, and

47:53continue some conversation and in the

47:55room.

47:58With that, I'm going to get into our

47:59program.

48:00When the idea for the Downtown Greenway

48:02first took shape in the early 2000s, our

48:05community was asked ambitious questions.

48:08Could we create a safe and inviting

48:10route around downtown?

48:11Could we better connect neighborhoods,

48:13transform underused spaces, and share

48:16Greensboro's stories through public art?

48:18Could a Greenway become more than a

48:20trail and serve as an investment in our

48:22community's future?

48:24For the past 25 years, the focus has

48:26been on turning that vision into reality

48:29and building the Downtown Greenway.

48:31Now, with our 4-mile loop complete just

48:33a few short months ago, we're entering a

48:35new chapter and asking a different set

48:38of questions.

48:40How can this major public investment

48:43encourage thoughtful private

48:44development? How can it support

48:46businesses, strengthen surrounding

48:47neighborhoods, and contribute to

48:49Greensboro's continued growth? And how

48:51do we make sure the Downtown Greenway

48:53remains not only an important

48:55transportation corridor, but also a

48:57catalyst for connection, activity, and

48:59investment?

49:01That work is already underway.

49:03To date, more than $612 million in

49:06private development has been completed

49:08or is planned along our Downtown

49:10Greenway loop.

49:11And we can see that investment taking

49:13many different forms. Deep Roots Market

49:15relocated downtown, becoming downtown's

49:18only grocery store and the first to open

49:20here in more than 30 years.

49:22Union Square Campus brought together

49:24three colleges and universities with

49:25Cone Health to create a collaborative

49:27nursing education center.

49:29Bailey Village and the String Street

49:31Apartments added much-needed

49:32multi-family housing and residential

49:35density in and around downtown.

49:37And just 5 days ago, the Battleground

49:39Butcher Bar opened with its future

49:41neighbor Float on the way, bringing new

49:44food and drink options to the juncture

49:45of four key local Greenways.

49:48At the same time, there are several

49:50vacant and underused sites that remain

49:52ripe for future investment. And that

49:54combination of proven momentum and

49:57untapped potential makes this an

49:58especially timely conversation for

50:00Greensboro.

50:01So, with that, we could not have asked

50:04for a more fitting speaker to help us

50:05explore these opportunities.

50:07I give thanks to our now former Downtown

50:10Greenway project manager, Dabney

50:11Sanders, for making the connection. And

50:14I'm excited to have Brian Leary here

50:15with us this morning.

50:17Brian Brian currently serves as

50:19executive vice president and chief

50:21operating officer of Highwoods

50:22Properties.

50:24He previously served as president and

50:25CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Incorporated,

50:28helping lead one of the country's most

50:30recognized examples of trail-oriented

50:33development. When complete, the Atlanta

50:35BeltLine will be a 22-mi loop connecting

50:3945 neighborhoods through trails, parks,

50:41and future transit. The project has also

50:44helped catalyze more than 14 billion

50:47with a B in private investment. Brian

50:50brings a valuable perspective from both

50:52sides of this conversation, from leading

50:54a major public infrastructure and

50:56redevelopment initiative to working

50:58today in commercial real estate

51:00development and investment. This

51:02morning, he will share lessons from

51:03Atlanta, insights on public-private

51:06partnerships, and ideas that may help

51:08inform the next chapter of Greensboro's

51:11Downtown Greenway. So, please join me in

51:13welcoming Brian Leary.

51:14>> Thanks, Chelsea.

51:17I can just put this here.

51:18>> Okay.

51:19>> I might get I might be able to use move

51:21this here. What do you think? Can I do

51:23that? Will that work?

51:24>> you with that.

51:25>> Do you trust me with your computer?

51:27>> What do you think? Will it stay?

51:29>> Yep. And then I'm just going to make the

51:31switch here.

51:31>> All right.

51:33Good morning, y'all. Um so good to be

51:34here, and it's actually um

51:37a real blessing to not be the CEO of the

51:40Atlanta BeltLine, to actually talk about

51:41it. So, I can hopefully share some

51:43lessons learned. But first and foremost,

51:45well done, Greensboro. This is huge. I

51:47drove I got here early this morning and

51:48drove around. You have put the stake in

51:50the ground, and that's a really big

51:51deal. We're going to talk about that. Um

51:53and thanks to Dabney for making the trip

51:56to Raleigh and being on a panel like

51:58this, for making that drive, and it made

52:01an impact on us in Raleigh. So, when she

52:03said, "Hey, would you be interested in

52:04coming to Greensboro?" I said,

52:06"Absolutely."

52:07Um

52:07show me a city or a place

52:10that's investing in parks and greenways

52:12or community connections, and I'll show

52:14you one winning. And so, well done again

52:17for what you're doing here. And the fact

52:19that the again, Dabney made that

52:21connection, community connection down

52:23the street, if you will, to Raleigh.

52:26The smaller the distance between our two

52:27places, and the more we can share, I

52:29think, the more we can learn. So, all

52:30right. This is what Chelsea sent to me.

52:33She said, "I'd love for you to talk

52:35about these things." And I'm not going

52:37to read them now cuz hopefully we're

52:39going to go through some slides, and I

52:41I'm going to talk about a few of these

52:42things, and at the end, just to make

52:43sure I complete the assignment, I'm

52:46going to bring these back up and go

52:47through them specifically. So, real

52:49quickly, I want to level set.

52:51What is the Atlanta BeltLine in Atlanta?

52:54By the way,

52:55a lot of people see Atlanta, and they

52:58go, "Let me tell you what I don't want

52:59to be. We don't want to be Atlanta,

53:01right?" I lived in Atlanta for about 25

53:04years. My girls were born there. We

53:05moved to Charlotte. Everything I heard

53:06from Charlotte was, "Oh,

53:09aren't you glad you're out of Atlanta?

53:10We don't ever want to be Atlanta." And

53:12what's interesting about Charlotte and

53:14Atlanta. What I told finally said,

53:16"Listen, stop trying to compare

53:18yourself, Charlotte, to Atlanta."

53:20Because at that time, and it's still

53:21happening, Atlanta's growing by about

53:24100,000 people a year.

53:26That's the region, okay, not the city.

53:28City of Atlanta, by the way, is way more

53:30analogous to Greensboro. City of Atlanta

53:32has about 550,000 people. It's been

53:34growing every year for the last

53:3710 years or 20 years, actually, the city

53:39proper. So, when you think about a

53:416-million person region and think about

53:44there's no

53:45contextualization to Greensboro, I don't

53:48disagree. There's 6 million people

53:49there, world's busiest airport or region

53:52110 miles north and south, maybe not.

53:54City of Atlanta, absolutely. Uh there

53:58are analogs we can pull across this

54:00entire Southeast. So, anyway, I told

54:02Charlotte, "Quick complaining about

54:03Atlanta. Atlanta's growing by 100,000

54:05people a year. If Atlanta stopped

54:07growing,

54:08right? No one moved there, no one was

54:10born there, and no one died there for 39

54:13years, and Charlotte grew as fast as

54:15Atlanta ever has, and they're not,

54:17you would not catch up.

54:19It would take Charlotte 40 years to

54:21catch up. So, my point to Charlotte was

54:24then, "Hey, let's go figure out what

54:25Atlanta did wrong and not do it,

54:28and let's figure out what they did right

54:29and do it sooner." I would Now, I've

54:32living in Raleigh for about 8 years,

54:34and it's funny,

54:35Raleigh's got its chip on its shoulder

54:37about Charlotte. Am I right? By the way,

54:39in Atlanta, they don't spend a lot of

54:41time worrying about Charlotte. Charlotte

54:43doesn't spend much time thinking about

54:45Raleigh. So, it's really interesting to

54:46see these different cities. So, just in

54:49my role today, I'm with a publicly

54:51traded company called Highwoods

54:52Properties. We were started in um in

54:56Raleigh in 1978, and we've grown. We

54:58used to be here in Greensboro. We

55:00primarily had industrial or distribution

55:02uh buildings here in Greensboro. We were

55:04in Winston, but headquartered in in

55:07Raleigh. And every morning I wake up in

55:09in my role as chief operating officer, I

55:11wake up in Raleigh, but I also wake up

55:13in Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville,

55:15Dallas, Tampa, Orlando, Richmond, and

55:18Pittsburgh, and a little bit of Kansas

55:19City, all every single day. That's where

55:21our business is. And all of those cities

55:24and communities and places and peoples

55:26and politics, right? They're generally

55:28the same.

55:29They may not be happening at the same

55:31time, but the challenges and

55:33opportunities of placemaking, of people,

55:37I've noticed across all of those places

55:40are occurring just at different times.

55:41All right. So, the Atlanta Beltline.

55:45This is sort of a bird's eye view of the

55:48Atlanta Beltline, which is a 22-mi

55:52uh misshapen ring, if you will, around

55:55the within the city of Atlanta. Let me

55:57give you a little bit of history. Um

56:00Atlanta has always had traffic. I don't

56:03know if you actually know the story.

56:04This is not the Atlanta history story,

56:06but Atlanta was actually started as a

56:08business enterprise, not as as a town. I

56:11don't know if you know this. The Atlanta

56:12and Western Railroad needed a southern

56:16terminus of its rail line in in North

56:20Georgia, because that's the point they

56:21could get over into Tennessee in the

56:23Cumberland Gap to Chicago in the

56:25stockyards. So, this was this unique

56:27place in the United States where you

56:29could get to the Atlantic seaboard, and

56:30you could get to the Midwest for trains.

56:33So, the Atlanta and Western Railroad

56:34needed a place to stop their railroad,

56:37and they went to Decatur,

56:39Decatur, Georgia, and said, "We want to

56:41put our railroad terminus here." And

56:42Decatur said, "Not in my backyard." We

56:45know what comes with that. Drunks,

56:47prostitution, gambling, we don't want

56:49it. So, the company went 8 mi to the

56:52west, drove a stake in the ground, and

56:54created a place called Terminus,

56:55Georgia. It was purely a place

56:58for the railroad to stop.

57:00Then, long story short, they renamed it

57:02after the governor started Martha,

57:04Marthasville. When that governor got

57:06unelected after one term, they were kind

57:08of left with a a sticky situation. So,

57:11they renamed the town after themselves.

57:14The feminine form of the Atlanta and

57:15Western Railroad is Atlanta.

57:18That's Atlanta's history.

57:19So, it was a rail terminal, and it was

57:22very busy. So, all of these trains used

57:24to want to come downtown, and they were

57:26all congested, and there's tons of

57:29traffic. So, four different railroad

57:31companies built their own separate belt

57:34lines around the traffic. And these were

57:37the four separate

57:39belt lines that avoided downtown's train

57:42traffic. Right? Four different owners,

57:44four different companies.

57:47And the idea, it was actually a buddy of

57:48mine in graduate school, he sort of

57:50discovered that these were still in

57:52existence either in place,

57:55meaning right-of-way was still there, or

57:57in place there was tracks and trains

57:59still running over them. And this is in

58:00kind of 1996 to 1998.

58:04And he had an idea for his master's

58:05thesis. He said,

58:07"Imagine if you could re-link these and

58:10create

58:11a loop around the city that could

58:13provide transit connections." So,

58:15Atlanta, if anyone's ever been to

58:17Atlanta for an Olympics or a Super Bowl

58:19or whatever, they have something called

58:21MARTA,

58:22which is a heavy rail

58:24transit system, which means it's a

58:25subway. Heavy rail means it has a third

58:27rail

58:28that pro- provides electricity. You

58:30cannot walk across it, so it's a heavy

58:32system. It has to be either below the

58:34ground or up in the air. It has to be

58:35grade separated. That's why it's called

58:37heavy. So, Atlanta got that heavy rail

58:40MARTA subway system not because it

58:42needed it at all.

58:44Again, you have to understand Atlanta

58:47opened for business on day one as a

58:49business proposition. Atlanta has been

58:51in business to compete and win since day

58:53one.

58:54So, in the late '60s, the Federal

58:57Transit Administration was having uh a

59:00contest, if you will. It had a

59:01sweepstakes. It was going to award three

59:04subway systems in the United States.

59:06The first one that won was Washington.

59:08They got Metro, now known as WMATA and

59:11Metro. Tremendous system. Washington had

59:14density, Washington had congestion,

59:16Washington had points where people

59:17needed to go.

59:19Washington also had three different

59:21states that needed to be connected that

59:23probably couldn't do it on their own.

59:24The The

59:25system that won was the Bay Area. They

59:27won BART. So, they got their billions of

59:30dollars for BART. The third one that

59:32actually won that sweepstakes was

59:35Seattle. But, King County voters turned

59:37down a 1-penny sales tax in support of

59:39transit. The runner-up was Atlanta.

59:43Atlanta only entered the sweepstakes

59:45because big cities have subways.

59:48That's why they entered.

59:49They said, "Government's going to give

59:51away a billion dollars or some other

59:53number.

59:54Big cities have subways. We want to be

59:55in that business." At the time, Atlanta

59:57had no congestion to speak of. It had no

59:59transit supportive density to speak of.

1:00:01It had no supportive land use. But, it

1:00:03won. And the What happened there is

1:00:06Fulton County and DeKalb County voters

1:00:07passed the 1-penny sales tax. That was

1:00:09already passed as part of their

1:00:11application. So, anyway,

1:00:13Atlanta has very much kind of a a big uh

1:00:17east-west, north-south

1:00:20kind of spine system for transit. Again,

1:00:23I told you it

1:00:24when it went in, it didn't need it. It

1:00:25didn't have the density to support it.

1:00:27Over time, it's definitely built up

1:00:28around it, but it didn't have the

1:00:30connective tissue, that last mile

1:00:32connectivity. So, the idea of this

1:00:34BeltLine sitting on the spine of the

1:00:37MARTA was the big idea of a graduate

1:00:40student at Georgia Tech named Ryan

1:00:43Gravel.

1:00:44So, what does that Atlanta BeltLine kind

1:00:46of look like today, right? It sits

1:00:48within side the perimeter highway that

1:00:52goes around Atlanta. I'm going to show

1:00:53you I don't know if you can ever see the

1:00:55the contextual size of that BeltLine.

1:00:58But, what that was, if you linked them

1:01:00all together, it was basically rights of

1:01:03way 70 to 200 ft wide.

1:01:06So, 70 at its narrowest, 200 ft at its

1:01:09widest, running through the entire city,

1:01:12running through some of the most

1:01:14affluent neighborhoods, and running

1:01:16through some of the most economically

1:01:17challenged neighborhoods. So,

1:01:19interesting equity across just this

1:01:21single idea.

1:01:22So, here what does it look like in terms

1:01:24of

1:01:25uh the scale?

1:01:27Okay? I'm not going to read the slides

1:01:29out loud. Hopefully, you can see them

1:01:31over my shoulder. But, a significant

1:01:33size. What you're seeing, the hot pink

1:01:35line, is sort of that that the actual

1:01:38belt lines themselves. And what is

1:01:41happening in this shaded area

1:01:44all the way around it

1:01:46is something called tax increment

1:01:47financing. So, those that get into this,

1:01:50this is called value capture. So, what

1:01:52Atlanta did is they went out a basically

1:01:55a walkable distance, almost a quarter

1:01:57mile

1:01:58from the belt line itself and created a

1:02:01tax increment financing district. It's

1:02:03called something different in Georgia.

1:02:04It's called a tax allocation district.

1:02:06It would be called something different

1:02:07in North Carolina, because our state law

1:02:10doesn't allow the same way to use those

1:02:13uh tools that Georgia has and Tennessee

1:02:15has and Texas has and about 40 other

1:02:18states have, by the way, for what it's

1:02:19worth.

1:02:20So, Atlanta created this in advance, a

1:02:23tax increment district encircling this

1:02:25entire Atlanta belt line to capture the

1:02:28future tax increment to build it. I can

1:02:30get into that a little bit later. But,

1:02:32let me give you a sense of scale. I'm

1:02:33going to finish with Greensboro. But,

1:02:35for those that know

1:02:37um

1:02:37you know, Raleigh. Okay, here's downtown

1:02:40Raleigh. This is the belt line kind of

1:02:42going around it. Right? Gives you a

1:02:45sense. Here's, you know, kind of

1:02:46Crabtree. This is North Hills, NC State.

1:02:50Gives you an idea of the scale.

1:02:53I can show you Charlotte, too. If you

1:02:55know Charlotte, maybe you know Sterling

1:02:57is from Charlotte. He grew up in

1:02:58Charlotte. He went to West Mech. So,

1:02:59he'll recognize this area over here.

1:03:02Here's uptown.

1:03:04Freedom Park, Myers Park, South Park.

1:03:07Imagine if that ran

1:03:09in Charlotte. Now, I've I've done this

1:03:11to scale for Greensboro. And both of

1:03:14these were a little more north-south. Um

1:03:17based on my experience. And I've I've

1:03:19had a wonderful time every time I've

1:03:20come to Greensboro for the Center for

1:03:21Creative Leadership, for our business

1:03:23here, for I spend a lot of time at Bryan

1:03:26Park with my girls playing soccer. I

1:03:29feel like the angle might be a little

1:03:30different for Greensboro. Take a look,

1:03:32see.

1:03:33Imagine the scale

1:03:35of this. Here we are

1:03:37in downtown. Gives you a sense. Goes

1:03:39connects to Friendly Center.

1:03:41Around, right? This is the scale of the

1:03:45Atlanta BeltLine's 22-mile loop

1:03:48encircling Atlanta overlaid on

1:03:51Greensboro. So, imagine, yes, you have

1:03:53your 4-mile downtown Greenway loop.

1:03:58Imagine kind of a next concentric ring.

1:04:00Obviously, this would be shaped

1:04:02differently in Greensboro, but of the

1:04:04places that it could connect. Now,

1:04:07the one idea that my friend Ryan Gravel

1:04:10had in graduate school, and actually he

1:04:12came up with the idea when he was

1:04:13studying abroad, which By the way, I

1:04:15don't know if Greensboro does this. I'm

1:04:17guessing they do these intercity visits

1:04:19where they go and look to peer cities.

1:04:22Do it. Go see things. It's particularly

1:04:26with someone else, right? Cuz then you

1:04:28have a shared experience, you can bring

1:04:29it back. Again, I There's very few new

1:04:31problems in cities, very few new

1:04:33solutions. So, he was inspired to

1:04:35connect these BeltLines for transit

1:04:37primarily. But that was just the first

1:04:39idea.

1:04:40Right? The Atlanta BeltLine

1:04:42has sort of evolved. Imagine sort of

1:04:44that snowball running down the hill or a

1:04:46lint brush going across your couch if

1:04:48you have dogs or cats, right? It's been

1:04:50added to over time.

1:04:53Right? So, the first idea Ryan Gravel

1:04:56gave his pitch at some event like this,

1:04:58and one of the people in attendance was

1:05:01a city council member.

1:05:03And that city council member was a

1:05:05friend of mine named Kathy Willard, who

1:05:08she said, "My god, we need to do this.

1:05:10This could be transformational." And she

1:05:12got behind it, and she gave it some

1:05:14momentum, and she took it to the mayor,

1:05:16Shirley Franklin, who was

1:05:18uh tremendous. By the way, you can have

1:05:20um higher ed, you can have arts, you can

1:05:22have greenways, but if you don't have

1:05:24leadership,

1:05:25um it's difficult to really uh win the

1:05:27future. So, as he started to talk about

1:05:30this idea, and you if you think about

1:05:33the Atlanta BeltLine almost as

1:05:35um

1:05:36a blank canvas that things could get

1:05:37added onto, we realized that Atlanta, uh

1:05:40even though it's a city of trees, is

1:05:42known as trees, uh tree city, it was

1:05:44under-parked. It's one of the more

1:05:46under-parked lots of uh private parks in

1:05:48people's backyards and stuff in Atlanta,

1:05:50but not a lot of public parks. And so,

1:05:52the Trust for Public Land and other

1:05:53folks realized, "Hey, Atlanta is

1:05:55under-parked. This is a great

1:05:56opportunity to add parks, right?

1:05:59Trails." Atlanta has a great foundation

1:06:02called the Path Foundation.

1:06:04Um they've done a number of

1:06:05rails-to-trails

1:06:07uh projects, uh but there was a big gap

1:06:10center city of these trail connections

1:06:13that were existing.

1:06:15Um by the way, all of this is generally

1:06:17about economic development. I'm going to

1:06:19talk about that in a little bit.

1:06:20Affordable housing,

1:06:22right? If you build infrastructure, you

1:06:24induce development. How do you get ahead

1:06:27of that? Infrastructure wants density to

1:06:30thrive and survive.

1:06:32Density needs to have housing, right?

1:06:34So, all of those things kind of um tie

1:06:36in here. Oh, and by the way, the entire

1:06:38Atlanta BeltLine's a brownfield.

1:06:40So, imagine a rail corridor of 70 to 200

1:06:43ft wide, 22 mi

1:06:45um

1:06:46uh around that's been operating as a

1:06:48rail line for, you know, 100 years. The

1:06:51whole thing's a brownfield. So, had this

1:06:54idea come up, I don't know, 10, 20 years

1:06:57earlier, Georgia and Atlanta might not

1:06:59have been able to deal with the

1:07:00brownfield side of it, kind of the uh

1:07:03environmental contamination. So, what

1:07:04did it look like

1:07:06with this idea? This is what it look

1:07:07like.

1:07:09And and actually it looked worse than

1:07:10this cuz this is when we put in sort of

1:07:12a just a walking trail. We called it the

1:07:14hiking trail in the middle of the city.

1:07:16Um

1:07:17and and I'm going to have this on my

1:07:18slide later and I mentioned this when I

1:07:20started. You all put the stake in the

1:07:21ground.

1:07:22Um he's a very controversial figure, but

1:07:25uh the impact he's had on the built

1:07:26environment cannot be uh understated in

1:07:29New York. It's a guy named Robert Moses.

1:07:31And he said, "If you're brave enough to

1:07:33drive a stake in the ground, very few

1:07:35are brave enough to pull it out."

1:07:37Right? You just got to get it in the

1:07:38ground. And so that's what we started to

1:07:39do with the Atlanta BeltLine is we

1:07:41wanted to get people out there. It was

1:07:42space. By the way, if you've ever been

1:07:45to Atlanta, this is now

1:07:47um Ponce City Market. It was a 2 million

1:07:49square foot uh Sears Roebuck catalog

1:07:52fulfillment center uh called City Hall

1:07:54East at the time, but I mean a 2 million

1:07:56square foot building

1:07:57um that probably only had about 50,000

1:08:00ft of uh occupancy in it.

1:08:03Uh city police records and like a Gold's

1:08:05Gym, which is interesting. But this is

1:08:08near Ponce

1:08:09um de Leon Avenue. This is near Virginia

1:08:11Highland. This is uh Dr. King's

1:08:13neighborhood, the Old Fourth Ward. And

1:08:15this was sort of forgotten. This is

1:08:16behind things that no one ever went to.

1:08:19So we started to get people in, but this

1:08:21is this is where it's probably 100 ft

1:08:24wide.

1:08:26The only way that this thing remotely

1:08:28got a chance to seeing the light of day

1:08:31was a unique alignment of partnerships.

1:08:35So

1:08:36the thing about Atlanta, which is a lot

1:08:38different than Greensboro because it's

1:08:40North Carolina versus Georgia,

1:08:42is that in Georgia

1:08:45the cities are uh mayor strong. Here

1:08:48we're weak mayor, where things are run

1:08:51by council and city managers. In North

1:08:53Carolina, you would say that's great cuz

1:08:54they're professionally run by people

1:08:57trained to run um cities and

1:08:59municipalities.

1:09:01In Atlanta, you just you're hoping your

1:09:04leader how gets a good cabinet and gets

1:09:06good leaders and things like that. In

1:09:07this case, we had a tremendous leader in

1:09:10Shirley Franklin. And Atlanta has You've

1:09:12heard the Have you ever heard the line

1:09:13about Atlanta, the city too busy to

1:09:15hate?

1:09:16The reason why it wasn't too busy

1:09:18because it was just in business, but it

1:09:20had partnerships.

1:09:22And

1:09:23I mean true partnerships between black

1:09:25and white, business and community. I

1:09:27mean across churches and and

1:09:29organizations very Anyway, so there's a

1:09:31there's a civic muscle memory that was

1:09:34able to be called upon when this big

1:09:36idea came up. Just like it had done

1:09:39before for the Olympics. Just like it

1:09:41had done before for the airport. Just

1:09:43like it had done before for things like

1:09:45Marta. So, what they did is they set up

1:09:48a nonprofit called the Atlanta BeltLine

1:09:50Partnership that would become the

1:09:52recipient and organizer of all

1:09:55philanthropy and support of

1:09:58the project, the Atlanta BeltLine. They

1:10:00also took the lead in education.

1:10:03So, this organization, the Atlanta

1:10:05BeltLine Partnership, which has raised

1:10:07$240 million

1:10:08privately,

1:10:09privately,

1:10:11which includes foundations from about

1:10:134,000 different donors. Right, by the

1:10:15way, one of those donors means someone

1:10:16also gave 100 bucks.

1:10:18Right, they go to all of the festivals

1:10:21around Atlanta and set up a booth or a

1:10:24tent. And they have trained the people,

1:10:28individual citizens who believe in it,

1:10:30that want to share the message. I mean,

1:10:32it's really

1:10:33uh spreading the good word, if you will,

1:10:35around this idea, but all over the city

1:10:39because it connects 45 different

1:10:41neighborhoods. So, you started to get

1:10:44um an electorate, a citizenry that

1:10:47started to say, "When am I getting this?

1:10:48What is I How do I get a How do I become

1:10:51part of this?"

1:10:52Okay? I talked about the tax increment

1:10:55financing district that surrounds the

1:10:57BeltLine. To date, it's raised $751

1:11:01million. So, we talked about the

1:11:03billions of dollars of private

1:11:04development that increase that's new tax

1:11:07base. That new tax base can then go

1:11:09service bonds,

1:11:11right, for the Atlanta BeltLine. That's

1:11:13the other thing that we don't have in

1:11:15North Carolina is the ability

1:11:17to issue bonds in support of tax

1:11:19increment pledging. That's it. That's I

1:11:21think that's something that someday

1:11:23maybe we'll fix it in the legislature.

1:11:25And then we had some pretty important

1:11:27public partners.

1:11:28Um I'm sure it never happens in

1:11:30Greensboro. I'm sure it never happens in

1:11:31North Carolina, but even public partners

1:11:34have territory and sandboxes that they

1:11:37want to work in and it's very difficult

1:11:39for people to kind of break a blur the

1:11:42edges on there somehow. So, for

1:11:43instance, you know, MARTA, they're the

1:11:45de facto transit agency

1:11:48of Atlanta at the time this idea comes

1:11:50up.

1:11:51MARTA, I think it's also very uh

1:11:54polarizing. Bless you. In terms of some

1:11:57people love it, some people hate it,

1:11:59some people will depend on it, some

1:12:01people don't ever use it. And so, it it

1:12:03was um

1:12:04you know, they are an organization with

1:12:06lots of people. They have the sales tax

1:12:08and they said, "If anyone does transit,

1:12:10we do transit. Here's a different idea

1:12:11of transit."

1:12:12Potentially light rail line. I'm going

1:12:14to jump to 2025 and 26.

1:12:17The Atlanta BeltLine has been such a

1:12:19success as a trail project and parks

1:12:22project and art projects,

1:12:25many are now saying, "Why do we need

1:12:27transit?

1:12:28Why mess this up by constructing

1:12:31transit? Why spend all that money?

1:12:33Transit's expensive.

1:12:35Why do it?" And it's created a bit of a

1:12:36schism

1:12:38in the BeltLine

1:12:41uh movement. It's very interesting. Some

1:12:43of the folks who were there in early

1:12:45days, not I'm not preaching, but imagine

1:12:47like the the apostles, the original

1:12:50prophets all kind of had a breakup, you

1:12:52know, halfway through. That's sort of

1:12:54what's happening unfortunately in

1:12:56Atlanta about this debate on transit,

1:12:58which by the way is healthy in my

1:13:00opinion because as more people are

1:13:02debating you'll get a better answer I

1:13:04think at the end, but there's a lot of

1:13:06people who kind of supported the

1:13:07beginning on the promise of transit who

1:13:10are

1:13:10you know, crying foul and I don't I

1:13:12don't blame them either cuz they put a

1:13:13lot of time into it. But what's

1:13:15interesting also GDOT

1:13:18GDOT Georgia Department of

1:13:19Transportation and I think our MCDOT is

1:13:22probably already there. They went

1:13:23through a bit of an evolution too. This

1:13:25state organization was about moving cars

1:13:28primarily in the domain of roads and we

1:13:31were able to form a partnership with

1:13:33them about moving Georgians.

1:13:35And once we started to have that kind of

1:13:37conversation, they were a lot more

1:13:39creative and flexible on a segment of

1:13:41that rail line they owned. They ended up

1:13:43with a segment of that beltline.

1:13:45Um and then Trees Atlanta Park Pride

1:13:47Trust for Public Land there are others

1:13:49that could come in and support their

1:13:51mission and their mandate through

1:13:53uh the Atlanta Beltline. The other thing

1:13:55I'd come back to is the city.

1:13:58Like the Atlanta Beltline had a seat at

1:14:00the mayor's cabinet every Monday

1:14:02morning.

1:14:04The mayor said this is that important.

1:14:06It will be here. Everyone around this

1:14:08table is a partner to help things happen

1:14:11whether it's public safety, whether it's

1:14:13public works I'll get into that in a

1:14:14second, even water. Okay.

1:14:18On the far left everything in the bright

1:14:20green is actually open now and built.

1:14:23When I uh took the job, none of that was

1:14:25open and our goal was to get the stake

1:14:27in the ground and get people using it so

1:14:30people could say they want more. And

1:14:32what we got open first from a trail

1:14:34standpoint was the Eastside Trail. We

1:14:36also opened a number of parks.

1:14:38So along this

1:14:40beltline or greenway it was important to

1:14:42have those those pearls like an emerald

1:14:45necklace or imagine like a charm

1:14:47bracelet. Imagine you start with a charm

1:14:49bracelet and all you have are a few

1:14:50links on your desk and one charm.

1:14:53That's a place to start. But you don't

1:14:55have to have all of it to start and

1:14:56that's what we did with the Atlanta

1:14:57BeltLine. We went to different places

1:15:00around the entire city

1:15:02to give people parts of the BeltLine

1:15:04even if it was a standalone park that

1:15:06would eventually be connected.

1:15:08Once you have that park that needs to be

1:15:10connected, the idea of the connection is

1:15:12is way stronger as opposed to well,

1:15:14there's nothing to connect it to, why

1:15:15would I do it?

1:15:17Let me talk talk about I don't know if

1:15:18there's any planners in the room.

1:15:20One of the other core components. So,

1:15:22this the dash line in the middle is the

1:15:25actual rail line.

1:15:26That width stretching out is the tax

1:15:29increment financing district. Okay,

1:15:31that's that taxing area.

1:15:33What we did with the Atlanta BeltLine,

1:15:35we broke all of those 45 neighborhoods

1:15:37into 10 subgroups

1:15:40and we went in in advance of any

1:15:42construction. This is takes years. It

1:15:44probably took a total of 3 years to get

1:15:47all the way around the city

1:15:48and it was a year-long process with

1:15:50those neighborhoods

1:15:52to build a land use environment zoning

1:15:57that would be supportive of this

1:15:59infrastructure investment.

1:16:01It's very difficult to put the

1:16:02infrastructure in and hope the neighbors

1:16:04then support the density that's required

1:16:07to make that infrastructure work. So, we

1:16:09actually got ahead of that

1:16:11in in a series of workshops and by the

1:16:13way, at the end of the day, I truly

1:16:14believe we will always have um the the

1:16:17NIMBYs, right? You know that and then

1:16:19there's also NOPEs, right? Nowhere on

1:16:22planet Earth. There's BANANAs, build

1:16:24absolutely nothing anywhere near

1:16:25anything. I mean, they all they're all

1:16:27going to be in the room at some point.

1:16:29But if you spend enough time with the

1:16:30folks, generally the group will win.

1:16:34Right? The right idea will come out of

1:16:36that. So, we went and master planned

1:16:39and and created a whole series of

1:16:41BeltLine support of zoning documents to

1:16:44up-zone

1:16:46all 45 neighborhoods within a quarter

1:16:49mile of the transit line. So, that way

1:16:52when a developer comes in and wants to

1:16:54be part of develop near the Atlanta

1:16:56BeltLine, the rules are very clear.

1:16:59So, I don't I should know this.

1:17:01Do we have form-based code here in

1:17:03Greensboro or no? Maybe you don't yet.

1:17:05Okay. So, we've adopted that in

1:17:07Charlotte. Woof. I think they're

1:17:09definitely going through some learning

1:17:10pains. Raleigh has it. By the way, it's

1:17:13a bit of a nightmare, but that's another

1:17:14story. Um

1:17:17it gives a developer specificity, right?

1:17:20You have to do this even if it's more

1:17:22prescriptive. You must have a higher

1:17:23percentage of brick, more percentage of

1:17:25glass here. You have to do this. You

1:17:26have to do that.

1:17:29And it's a different story as opposed to

1:17:30I have a year of unknown and

1:17:32negotiations and and being beat up by

1:17:34the neighborhoods. We went ahead and got

1:17:35beat up by the neighborhoods for a year

1:17:36or so. So, that way when um someone

1:17:39showed up, we were kind of ready to go.

1:17:41The other little thing I'll talk about

1:17:43those planners in the room that we were

1:17:44super specific of

1:17:46is protecting the actual connectivity

1:17:49between development and the BeltLine

1:17:51itself.

1:17:52So, I don't know if if you've ever um

1:17:54seen property change hands and someone

1:17:56keeps something called a spite strip. A

1:17:59spite strip is a piece of land basically

1:18:00between the right-of-way and land that

1:18:02you can kind of, you know, keep people

1:18:04from connecting. Not saying we did that

1:18:07deliberately, but we we wanted to be

1:18:08able to say no

1:18:10to someone connecting to the beachfront

1:18:12if they weren't going to

1:18:15follow kind of the rules. So, more into

1:18:17that if you guys want to get into it.

1:18:19So, let me show you

1:18:20some of the

1:18:22charms that we built before even the

1:18:24trail went in.

1:18:26This one's a really interesting one.

1:18:27This is in the historic Fourth Ward

1:18:29neighborhood. I don't know if you've

1:18:30ever been there. It's Dr. King's home

1:18:31neighborhood. It is an amazing

1:18:33neighborhood with tremendous diversity.

1:18:34And I don't just mean uh who lives

1:18:36there, but it's just the scale of it. It

1:18:38goes all the way down to Ebenezer

1:18:39Baptist Church. It goes up to Ponce City

1:18:41Market. It goes over to Virginia

1:18:43Highlands. It's a very big place. But

1:18:44what's interesting in this area,

1:18:46it flooded. It flooded a great deal.

1:18:50And if you think about the environmental

1:18:53justice associated with this particular

1:18:55area of the neighborhood always being

1:18:57flooded,

1:18:58the city of Atlanta should be up to do

1:18:59something about it. So, the Atlanta

1:19:01BeltLine itself, uh this is that old big

1:19:03Sears catalog fulfillment center, now

1:19:05known as Ponce City Market. The Atlanta

1:19:07BeltLine is running up on this ridge

1:19:09over here. And this whole area used to

1:19:12flood. This wasn't here. None of this

1:19:13was here. There's a There's a a series

1:19:15of lots that have been sort of condemned

1:19:17and and flooded. So, the city of Atlanta

1:19:21um knew they had a water issue, that the

1:19:23Department of Watershed had a $40

1:19:26million

1:19:27solution to solve, which was basically a

1:19:30large concrete underground vault to

1:19:32handle that storm water below grade.

1:19:36To the mayor's credit, to the head of

1:19:38the department's credit,

1:19:40we pitched them the idea. By the way,

1:19:42that vault would not be a huge economic

1:19:45development driver just by simply

1:19:47removing flooding,

1:19:48right? We said, "What if we pitched you

1:19:51a $20 solution?" And they said, "Ah, you

1:19:53have our attention." So, we pitched them

1:19:55instead of a $40 vault, how about a $20

1:19:57park? And they said, "Yes." That's the

1:19:59short version. It wasn't that easy.

1:20:01But here it is.

1:20:03This is a new Fourth Ward park. We can

1:20:05handle all of the 100-year, 500-year

1:20:08flood, which by the way has happened

1:20:10twice already, go figure, um

1:20:12um in this park. And this wider can

1:20:14freeboard, inside I think actually to

1:20:16the top would be the 1,000-year flood.

1:20:18Um and it has set off a economic

1:20:21development catalyst in this

1:20:23neighborhood. It's probably a few

1:20:25billion of new development all around

1:20:28this park. And because of that

1:20:30pre-planning we did with regard to the

1:20:32upzoning, it has a bias for mixed-income

1:20:37housing. It has a bias for density. And

1:20:39so this was a tremendous win, saved the

1:20:41city $20 million. It happened on kind of

1:20:44a different department's balance sheet,

1:20:46the Department of Watershed, and those

1:20:47that geek out on city stuff, those city

1:20:50departments with enterprise accounts,

1:20:52right? They have a lot more money in

1:20:54many ways on doing things and they

1:20:56should. So that was a great partnership.

1:20:57That's one. Another one farther down the

1:20:59beltline

1:21:01was a skate park.

1:21:03Who knew in town, I just thought like

1:21:05skaters were, you know,

1:21:07back when kind of I was growing up, I

1:21:09didn't realize there was such a nascent

1:21:10in-town diverse skating community in

1:21:13Raleigh. And so we found a spot, again,

1:21:16along the Atlanta BeltLine, it's kind of

1:21:17running here the side. This is Tony Hawk

1:21:19right here. Turns out Tony Hawk has a

1:21:21foundation trying to fund new skate

1:21:23parks throughout the

1:21:25uh United States. So his foundation gave

1:21:27a million dollars. We were able to

1:21:29create ballfields, you know, a few

1:21:31parking spaces, um kind of a rest

1:21:33station, and then a skate park. Again,

1:21:36farther down on the Atlanta BeltLine, we

1:21:37now have a charm. When this went in,

1:21:39there was no trail in yet.

1:21:43Farther down on the south side, right?

1:21:45This is D.H. Stanton Park. This is

1:21:48south of the state the old the the

1:21:50stadium, the old stadium, Turner Field.

1:21:53Right? Here's the Atlanta BeltLine, up

1:21:55on a ridge. The beauty of the Atlanta

1:21:57BeltLine and being four rail lines, it's

1:21:59flat.

1:22:00So cuz rail line railroads don't like to

1:22:02go up and down very much. So that was a

1:22:05tremendous benefit from an

1:22:06infrastructure standpoint. So here we

1:22:08created a park in this great

1:22:10neighborhood, um

1:22:12D.H. Stanton Park. The big one,

1:22:14right back to the Department of

1:22:15Watershed. This is now over on the west

1:22:17side. This is near a neighborhood called

1:22:19the Bankhead neighborhood,

1:22:21um

1:22:22and this is a neighborhood back probably

1:22:24in the late '90s that uh ambulances were

1:22:27not going to this neighborhood without a

1:22:29police escort. Just give you an idea of

1:22:31that neighborhood. And this is an old

1:22:33quarry. This quarry was originally

1:22:35started to be mined by

1:22:38kind of prison labor, if you will,

1:22:39right? Forced servitude, if you will.

1:22:42So, there's all kinds of history here

1:22:44with this quarry. Now, it was and it

1:22:45being bought by a

1:22:48materials company, and then we worked a

1:22:50deal with Fulton County. But, Atlanta,

1:22:53you may have heard, has been growing.

1:22:55Atlanta's had some issues with water

1:22:57quality and quantity, much less air and

1:22:59water and the quality. So, Atlanta at

1:23:02the time, if its drinking water, which

1:23:04is the Chattahoochee River, so this is

1:23:06one of the smallest drinking water

1:23:08basins of any major city in the world,

1:23:10if its drinking water went down, city of

1:23:13Atlanta would have about 48 to 72 hours

1:23:16of capacity.

1:23:18So, dread that it would all go down, but

1:23:20if it did, it'd be a real problem.

1:23:22So, they came up with an idea that if we

1:23:25Here's the Atlanta BeltLine.

1:23:27If we bought this quarry, we could then

1:23:29create a new 300-acre park.

1:23:33We could then use that quarry to fill up

1:23:35with water,

1:23:37and then create a 30-day supply of

1:23:39drinking water. And they did it. Again,

1:23:41through watershed, through enterprise

1:23:44park, but and this is transforming

1:23:46this neighborhood.

1:23:48It'll take a while for the impacts to be

1:23:49had. One last little kind of picture

1:23:52from there. When we only had that hiking

1:23:55trail I showed you,

1:23:57we did get some people out there

1:23:58exploring it. That was good. They're

1:23:59like, we love this. We want more. But,

1:24:02you weren't getting enough people.

1:24:04So, some of our team had an idea of So,

1:24:06let's do something called Art on the

1:24:07BeltLine. Let's do temporary art. Let's

1:24:10award temporary art

1:24:12awards to artists to do these temporary

1:24:15installations, so people now have a real

1:24:17reason just to walk on this trail, to go

1:24:19see something. Well, it was a huge hit.

1:24:22We started off with five $1,000 and

1:24:25$3,000 grants. And it'd be like, you

1:24:27know, five fives and three ones and one,

1:24:31right? And

1:24:32it was a huge success. Now, there's

1:24:34something called the Atlanta BeltLine um

1:24:36Lantern Parade that gets upwards of

1:24:39100,000 people on it. And spread

1:24:42throughout this whole distance. So,

1:24:44that's something that you all have. Now,

1:24:45you have your infrastructure. I heard

1:24:47Chelsea talking about art. And you're

1:24:49already doing it cuz I've seen it. I

1:24:51mean, it's a tremendous infrastructure

1:24:53to to layer more things on. So, this was

1:24:56a big deal. Um did not cost a lot of

1:24:58money, but it really uh opened up the

1:25:00idea. So, here, I showed you this

1:25:02picture earlier. That's kind of right

1:25:04there at Virginia Highland, Ponce City

1:25:05Market. So, what would the plan look

1:25:07like? First off, let's just clean it up.

1:25:10And that's what we did. And the and the

1:25:12the thing that I did with the last thing

1:25:14uh when I was there is we got this trail

1:25:15going.

1:25:16Right, we wanted to get that stake in

1:25:18the ground, partner with the PATH

1:25:20Foundation. It's interesting, and

1:25:23hopefully McKenzie won't put this in the

1:25:24news, but it's quite a fight with the

1:25:26PATH Foundation cuz the PATH Foundation

1:25:28is about building paths. As much of it

1:25:30as far as pa- possible, as fast as

1:25:32possible.

1:25:34And the fastest, least expensive place

1:25:36to put a path in this right of way is

1:25:39right down the middle.

1:25:40If we did that, it would be in the way

1:25:43of future transit. Remember the promise

1:25:45of this whole thing was future transit.

1:25:47So, we

1:25:48um leaned in and took a little bit of a

1:25:50risk sort of politically or

1:25:53um reputationally to say, "No, that path

1:25:57needs to be in the place it will be in

1:25:58the future when transit is in place."

1:26:01And so, what that did is I moved the

1:26:02trail over, it created some retaining

1:26:04walls and things like that that we had

1:26:05to deal with. But when you go there now,

1:26:08and you walk on that trail, you can see,

1:26:10"Okay, I can see where the trains will

1:26:11go." Maybe they aren't trains. Maybe

1:26:13they become autonomous vehicles or

1:26:15something in the future. But the right

1:26:16of way is there. And so then this was an

1:26:19image from, you know, this is almost 15

1:26:22years ago showing how

1:26:24the train line could run right through

1:26:27there.

1:26:28All right, so let me show you what it

1:26:29looks like today. How many people have

1:26:31been on the Atlanta BeltLine over on the

1:26:33east side? Okay, good. We got about a

1:26:35third. Perfect. So you you know what

1:26:36you're going to see next. This is what's

1:26:38there today. It's been built. Here's the

1:26:41trail.

1:26:42This is now an incredible mixed-use

1:26:44development called Ponce City Market.

1:26:46This is a brand new

1:26:47newly constructed office building

1:26:49sitting right on top of a new Kroger and

1:26:52the BeltLine.

1:26:53This is in response to the trail.

1:26:56I don't want to minimize the potential

1:26:58for transit, but this kind of investment

1:27:01wasn't built on the promise of the hope

1:27:03of

1:27:04hope of transit. You can't make that

1:27:06bet, but you can see the trail and you

1:27:08can see where

1:27:10the train could go. You can see where

1:27:13the train could go in here.

1:27:16It's residential, it's office. So in

1:27:18many ways it's created a new beachfront

1:27:20from Atlanta. This is a kind of another

1:27:22shot. Remember that park

1:27:23I talked about? There it is.

1:27:26There's that lake that holds the

1:27:28105-year 500-year flood.

1:27:31Here's the Atlanta BeltLine trail

1:27:34kind of running through here. It's up

1:27:36here somewhere. Back up here, sorry.

1:27:37Right here. Here it is. This is actually

1:27:39a road that's come in now.

1:27:41Um it's it's it's fantastic. I'm

1:27:45pretty cool to see and then you can see

1:27:48people on here. This is the connection

1:27:51directly from the trail into Ponce City

1:27:54Market, which is definitely worth

1:27:56seeing. I mean it's it's so well uh

1:27:58executed. And then this is over at the

1:28:00Fourth Ward development going down to

1:28:03the park. Yes, there's an elevator, but

1:28:05just the idea of using the vertical

1:28:07change to create moments that matter.

1:28:10It's

1:28:11uh pretty amazing. Now let me just give

1:28:12you one little look

1:28:13um in Raleigh cuz my day job, right?

1:28:17With Highwoods, um

1:28:19we own a number of buildings out in

1:28:21Cary,

1:28:22right? Cary is kind of western Raleigh.

1:28:25Um

1:28:26And this is the Lake Crabtree. So, if

1:28:28you heard of Crabtree, now this is Lake

1:28:29Crabtree. It's near the airport. Um and

1:28:31this is kind of a very suburban

1:28:34kind of 2000 model development,

1:28:36suburban, car-centric. However, the town

1:28:40of Cary, within the context of the

1:28:42region, the overall region of the

1:28:44Raleigh Triangle area is tremendously um

1:28:48uh fortunate with its greenway system.

1:28:50Close to 200 mi of greenway. And you can

1:28:53see the hot pink lines are existing

1:28:56greenways that are surrounding kind of

1:28:59our development. Primarily, we have this

1:29:01is all just office. Office, office,

1:29:04office. You have some single-family

1:29:05residential, you have some multi-family.

1:29:08This is the the potential of an

1:29:09extension of the trail. Uh it's it's

1:29:12it's beautiful. Um

1:29:15but it could be more. And so, we have

1:29:18been working on a master plan to take

1:29:20this very office, car-centric sort of

1:29:23suburban development and come in and add

1:29:27density. There's a thousand new

1:29:28residential units on this plan, new

1:29:30retail.

1:29:32These circles are trailheads. How do we

1:29:34become deliberate about developing a

1:29:37trailhead as a central component of our

1:29:41multi-billion investment,

1:29:44right? We we we enjoy that. We lean into

1:29:46that. So, let me come back cuz I

1:29:48hopefully you guys have some questions.

1:29:50These are the things Chelsea asked me to

1:29:53to talk about. All right. Success from

1:29:55your time with the Atlanta BeltLine or

1:29:56similar projects,

1:29:58right? Is you have to get something like

1:30:00get that stake in the ground, right? And

1:30:02by the way, I'd say

1:30:04successes from your time, but in time,

1:30:06there is no

1:30:08first person singular on things like

1:30:10this. Zero chance.

1:30:12You get it done. There's a great

1:30:14um sort of proverb or saying, and I I I

1:30:17tried to look at who it's from. I I

1:30:18can't figure out who it's from, but if

1:30:19you want to go fast, go alone.

1:30:21Absolutely. If you want to go far, go

1:30:22together. And that's the story of the

1:30:24Atlanta BeltLine. Get something in the

1:30:26ground. Your greenway that you have

1:30:27downtown

1:30:29gives you the very best chance of

1:30:30expanding it.

1:30:32Right? Think about that. Where does it

1:30:33go next? Where does it go next? I know

1:30:35Chelsea's like, "Hey, we're still like

1:30:36we just we scout the whole thing down.

1:30:37Okay, we just like build on it." But you

1:30:40want people to say, "I want that. How do

1:30:42I get that?" And even if it's

1:30:443,000 ft long segments, build the links

1:30:47at a time. Lessons learned along the

1:30:49way. Again, how much more time do we

1:30:50have, right?

1:30:51Um

1:30:52I will tell you this. When I joined the

1:30:54BeltLine, I joined Highwoods. My number

1:30:56first promise I made to the board is

1:30:58that I'm going to make mistakes. It's my

1:31:00very first promise. I commit to that

1:31:02100%. I'm going to make mistakes. My

1:31:04second promise is to do everything in my

1:31:06power not to make the same one twice.

1:31:08And I think we did that at the BeltLine.

1:31:09Of course we made mistakes. I did as a

1:31:12leader. But also, where have other folks

1:31:14learned? You know, what what can we

1:31:16learn from Greensboro and take to

1:31:18Raleigh? What can we learn from Atlanta

1:31:19and take to Greensboro? All of these

1:31:21things.

1:31:21So, recommendations on maximizing public

1:31:23and private sector partnerships.

1:31:26Aligned interests. So, that was the kind

1:31:28of thing is that everyone has a like

1:31:29every nonprofit, every organization sort

1:31:32of has a mission statement, has a board,

1:31:34has a budget, right? And they want to do

1:31:36X, Y, and Z. If they if they do not uh

1:31:39subordinate any of that to this bigger

1:31:42project when they come through the door,

1:31:43it's going to be difficult. There's got

1:31:44to be some kind of

1:31:46commitment and subordination of some of

1:31:49that to something bigger.

1:31:51Um and you kind of have to have that

1:31:52conversation early and often. They also

1:31:55have to have skin in the game, right?

1:31:57So, uh a government that just says, "Oh,

1:32:00we did the zoning." And they back and

1:32:02and hope the the private sector will

1:32:05respond. You

1:32:06It's not going to happen. Or it won't be

1:32:08at the speed or the quality that you

1:32:09want. It's easy for me to say this, but

1:32:12municipalities have the great benefit of

1:32:14being able to take a long view.

1:32:16That's their mandate. They should be

1:32:18able to take a long view. In fact, they

1:32:19have bonding capacity that is a long

1:32:21view, right? 30-year bonds. So, they

1:32:24should be taking a long view, be getting

1:32:26that uh return over time. And then what

1:32:29I There's a long view. All right. How

1:32:30trails and public infrastructure can

1:32:32catalyze future development. By the way,

1:32:34all infrastructure, all infrastructure

1:32:37catalyzes future development. All

1:32:39infrastructure. Right? So,

1:32:42give you some examples. Um

1:32:44you've turned The United States manifest

1:32:46destiny term, right? One of which is

1:32:47Calistoga wagons, but in reality what it

1:32:49was was railroads.

1:32:51Right? We induced the railroads across

1:32:54the country. My facts may be slightly

1:32:55off, but my story's not. So, if there's

1:32:56a history major in the room, please fill

1:32:58in the blanks.

1:32:59We basically gave the railroads a mile

1:33:02of land on either side of their

1:33:04alignments across the country

1:33:06to induce them to actually build the

1:33:08lines.

1:33:09Worked out for everyone. That's why the

1:33:11railroads were so so powerful. Right? If

1:33:14you ever knew Is anyone from the

1:33:15railroad in here? Just want to make

1:33:16sure.

1:33:17Railroads actually have superseding

1:33:19power over states in some many cases.

1:33:20That's why there's this thing called the

1:33:21Federal Railroad Administration. Cuz

1:33:23we've tried to deal with them in

1:33:24Georgia,

1:33:26and they were like, "Yeah, go talk to

1:33:28our guy in Washington." So, just So,

1:33:31it's amazing. So, infrastructure has

1:33:32always catalyzed development. Uh So,

1:33:36CB&T analysis. What does that mean? CB

1:33:39is cost benefit, T is time.

1:33:41Again,

1:33:42municipalities have the the luxury of

1:33:44taking a longer view. Lean in for

1:33:47quality. That's the one thing we did

1:33:48with the Atlanta BeltLine.

1:33:50I had to fight

1:33:52with the foundation that was giving us

1:33:53the money on that trail. They wanted to

1:33:55put the trail right down the middle.

1:33:56They could have done probably another

1:33:591,200, 1,500 linear feet of trail than

1:34:02we could afford by putting it where

1:34:05it was out of the way. And then we were

1:34:06doing retaining walls because it was

1:34:08over there. And we thought it vitally

1:34:10important that everything we do is high

1:34:12quality, like in the public realm. So,

1:34:14these retaining walls were ended up

1:34:16being granite retaining walls.

1:34:19Because the standard for Atlanta parks

1:34:21for 100 years where they had done it

1:34:22were granite, granite curbs.

1:34:25And they said, "My god, you could do

1:34:28700 more feet of wall if it was just

1:34:30cast in place concrete."

1:34:32We had a railing on top of that

1:34:33retaining wall and it being stainless

1:34:35steel. They said, "You could do another

1:34:37350 feet of railing if it was aluminum."

1:34:41We held our ground and invested in the

1:34:44public realm of high quality.

1:34:46And I think it's paying off. It'll stand

1:34:48the test of time. And by the way, that's

1:34:49the same detail in the nicest

1:34:51neighborhood or the most economically

1:34:54challenged neighborhood. They got the

1:34:55exact same. So, I think that's something

1:34:57I would say continue. And it's like it's

1:34:59easy to say, "Oh, that means the project

1:35:01won't go as far or won't be able to do

1:35:03as much." Fight for quality. Okay?

1:35:06Incentives that encourage Greenway

1:35:07adjacent development they come down to

1:35:08the zoning considerations.

1:35:10All infrastructure wants density.

1:35:13If you think about some of the great

1:35:14kind of American cities that you think

1:35:16have the greatest kind of

1:35:18um

1:35:18placemaking quality.

1:35:20Savannah for one, right? Maybe

1:35:22Charleston. These These older

1:35:25um kind of a 100-year-plus old cities.

1:35:27By the way, they were digging their

1:35:29ditches for pipes and infrastructure by

1:35:31hand or mule.

1:35:33When you're doing that, you're not

1:35:34inclined to run them out a few miles,

1:35:36right? You keep it keep it tight.

1:35:38Infrastructure wants density, right? So,

1:35:42I talk about that. So, all all neighbors

1:35:44Yeah, all neighbors do not want density,

1:35:46right? So, if you think about

1:35:49as as a municipality,

1:35:51there it is more expensive most likely

1:35:53to develop along the greenway downtown

1:35:56than going to the edge along the

1:35:59perimeter highway and building on a

1:36:01greenfield site. Both could be in the

1:36:03city limits.

1:36:05Could the city level that playing field

1:36:08a little bit

1:36:09through

1:36:10infrastructure, through

1:36:13public investment in parking, right? In

1:36:14town, it's going to be more structured

1:36:16parking most likely. That's much more

1:36:18expensive. It's probably eight to 10

1:36:19times depending on what you're doing,

1:36:22maybe not that much compared to surface

1:36:23parking. But how do we level that

1:36:25playing field? And then density.

1:36:28All right, Charles. I think I I tried to

1:36:29go through sorry. I don't I also don't

1:36:31want to respect your time.

1:36:33Um any questions? Oh, thank you, SIR.

1:36:36APPRECIATE IT.

1:36:37>> [applause]

1:36:40>> YES.

1:36:42ANY QUESTIONS? YES, MA'AM.

1:36:45>> SO

1:36:46when you say all infrastructure

1:36:49one stance all neighbors do not. Yes.

1:36:53The challenge in that

1:36:55My question is how do you all overcome

1:36:58the challenge? Is that what the

1:37:00work groups that went out and eventually

1:37:03the one

1:37:04>> It is. I'll tell you the question was

1:37:07all infrastructure infrastructure one

1:37:08stance all neighbors do not. All right.

1:37:11Good tagline. How do you get through

1:37:12that, right?

1:37:13Time. And I'll tell you um

1:37:16I've been a developer since I came out

1:37:18of grad school.

1:37:20And there's a development I don't know

1:37:21if you all get to Atlanta, but when I

1:37:23was in graduate school, so my buddy

1:37:24sitting next to me was working on the

1:37:25Atlanta BeltLine.

1:37:27And I was working on my master's thesis

1:37:28with a plan to buy a steel mill in

1:37:30Atlanta and turn it into a mixed-use

1:37:32development. Today that place is called

1:37:33Atlantic Station. So that was my

1:37:35master's thesis. And I've seen

1:37:37developers show up in neighborhoods

1:37:39with with this a rendering. Look how

1:37:42beautiful my project's going to be. And

1:37:43I'm going to come to your neighborhood.

1:37:44I'm going to give you something. And

1:37:46man, now the neighborhood neighbors

1:37:47like, okay, now I know what to aim at.

1:37:50If a developer or municipality shows up

1:37:53with this,

1:37:55it's a completely different

1:37:55conversation.

1:37:57This is a blank sheet of paper.

1:37:59What do you want in your neighborhood? I

1:38:01There will be people I want nothing

1:38:03anywhere near anything, nothing. My I

1:38:05dug the moat, I pulled up the

1:38:06drawbridge. I'm here now, right?

1:38:09But in reality, I have found that if you

1:38:11spend the time with folks and you give

1:38:13them

1:38:15the the vi- visibility into

1:38:18what quality looks like and how you can

1:38:20hear them and protect

1:38:22I you get there. But I'm not saying you

1:38:24you know, and the the developers old

1:38:25trick is he comes in or or she comes in

1:38:28and says, "I'm going to build a 20-story

1:38:29tower in the neighborhood." And everyone

1:38:31freaks out and they settle for 10, but

1:38:33they only they only were going to do 10

1:38:34to begin with. So, there's there's some

1:38:36of those things, but I think

1:38:38time

1:38:39take In Atlanta also, what's

1:38:41interesting, Atlanta has an

1:38:42infrastructure from a a public

1:38:44engagement. I'm ignorant in terms of

1:38:46what it is in Greensboro. So, Atlanta,

1:38:48every single neighborhood is all defined

1:38:50neighborhoods. So, all of the city of

1:38:52Atlanta has defined neighborhoods.

1:38:53There's no like gaps. And every

1:38:55neighborhood has a representative to

1:38:57something called a neighborhood planning

1:38:59unit.

1:39:00And there's there's 20 of them. So,

1:39:03every neighborhood planning unit meets

1:39:05every month to review zoning submittals

1:39:08and all this stuff. So, any developer

1:39:10that wants to change anything with

1:39:11regard to zoning

1:39:12has to start with the neighborhood first

1:39:14and then has to go to the NPU, it's

1:39:17called neighborhood planning unit. And

1:39:18only then after you get through all of

1:39:19that, do you get to the city for review.

1:39:21Now, it's not binding along the way, but

1:39:25in like 99 times if not 990 times out of

1:39:28100,

1:39:29the votes are carried through. They

1:39:30don't turn over that. So, I wish I had a

1:39:34a simple answer, like here's the silver

1:39:36bullet. There is none because every

1:39:39neighborhood's different, every

1:39:40neighbor's different, but I have found

1:39:42with time

1:39:43and you show people, do you like this or

1:39:45this? I like that. Do you like this or

1:39:46this? I like that. If you go through

1:39:48that,

1:39:49you can end up kind of uh together.

1:39:53I wish I had a better answer.

1:39:55Yes, Chelsea.

1:39:55>> I was going to say, and if you have

1:39:56questions, uh keep your hands up. We're

1:39:58bringing this round. We are recording

1:39:59today's session for GTN, so use your

1:40:02little mic.

1:40:03>> Thank you.

1:40:04Uh thank you for your presentation. Uh

1:40:06and I lived for 10 years in Atlanta

1:40:08before moving here.

1:40:11>> I was in uh Tucker, in uh Buckhead,

1:40:16and then lately in Acworth. Acworth.

1:40:18Okay, so you saw the full range. Sure.

1:40:20>> Yes.

1:40:21Um my question is it's so beautiful to

1:40:26bring development in the neighborhood,

1:40:28and that's prop up the development of

1:40:31the neighborhood, but at the same time

1:40:35the the price goes up. And Atlanta had a

1:40:38mistake there was gentrification after

1:40:41the BeltLine. So, in certain

1:40:43neighborhood, people could no longer

1:40:45afford their own to stay in their own

1:40:48houses. So, what

1:40:51do you bring to or how do you bring the

1:40:54neighborhood together, particularly

1:40:56disadvantaged neighborhood, so that this

1:40:59gentrification doesn't happen?

1:41:00>> Yeah. So, the question is looks

1:41:03beautiful, it's great, it goes in, and

1:41:06all of a sudden it becomes too expensive

1:41:08for the folks who were waiting for it to

1:41:10come to stay. And that term is has been

1:41:14labeled gentrification.

1:41:17In my uh studies,

1:41:20it's actually displacement.

1:41:21Gentrification is not

1:41:24the the the thief here, it's actually

1:41:26the displacement. Because why should

1:41:30that person in that neighborhood who has

1:41:32been awaiting for it to be improved, to

1:41:34be safer, it be cleaner, to be

1:41:35connected,

1:41:37why should that not happen? That doesn't

1:41:38make any sense, right? So,

1:41:41that's why this affordable housing

1:41:44component was a was was a

1:41:47There's three legs of the story. You've

1:41:48heard that three-legged stool metaphor?

1:41:51Transit, trails and parks, and housing

1:41:53were the three legs of the Atlanta

1:41:54BeltLine stool. Now, with this slide,

1:41:56you think there's probably eight stool

1:41:57eight legs of the stool, but those three

1:41:59with housing and and it's deliberately

1:42:01three because without one it falls down.

1:42:03Housing was key. So, we Atlanta By the

1:42:07way, Atlanta today

1:42:09City of Atlanta is more affordable than

1:42:11Raleigh, interestingly enough, and

1:42:14actually more than Charlotte because

1:42:15it's bigger, it has more options, and

1:42:17we've opened up through the BeltLine

1:42:19areas that

1:42:21weren't there before. However, back to

1:42:23your point,

1:42:25the number of tools there are um

1:42:27um kind of

1:42:29age-in-place

1:42:30tools that allow for reverse mortgages

1:42:33and some other things, allow for um you

1:42:36think about the best example I have, and

1:42:38and I can't remember her name. It was a

1:42:40fixed-income senior who had been in her

1:42:44house forever, her kids had long gone,

1:42:46and the neighborhood started to get more

1:42:48expensive. She And but and folks moved

1:42:50in next to her, redid the houses. This

1:42:52is in um the historic Fourth Ward in the

1:42:55historic district near Dr. King's uh

1:42:57gravesite. And so, there's there's

1:42:59there's a historic requirement that the

1:43:01houses have to do this and that. So,

1:43:02there two million-dollar houses on

1:43:04either side, and she had trouble paying

1:43:06for her property taxes. But but the new

1:43:09neighbors were like, "Hey, wish her

1:43:10porch got fixed and the grass could get

1:43:12mowed and all this stuff." So, there was

1:43:14a partnership where it came in and

1:43:16invested in redoing her house, lowering

1:43:19her her fixed cost through because her

1:43:21house was in um inefficient in terms of

1:43:23her HVAC and her windows leak.

1:43:25>> needed attention, so um thank you for

1:43:28your patience.

1:43:29And um welcome to the October 20th, 2026

1:43:33meeting of the Greensboro City Council.

1:43:35I would like to ask for a motion to

1:43:37return to open session.

1:43:40Moved by Mr. Holston. Do I have a

1:43:42second? Seconded by Councilwoman Parker.

1:43:45All in favor, please say aye.

1:43:47Uh several things in closed session, but

1:43:49one of them uh I'm going to read this

1:43:51statement. Earlier today, City Council

1:43:54met in closed session and discussed the

1:43:56performance of the city manager. Council

1:43:59is pleased with his service to the city

1:44:01and at his own initiative, the city

1:44:03manager has declined a merit raise for

1:44:05fiscal year 2026-2027.

1:44:09Council appreciates his leadership and

1:44:11his commitment to the city.

1:44:13Um thank you, Mr. City Manager.

1:44:16All right. Uh we will uh go ahead and

1:44:19begin our meeting.

1:44:21So, we are in the Katie Dorsett Council

1:44:24Chambers and let the record reflect that

1:44:26all members are in attendance.

1:44:29Councilmember Black and Councilmember

1:44:31Allen are online. Are you there and can

1:44:34you hear us?

1:44:38Are they on yet?

1:44:42They are They are on, so we will move

1:44:44forward. Uh we will begin this meeting

1:44:47with a moment of silence, please.

1:45:00Thank you. Please stand for the pledge

1:45:02of allegiance. Councilwoman Crawford,

1:45:04would you please lead us?

1:45:09>> I pledge allegiance to the flag

1:45:11of the United States of America and to

1:45:14the republic for which it stands, one

1:45:17nation under God, indivisible, with

1:45:20liberty and justice for all.

1:45:25>> Thank you so very much.

1:45:29Please silence any and all electronic

1:45:31devices. The City of Greensboro strongly

1:45:33encourages input from all residents. The

1:45:36Council Chambers serves as a welcoming

1:45:39and safe environment for all.

1:45:41The Council Rules of Procedure and

1:45:43Decorum are posted on the City website

1:45:46under the City Clerk under the City

1:45:48Clerk tab, and all speakers are expected

1:45:51to read and adhere to the rules when

1:45:53addressing the Council during any

1:45:55speaking opportunity.

1:45:57To address the Council this evening,

1:45:59participants must have completed speaker

1:46:01sign-up by 5:30 p.m. Pursuant to the

1:46:04rules prior to the Council meeting,

1:46:06those who registered online should

1:46:08confirm their attendance with Mr.

1:46:09Canapino.

1:46:11All handouts must be given to the City

1:46:13Clerk for distribution prior to the

1:46:15start of the Council meeting. Speakers

1:46:17may address specific consent or business

1:46:20agenda items with 3 minutes allocated

1:46:22for each.

1:46:24All speakers are expected to hear adhere

1:46:26to established rules of decorum, and any

1:46:29inappropriate or disruptive conduct will

1:46:32result in immediate removal.

1:46:34A first removal carries a 3-month

1:46:36suspension from in-person participation.

1:46:39A second violation results in a 6-month

1:46:42suspension, and a third violation or any

1:46:44instance involving physical altercations

1:46:47will result in a 12-month suspension.

1:46:50Any violation of state criminal laws may

1:46:53also subject the individual to criminal

1:46:55charges, and those suspended from

1:46:57in-person participation will, however,

1:47:00retain the ability to attend virtually

1:47:02via Zoom, ensuring their right to free

1:47:05speech.

1:47:06If the Zoom speaker violates the rules

1:47:08of procedure and decorum, they will be

1:47:10muted.

1:47:12Speakers may have the City IT team play

1:47:14videos that have already been sent into

1:47:16the City Clerk for security check. Any

1:47:19videos, media, or supplemental documents

1:47:22utilized by speakers during this meeting

1:47:24are not reviewed or verified by the city

1:47:26for accuracy, completeness, or

1:47:29authenticity.

1:47:30The city does not endorse or adopt the

1:47:33content, and all opinions and views

1:47:35expressed are solely those of the

1:47:37speaker.

1:47:38Speakers may not transfer their time to

1:47:40others, and the mayor or presiding

1:47:42officer will determine the speaking

1:47:44order. And this is based on the number

1:47:46of speakers. The mayor may modify the

1:47:49time allotted to each individual.

1:47:50Approaching the dais is not permitted.

1:47:54Speakers may not address the audience

1:47:55nor employees of the city of Greensboro.

1:47:58The public comment period is for

1:47:59speakers to address council members only

1:48:02with their comments, and an opportunity

1:48:04for council to listen and take notes.

1:48:07Zoom participants must refrain from

1:48:09speaking until they are recognized and

1:48:11called upon.

1:48:12State statute requires council members

1:48:14to vote on all matters unless a direct

1:48:17financial interest exists, or if the

1:48:19council member serves on the board of a

1:48:21nonprofit organization that receives

1:48:24city funding.

1:48:25All motions will be moved and seconded,

1:48:28and the presiding officer will announce

1:48:30the vote tally.

1:48:31The consent agenda covers items F1

1:48:35through F6, and uh consists of routine

1:48:38and non-controversial matters that have

1:48:40been previously reviewed by a council

1:48:42committee.

1:48:43The consent agenda items are approved

1:48:45with a single vote. Any council member

1:48:48may request the removal of an item due

1:48:50to a conflict of interest or to vote in

1:48:53opposition.

1:48:54Items withdrawn for discussion will be

1:48:56carried forward to the next business

1:48:58meeting agenda.

1:49:00If an item is found to be time

1:49:01sensitive, the mayor may request that a

1:49:03vote be taken.

1:49:05Closed captioning is provided for this

1:49:07meeting, and depending on the duration

1:49:08of proceedings, a brief recess is

1:49:11anticipated.

1:49:13I would like to ask for a motion to

1:49:15change the November 10th Greensboro City

1:49:17Council meeting back to November 2nd at

1:49:215:30 p.m. That would be a Monday

1:49:23evening.

1:49:29So, discussion?

1:49:32Okay, is is everyone else available

1:49:35on council?

1:49:38November 2nd?

1:49:41Okay,

1:49:42uh we may need to revisit that.

1:49:46Okay, we'll have to revisit that. Sorry.

1:49:48When I realize that will be our next

1:49:50meeting, so um we'll need to figure out

1:49:53something.

1:49:54So, right now it's still on November

1:49:5610th.

1:49:57Okay, so uh we first have one item,

1:50:01resolution honoring the life and legacy

1:50:03of Robert T. Patterson Sr. Mr. Holston.

1:50:08>> Thank you, Madam Mayor.

1:50:09Uh

1:50:11I'm presenting the resolution honoring

1:50:12the life and legacy of Robert T. Pat

1:50:15Patterson, Sr.

1:50:18Whereas Robert Tyrone Pat Patterson, Sr.

1:50:20was born on October 20th

1:50:23October 20th

1:50:251940 in Laurinburg, North Carolina,

1:50:28where he was raised and educated.

1:50:30As a young man, he became a member of

1:50:33the National Association of Advancement

1:50:35of Colored People

1:50:36and began questioning the racial

1:50:38injustices and limited professional

1:50:40opportunities confronting African

1:50:43Americans throughout the South.

1:50:45Whereas in the fall of 1959

1:50:48Mr. Patterson enrolled at North Carolina

1:50:50Agricultural and Technical State

1:50:51University, NCAT, in Greensboro, North

1:50:55Carolina, where he studied engineering

1:50:57and joined other students in discussions

1:50:59about the discrimination they

1:51:01experienced at restaurants lunch

1:51:03counters and other public

1:51:05establishments.

1:51:07Whereas Mr. Patterson began his

1:51:08participation in the Greensboro citizens

1:51:11demonstrations on February 2nd, 1960.

1:51:15One day after the historic action

1:51:17initiated at the F.W. Woolworth lunch

1:51:20counter by four North Carolina A&T State

1:51:23University students who became widely

1:51:26recognized as the Greensboro Four.

1:51:29Whereas through his participation in

1:51:31sit-ins,

1:51:32marches, demonstrations, and other acts

1:51:35of nonviolent protest, Mr. Patterson

1:51:37courageously challenged segregation and

1:51:40remained actively involved in

1:51:42Greensboro's civil rights movement

1:51:44during the years that followed.

1:51:47Whereas Mr. Patterson worked alongside

1:51:49students, community members, religious

1:51:51leaders, and civil rights organizations

1:51:53to desegregate public accommodations and

1:51:56expand opportunities for African

1:51:58Americans.

1:51:59He recognized that lasting progress

1:52:02required collective action and that

1:52:05every participant had an important role

1:52:07in advancing the greater cause.

1:52:11Whereas after he graduated from North

1:52:13Carolina Agricultural and Technical

1:52:14State University, Mr. Patterson

1:52:16supported his family while working at

1:52:19the Greensboro Fire Station number four

1:52:21on Gorrell Street.

1:52:23He later moved to New to New York to

1:52:25resume a professional opportunity with

1:52:27Mobile Oil before returning to

1:52:29Greensboro and beginning a 28-year

1:52:32career with Wachovia Bank,

1:52:34now Wells Fargo.

1:52:36During his career, he became the first

1:52:39African American in Greensboro to hold a

1:52:41major position at a major bank and he

1:52:43earned the title of vice president when

1:52:46he retired in 1997.

1:52:49Whereas Mr. Patterson preserved an

1:52:51invaluable first-hand account of

1:52:53Greensboro's civil rights history

1:52:55through interviews maintained as a part

1:52:57of the Greensboro Civil Rights Oral

1:52:59History Collection.

1:53:01His participation in the United States

1:53:03Civil Rights Trail

1:53:04in their words

1:53:06project ensured that future generations

1:53:08would understand the courage, sacrifice,

1:53:11and collective effort required to bring

1:53:13about lasting change.

1:53:16Whereas Robert T. Pat Patterson Sr.

1:53:20passed away on August 19, 2026, leaving

1:53:23behind a legacy of courage, leadership,

1:53:27perseverance, and commitment to creating

1:53:30greater opportunities for future

1:53:32generations. And now, therefore, be it

1:53:35resolved by the City Council of the City

1:53:38of Greensboro

1:53:39that the City Council honors the life

1:53:41and legacy of Robert T. Pat Patterson

1:53:44Sr. and expresses its profound

1:53:46appreciation for his significant

1:53:49contributions to Greensboro's Civil

1:53:51Rights Movement and the lasting impact

1:53:53of his service on the community.

1:53:56That the City Council extends its

1:53:58sincere condolences to Mr. Patterson's

1:54:00family and loved ones, and that a copy

1:54:02of this resolution be presented to his

1:54:05family as an expression of its respect,

1:54:08appreciation, and lasting remembrance. I

1:54:11move the item, Madam Mayor.

1:54:13>> I need a second, please.

1:54:15Seconded by Council Member Parker.

1:54:17Council, please vote.

1:54:21>> And as we're voting, I believe he has

1:54:23his wife, Yvonne, and maybe some family

1:54:25members. If they can come to the podium,

1:54:27please.

1:54:36>> [applause]

1:54:42[applause]

1:54:46>> Madam Mayor, could you ask Council

1:54:48Member Allen and Black?

1:54:49Not yet. Council Member Allen?

1:54:53>> Aye.

1:54:54>> Your vote?

1:54:56>> Yes.

1:54:57>> Council Member Black?

1:54:59>> Yes.

1:55:00>> All right.

1:55:06And that carries nine to zero,

1:55:08unanimous.

1:55:25>> Okay.

1:55:29>> Go ahead.

1:55:30>> Thank you. Thank you so much for this

1:55:33honor.

1:55:34We're so happy to be here tonight. Uh we

1:55:37have a few friends with us and we have

1:55:40uh we have my family.

1:55:42But Pat was a little modest when it came

1:55:45to

1:55:46praise.

1:55:48Uh sometimes I would give a a shout-out

1:55:51when I when I could. But uh a few years

1:55:54ago I created a a poster display at

1:55:57church uh and I I called it

1:56:00from Woolworth to Wachovia.

1:56:03I thought it was a had a nice little

1:56:06sound to it.

1:56:07Uh but it captured part of his legacy.

1:56:12And his journey was marked by

1:56:14challenges, hard work, and and

1:56:16dedication. He loved helping others and

1:56:19he loved he loved the bank. He loved the

1:56:21bank.

1:56:22Uh he once told our older grandson as he

1:56:25was getting ready to enter the world of

1:56:27work,

1:56:28"Always get there early.

1:56:31Get there early." And Pat was always

1:56:33early, not just a few minutes, but

1:56:36early.

1:56:39I can picture him now

1:56:42balancing his heavenly checkbook.

1:56:46>> [laughter]

1:56:47>> And he didn't finish until all the

1:56:50numbers fell in place.

1:56:53The numbers had to be accurate.

1:56:55Then he had the checks ready to mail.

1:56:59He had hoped that he would leave the

1:57:00computer on his desk when he retired.

1:57:02However,

1:57:04that didn't happen, but he would have

1:57:06them ready to to mail. And maybe he

1:57:10would have a

1:57:11have time for a round of golf

1:57:14later that afternoon.

1:57:17But, uh

1:57:20there was no grass to cut. He didn't

1:57:22have to worry about cutting grass. So,

1:57:25I know

1:57:27he's proud of this honor, and we're

1:57:29proud of him. And this is an extra

1:57:32special

1:57:34uh celebration because today is his

1:57:37birthday. Happy birthday, Pat. Thank you

1:57:40so much.

1:57:42>> Yvonne?

1:57:43Yvonne?

1:57:49Yeah, it's It's today is a very special

1:57:51day, and uh it's his birthday. It's a

1:57:53day that we're recognizing him. I had

1:57:55the honor of working with Pat uh at

1:57:58Wachovia Bank. It's It's hard to say

1:58:00Wachovia now with Wells Fargo.

1:58:02Uh for 12 years.

1:58:04Uh I'm not originally from Greensboro,

1:58:06but I'm married into Greensboro.

1:58:09And so, when I first met Pat at at

1:58:12Wachovia,

1:58:14he's the same Pat that I I knew when

1:58:17when I left Wachovia, and the same Pat

1:58:19that I've known

1:58:20through the years after his retirement,

1:58:23through the men's club, through Sigma

1:58:24Phi Phi,

1:58:26through golf, through the community.

1:58:29He was a quiet giant.

1:58:32He was a quiet giant in that bank that

1:58:35he was

1:58:39always respected.

1:58:42He didn't have to raise his voice.

1:58:44But, if he did,

1:58:47you knew what it was about.

1:58:49He was taking care of

1:58:51other

1:58:53He was nurturing. He was educating. He

1:58:55was preparing folks for the future.

1:58:58And I'll always be indebted to

1:59:01the Pat Patterson that I knew. Now, I

1:59:03have to admit that I I I don't think he

1:59:05had a casual day in him.

1:59:10If he had one, it was it was

1:59:13few and far between.

1:59:15But, he always presented himself as the

1:59:18professional that he was

1:59:20and that he wanted others to be.

1:59:23And again, I am greatly greatly indebted

1:59:26to you and the family.

1:59:28And thank you for sharing him with us.

1:59:31Thank you.

1:59:32>> Thank you.

1:59:40All right, thank you and thanks to the

1:59:42family and friends who who came today as

1:59:44well.

1:59:46Okay, item E2, resolution recognizing

1:59:50North Carolina Agricultural and

1:59:52Technical State University's 100th

1:59:55edition of the greatest homecoming on

1:59:57Earth. I'm going to ask Mr. Holston to

2:00:00start us off and then Council Member

2:00:02Crawford.

2:00:06>> Thank you, Madam Mayor. This is the

2:00:07resolution recognizing North Carolina

2:00:09Agricultural and Technical State

2:00:11University's 100th

2:00:14edition of the greatest homecoming on

2:00:17Earth.

2:00:18Whereas, North Carolina Agricultural and

2:00:20Technical State University was

2:00:22established on March 9, 1891

2:00:25as the Agricultural and Mechanical

2:00:27College for the Colored Race in Raleigh,

2:00:29North Carolina under the Second Morrill

2:00:32Act of 1890, becoming North Carolina's

2:00:35first public institution of higher

2:00:37education for African Americans and the

2:00:40nation's second land grant institution

2:00:42established for black students.

2:00:45Whereas, in 1892, Greensboro leaders

2:00:48offered $11,000

2:00:51and 14 acres of land to relocate the

2:00:54college to Greensboro. An offer accepted

2:00:57by the college's Board of Trustees, and

2:00:59the college moved to Greensboro in 1893

2:01:03following completion of the college

2:01:05building.

2:01:07Whereas its distinguished 135-year

2:01:10history, North Carolina A&T has grown

2:01:12into a doctoral high research activity

2:01:16land grant university, and is the only

2:01:18historically black college or university

2:01:21in North Carolina to hold all three

2:01:24designations.

2:01:25Whereas North Carolina A&T has been

2:01:27recognized as the nation's largest

2:01:29historically black college and

2:01:31university for 12 consecutive years. And

2:01:34in August 2026, Forbes named the

2:01:37university the number one public HBCU in

2:01:40the nation and its in overall rankings

2:01:43of America's top historically black

2:01:45colleges and universities.

2:01:48Whereas in 2026, North Carolina A&T will

2:01:51commemorate the 100th edition of the

2:01:55greatest homecoming on Earth, GHO,

2:01:58celebrating a tradition that began in

2:02:001926

2:02:01when Aggies gathered around football,

2:02:03fellowship, and alumni engagement.

2:02:06Whereas the centennial celebration

2:02:08coincides with the 125th season of Aggie

2:02:12football, which began in 1901

2:02:15when North Carolina A&T played its first

2:02:18football game against Livingston

2:02:20College.

2:02:21Whereas from its earlier years, North

2:02:24Carolina A&T's homecoming represented

2:02:26far more than a football game.

2:02:28Serving as an important gathering place

2:02:30for alumni, students, families, and the

2:02:33black community during a time when

2:02:35segregation restricted where African

2:02:37Americans could gather, celebrate, and

2:02:40participate in public life.

2:02:44>> Whereas on September 30th, 1927,

2:02:47North Carolina A&T played Lincoln

2:02:50University at Greensboro's World War

2:02:53Memorial Stadium

2:02:55in the university's first homecoming

2:02:58contest at the stadium and the first

2:03:01known event the venue to feature black

2:03:05participants.

2:03:06Whereas nearly a century later, North

2:03:09Carolina A&T owns World War Memorial

2:03:13Stadium preserving a historic site that

2:03:16reflects the deeply connected histories

2:03:18of the university and the city of

2:03:20Greensboro.

2:03:21Whereas music and entertainment have

2:03:23long been central to the homecoming

2:03:26experience beginning with early

2:03:28attractions such as the Twin City Brass

2:03:32Band and Smiling Billy Stewart and his

2:03:36Celery City Serenaders.

2:03:39And growing to include celebrated

2:03:41performers such as Lionel Hampton, The

2:03:44O'Jays, Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah,

2:03:48Public Enemy, Patti LaBelle, Gladys

2:03:51Knight, Snoop Dogg, and many others.

2:03:54Whereas North Carolina A&T State

2:03:57University held its first known

2:04:00homecoming parade in 1934

2:04:03when alumni representing classes from

2:04:061899

2:04:08through 1934

2:04:09marched with class banners from the

2:04:12university's campus to World War

2:04:14Memorial Stadium

2:04:17establishing a tradition that has become

2:04:19one of the most anticipated events of

2:04:22homecoming week.

2:04:24Whereas the legacy of Miss A&T dates to

2:04:27the early 1930s

2:04:29with Hattie DeFay Jones recognized by

2:04:33university archives as the earliest

2:04:36known student to hold the title, which

2:04:38evolved into the queen of homecoming and

2:04:41a distinguished representative of the

2:04:44student body.

2:04:45Whereas, what began a century ago has

2:04:49evolved into a cultural phenomenon known

2:04:52around the world as the greatest

2:04:54homecoming on Earth, GHO,

2:04:57welcoming generations of Aggies to

2:05:00Greensboro for concerts, reunions, the

2:05:04homecoming parade, student and alumni

2:05:07activities, community events,

2:05:10tailgating, and the homecoming football

2:05:12game.

2:05:14Whereas, North Carolina A&T State

2:05:16University will celebrate the centennial

2:05:18edition of the greatest homecoming on

2:05:21Earth from Sat- Sunday, October 25th,

2:05:25through Sunday, November 1st, 2026,

2:05:29with attendance expected to surpass

2:05:32200,000

2:05:33alumni, students, families, friends, and

2:05:37visitors from across North Carolina, the

2:05:40nation, and around the world.

2:05:43Whereas, the greatest homecoming on

2:05:44Earth is a significant cultural and

2:05:47economic driver for Greensboro, Guilford

2:05:50County, the Piedmont Triad, and the

2:05:52state of North Carolina, supporting

2:05:55hotels, restaurants, retailers,

2:05:57entertainment venues, transportation

2:05:59providers, and other businesses

2:06:02throughout the region.

2:06:03Whereas, North Carolina A&T and its

2:06:05alumni generate more than 2.4 billion

2:06:09dollars in annual economic impact across

2:06:12North Carolina, support the equivalent

2:06:15of 17,337

2:06:17jobs, and create 1.42 billion in added

2:06:21income for the state economy, with

2:06:23visitor spending associated with

2:06:26university activities generating

2:06:28approximately 44 million in economic

2:06:31impact.

2:06:32Whereas the 100th edition of the

2:06:34greatest homecoming on Earth honors the

2:06:37generations of Aggies who built and

2:06:39sustained a tradition rooted in

2:06:42education, achievement, culture,

2:06:45community, and Aggie pride

2:06:48while strengthening the enduring

2:06:50relationship between North Carolina A&T

2:06:53and the city of Greensboro. And now,

2:06:56therefore, be it resolved by the City

2:06:58Council of the city of Greensboro that

2:07:01the City Council of Greensboro proudly

2:07:03recognizes and congratulates North

2:07:06Carolina Agricultural and Technical

2:07:08State University on this historic 100th

2:07:12edition of the greatest homecoming on

2:07:14Earth, and that the City Council honors

2:07:16the generations of students, alumni,

2:07:19faculty, staff, and community members

2:07:22whose dedication has sustained this

2:07:24treasured tradition for a century.

2:07:27That the City of Greensboro welcomes

2:07:29Aggies and visitors from around the

2:07:31world and extends its best wishes for a

2:07:34safe, successful, and memorial memorable

2:07:38centennial homecoming celebration. And

2:07:41that the City Council reaffirmed the

2:07:43City of Greensboro's pride in North

2:07:45Carolina A&T State University and

2:07:48celebrates the university's enduring

2:07:51educational, cultural, civic, and

2:07:54economic contributions to Greensboro,

2:07:57the state of North Carolina, and the

2:07:59nation. Adopted this the 20th day of

2:08:02October 2026. I would like to make that

2:08:05motion. And Council, please vote.

2:08:10>> Let us vote on that.

2:08:11>> Oh, we will in a moment. Yeah.

2:08:14And uh Crystal and Irving both uh A&T

2:08:18graduates.

2:08:19Uh what are your votes?

2:08:22>> Yes.

2:08:23>> Happily, yes.

2:08:28>> And uh we'll call the Chancellor and any

2:08:31staff that would like to come up.

2:08:33Then we will do council comments. How's

2:08:35that?

2:08:36All right, because I think every

2:08:38everyone wants to speak. Everybody is is

2:08:40so excited. So if you'd like to go ahead

2:08:42and come up Chancellor, I can present

2:08:43these to you.

2:09:12Nice. Thank you. Thank you.

2:09:19Thank you.

2:09:25I love this.

2:09:28I love this.

2:09:30Dr. Thomas.

2:09:33There we go.

2:09:35Oh, I know what this is.

2:09:38Put them on.

2:09:40All right, Chancellor Martin, go right

2:09:41ahead and then I'll bring this down.

2:09:43>> Okay, thank you Mayor Baldwin,

2:09:46Mayor Pro Tem Ross and all of the

2:09:49council members and everybody here

2:09:50today.

2:09:51We're filled with gratitude for your

2:09:53recognition for North Carolina A&T

2:09:56State University's great time of

2:09:59Centennial celebration for the greatest

2:10:01homecoming on Earth. And it's already

2:10:03been a great fall as um Councilman Holt

2:10:07said, we were so fortunate to be

2:10:09recognized as the number one public

2:10:12university by Forbes.

2:10:13Um also I'd like to say in the last

2:10:16month and a half or so we were also

2:10:17recognized as the number one public HBCU

2:10:20by the US News and World Report as well

2:10:23as the Wall Street Journal the year

2:10:25before. So, that's all of those

2:10:27third-party verifications of the quality

2:10:30of this institution in the heart of this

2:10:33great town and great city of Greensboro.

2:10:36And so, for a week, we're not only

2:10:38ground zero for HBCUs nationwide, ours

2:10:42is a homecoming that stands out among

2:10:44all universities. I've been fortunate to

2:10:46spend time at other great universities,

2:10:48Virginia Tech, Clemson University, the

2:10:51University of Pittsburgh. And let me

2:10:53tell you, nobody does it like North

2:10:55Carolina A&T. It stands out.

2:10:58Yes. [applause]

2:11:03And as the mayor stated, it is the

2:11:05largest annual celebration of the

2:11:07Piedmont Triad. Two years ago, we

2:11:09tracked visitors

2:11:11to the area, and we tracked an

2:11:14attendance of more than 135,000

2:11:17two years ago. Last year, we tracked

2:11:20downtown Greensboro, we tracked 170,000

2:11:24visitors to the area. And as was

2:11:27mentioned, this year we expect

2:11:28attendance in terms of visitors to be

2:11:32around 200,000.

2:11:34With

2:11:35an economic impact as much as $80

2:11:38million based on calculations.

2:11:41The other thing, coming as it does at

2:11:43this time of the year,

2:11:44right before we start the formal holiday

2:11:47season, this homecoming is like a second

2:11:50holiday season for our region.

2:11:52And it's especially important for

2:11:54retailers, for restaurant tours, for bar

2:11:56owners, hoteliers, event planners,

2:11:58security personnel, and more.

2:12:01But for Aggies, especially our alumni,

2:12:03it's it's something much more. It's a

2:12:06chance to reconnect with classmates and

2:12:08friends. It's a chance to enjoy an

2:12:11amazing array of events on campus. This

2:12:13year, we have 97 events planned on

2:12:17campus during the week of homecoming.

2:12:19And it's an opportunity to re-engage

2:12:22with a campus where so many of them got

2:12:24their start and most importantly connect

2:12:27with the current generation of students.

2:12:30And how important as we start to look at

2:12:32the future that we're creating. So we're

2:12:35grateful to all of you uh for this

2:12:37timely recognition in our big moment and

2:12:40we encourage everyone here to join us

2:12:43whether it's at the homecoming parade,

2:12:45our alumni gala dinner and concert,

2:12:48tailgating on Laurel Street,

2:12:50our incredibly exciting step show,

2:12:53or at the big game as we take on and

2:12:56beat Elon University.

2:13:03There's truly something for everyone. So

2:13:05again, 25 October through the 1st of

2:13:07November, no matter who you are or where

2:13:10you're from, if you're in Greensboro and

2:13:11the Piedmont Triad area, you're in

2:13:13Aggieland and we certainly welcome all

2:13:16of you. Again, thank you so much for

2:13:18this recognition.

2:13:19>> You're welcome. I'll bring it down and

2:13:20then we'll have

2:13:22a lot of comments, I'm sure.

2:13:30>> Aggie pride.

2:13:31>> Aggie pride.

2:14:14Aggie pride.

2:14:48>> I'm over here, you know.

2:14:50I heard

2:14:51Council member Parker down there, but I

2:14:53have to do it. Can I get a Aggie Pride?

2:14:56>> Aggie Pride.

2:14:57>> Oh, I love it. I love it. There's so

2:14:59much energy, so much passion that's

2:15:02going on around the Greensboro

2:15:04community, the Guilford County community

2:15:06in anticipation of this 100th. We're so

2:15:09proud of what North Carolina A&T has

2:15:12brought to this community ever since it

2:15:14first moved into the community, and and

2:15:17now we're celebrating the 100th

2:15:20Aggie Ho, but also the 125th.

2:15:24Um I'd be

2:15:26remiss if I didn't mention just the

2:15:28quality of the university itself. We've

2:15:32all heard about uh the number one HBCU,

2:15:35and now it's it's it's Forbes, and

2:15:38uh and the others have come on board. Uh

2:15:41I'm really excited about what's going to

2:15:42be happening after Aggie Ho also. And

2:15:46we're talking about that R1 research

2:15:48designation. And

2:15:51you folks have heard about it, but I

2:15:52don't know that folks really understand.

2:15:54It's it's going to be the impact of a

2:15:57Aggie Ho every day.

2:15:59Not from the people standpoint, but

2:16:01about the investment in the students,

2:16:04and the talent, and in the community

2:16:06that comes to Greensboro, so I couldn't

2:16:08be happier. I'm happy for the

2:16:10partnership that North Carolina A&T has

2:16:13brought to the table for this 100th.

2:16:15There's been planning in place for

2:16:16months and months and months.

2:16:18Partnership with the city, partnership

2:16:20with GPD, with NCAT, their

2:16:24administration, with their police.

2:16:26This is a a collective concerted effort.

2:16:29I think the theme is I'm going to mess

2:16:31it up, but you know, let's be safe.

2:16:34Let's let's make sure this is a safe

2:16:36homecoming. Have a good time.

2:16:39But let's be safe. And

2:16:42I'm going to end it there. Lots of

2:16:43comments coming out. As an Aggie

2:16:45adjacent, I'm just proud to be here.

2:16:49Thank you, Madam Mayor.

2:16:50>> Who else? Mayor Pro Tem, did you have

2:16:53any?

2:16:53>> Oh, I'll I'll defer to you.

2:16:55>> Okay.

2:16:57Council Member Crawford. Listen, I'll

2:16:59start with Aggie born, Aggie bred, and

2:17:01when I die, I'll be Aggie dead.

2:17:05I love it.

2:17:06So, I I think that Hugh

2:17:09really said most of what I wanted to

2:17:11say, but

2:17:13you know, North Carolina A&T State

2:17:15University, got to put the whole name

2:17:17out there, the whole thing, give it its

2:17:19respect,

2:17:20is one of the pearls of District 2. It

2:17:23is one of the pearls of this city.

2:17:26So many advancements come out of this

2:17:28university, so many of our brightest

2:17:30students that join our workforce come

2:17:33out of this university. I am very proud

2:17:37to be proud legacy within the Aggie

2:17:41tradition coming from two parents who

2:17:44graduated from A&T and two grandparents

2:17:47who taught and graduated from A&T. So,

2:17:51we breed brilliant people and it is

2:17:54black excellence and I couldn't be more

2:17:57proud that we are at 100 years of G Ho.

2:18:01Steadily

2:18:02influencing the culture of our city and

2:18:06and our nation and the world. So, that's

2:18:10it for me.

2:18:11Thank you. Anyone else?

2:18:14Anyone on

2:18:14>> Sure, go ahead.

2:18:16>> I just wanted to defer to Council member

2:18:18Crawford, but I would like to say you

2:18:20know, I appreciate um

2:18:23what we will have here with G Hill. And

2:18:25there was a there was a post this week

2:18:27that talked about some of our past

2:18:29references that

2:18:31as a city, but what I will say is that

2:18:34everyone you're welcome.

2:18:36We are just fortunate as a community to

2:18:39have the alumni so committed to such a

2:18:43a tremendous institution that they will

2:18:45come back every year and acknowledge the

2:18:48work that they have been a part of the

2:18:49legacy that they're

2:18:51honored to be a part of and we are just

2:18:54blessed and fortunate to have you here

2:18:57in Greensboro. You know, we heard

2:18:59earlier this evening about the growth

2:19:01that's happening in our community. Key

2:19:03parts being in research and advancement

2:19:05and advanced manufacturing as well as

2:19:07bio life sciences. And as Mr. As as

2:19:12at large, I'm sorry.

2:19:14What is your name?

2:19:15>> Goodness gracious.

2:19:17>> [laughter]

2:19:17>> Sorry.

2:19:19As Mr. Holston said earlier, the fact

2:19:22that you're becoming R1 institution and

2:19:24what that means for our community and

2:19:26what that is elevating us to

2:19:28is it something that I am just very

2:19:31proud to be a part of

2:19:33and I'll just close with this cuz there

2:19:34was something that you said Chancellor

2:19:37at the your installation and you talked

2:19:40about how the first president

2:19:42at North Carolina A&T State University

2:19:45was a

2:19:47a former slave and then 92 years later

2:19:50we had an astronaut and just think about

2:19:52the things that we will do next and and

2:19:54I am proud to just have a small part in

2:19:56that legacy and thank you for what we

2:19:58get to be a part of.

2:20:01>> All right, if anyone

2:20:02If not anyone online, I'll go ahead. Um

2:20:06I I just wanted to say, I think you know

2:20:07how how important we all are feeling

2:20:11about North Carolina A&T State

2:20:12University. Um we have seen progress

2:20:16over the many years, and we have seen so

2:20:20many students come out of North Carolina

2:20:22A&T State University who've become

2:20:25leaders in North Carolina, leaders in uh

2:20:28the United States, and and leaders in

2:20:30the world. Uh so many uh bright minds go

2:20:35to A&T State University. And I I've had

2:20:38the honor and pleasure of being on

2:20:41campus with several students. And I have

2:20:44noticed that their questions, they're

2:20:47intelligent, they just they just don't

2:20:49stop. They're soaking it all up. And and

2:20:52I just love that. I I can guarantee you

2:20:54I wasn't that bright when I was in

2:20:56college, but they are so bright, and and

2:21:00the questions they ask, and the things

2:21:02they tell me that they've done, I am in

2:21:05awe. So, uh truly, North Carolina A&T

2:21:09State University is is one of the

2:21:11heartbeats of Greensboro. So, thank you

2:21:14so much uh for that, and and we were

2:21:17very honored to be able to do this

2:21:19resolution to recognize the North

2:21:22Carolina A&T State 100th Homecoming, and

2:21:25each of you, and um also the entire

2:21:29student, faculty, and staff. So, thank

2:21:32you all very much.

2:21:39We need to I think we're good. Are we

2:21:41good?

2:21:43All right.

2:21:44No, I did ask. I asked them. No, yeah,

2:21:47they're they're good.

2:21:48All right, uh let's move on to To

2:21:50consent agenda. Uh anyone on council

2:21:52wants to remove any item from the

2:21:53consent agenda due to a conflict of

2:21:56interest or for the purpose to vote no.

2:21:58Anyone?

2:22:01If not, I would accept a motion to

2:22:04approve the or deny, however you wish,

2:22:08that

2:22:10Move by Mr. Marshall.

2:22:11>> Second.

2:22:11>> Seconded by Councilwoman Crawford.

2:22:14Council, please vote.

2:22:33Council member Black.

2:22:35>> I mean I.

2:22:36>> And Council member Allen.

2:22:38>> I mean I.

2:22:46>> And that carries nine to zero. Thank you

2:22:48all so much. I need to ask first, are

2:22:50there any board and commission

2:22:51appointments?

2:22:54Anyone?

2:22:57Uh Council member Black, do you or

2:22:58Council member Allen?

2:23:00>> None for me.

2:23:02>> None for me.

2:23:03>> Okay, we can move on to Council comments

2:23:05then. Who would like to start and then

2:23:07I'll go from there.

2:23:11Council member Therm.

2:23:14>> Mr. City Manager,

2:23:16um we have recently uh welcomed our

2:23:20first

2:23:21batch of cold weather.

2:23:23I don't know whether it was welcome or

2:23:25or hated it, but one way or another,

2:23:27we're getting winter and winter is

2:23:29approaching quickly.

2:23:30Um

2:23:32I would like for us to get together and

2:23:35talk about and get a report on where we

2:23:38start stand in terms of winter services

2:23:42for those residents in our community

2:23:44that are experiencing homelessness.

2:23:47Um what the plan is, where the county

2:23:50is, um how the various organizations are

2:23:53working together. Um we need to make

2:23:56sure

2:23:57as usual that we have a solid plan in

2:23:59place um and that all our residents will

2:24:02be safe this winter. So, if we can if

2:24:05you can work on giving us perhaps a

2:24:07joint meeting with county staff

2:24:09so that we can talk about it and know

2:24:13everybody knows exactly what role

2:24:14they're filling and what the

2:24:16expectations are. Um that would be

2:24:18really helpful.

2:24:20>> Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Councilmember

2:24:22Thurman. And

2:24:24I know ACM Harold gave you all an update

2:24:26on efforts

2:24:28to ensure there's some safety around the

2:24:29IRC, but as we all know,

2:24:32you know, folks are experiencing

2:24:34different challenges and concerns. So,

2:24:37we'll we'll connect with those partners.

2:24:39I know ACM Harold and a few others meet

2:24:40with our county partners on a regular

2:24:43basis. So, we'll touch base with them

2:24:46and then come back with some dates or

2:24:47times that we can have a collaborative

2:24:49meeting. So, thank you.

2:24:51>> All right. Anything else?

2:24:53Okay.

2:24:55Sure.

2:24:55>> Um I just wanted to say I obviously we

2:24:59had a discussion and review of our city

2:25:02manager this evening. Given the fact

2:25:04that

2:25:05city of Greensboro is one of the top

2:25:08employers in Greensboro, I do think it's

2:25:10important to acknowledge

2:25:13that leadership role in our city and the

2:25:16role that we play in the city manager

2:25:18being at the top of the organization. I

2:25:20very much appreciated your feedback and

2:25:23listening to our feedback to you. Um

2:25:25your efforts in recognizing and I think

2:25:28there was a general recognition that

2:25:30overall

2:25:31we as a

2:25:34body are new and have had a new

2:25:36experience this year and you've had a

2:25:38new experience with us. We understand

2:25:40that there's been a lot of learning for

2:25:43us and you this year and we appreciate

2:25:45you taking that to heart. Um, we do look

2:25:47forward and at least I very much look

2:25:49forward to how we take on next year, um,

2:25:52learning from this year and and really

2:25:54tackling things, but we appreciate um,

2:25:57and I think in chair, which is why I say

2:25:59we, I don't mean to speak for council,

2:26:01but just saying from the collective

2:26:02consensus that um, there was a very much

2:26:05an appreciation for the work that you're

2:26:08trying to move forward, um, but also

2:26:11listening to where our needs are and

2:26:13what we need as a council to be strong.

2:26:15So, thank you for that effort. We look

2:26:16forward to next year.

2:26:18>> Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

2:26:21>> All right. Uh, going down the row,

2:26:24Council Member Crawford.

2:26:27>> I just wanted to uplift how proud I am

2:26:29of all of the A&T Aggie students who,

2:26:33uh, marched to the polls this week, um,

2:26:36to vote because of the removal of their

2:26:39campus polling site during the early

2:26:41voting period. Um, I wanted to uplift if

2:26:45you are

2:26:46feeling like you need some energy to go

2:26:49and vote yourself, there are multiple

2:26:51opportunities, no matter how you're

2:26:53going to vote. We want to make sure that

2:26:55you take advantage of this right that

2:26:57you have to vote. Um, on Saturday,

2:27:00there's the non-partisan boots on the

2:27:02ground, uh, get out the vote uh, block

2:27:05party from 12:00 until 4:00 at, um,

2:27:08the Faith Community Church on Arlington.

2:27:12On Sunday, you have two opportunities to

2:27:15vote with your community and there's the

2:27:17Souls to the Poll at New Light Baptist

2:27:20Church that starts at 1:00 and then

2:27:22there's the Unity Walk that is from 2:00

2:27:25until 5:00 from, uh, Episcopal Church.

2:27:28Um,

2:27:30I can't, again, tell you how to vote,

2:27:33but when you go and you look at your

2:27:34ballot, on the front is the state

2:27:37referendum not to be confused with the

2:27:39back which is our Greensboro city

2:27:42referendum our bonds that we really um

2:27:46need you to you know do your due

2:27:47diligence and understand why they are on

2:27:49the back of that ballot and what we need

2:27:52uh from you at the city.

2:27:54So that's it for me.

2:27:56All right, Council member Marshall.

2:28:00>> I would just piggyback on that and just

2:28:02encourage everybody to exercise their

2:28:05right to vote, get out, take a friend.

2:28:08Um

2:28:09this doesn't democracy doesn't happen

2:28:11without you all. So get out and vote.

2:28:16>> All right, Council member Parker,

2:28:18nothing?

2:28:19Council member Hoffman?

2:28:20>> Just a couple of things, Madam Mayor.

2:28:22One is uh that

2:28:24the mayor and Council member

2:28:27Crawford and myself along with Judge

2:28:30Larry Archie were honored to attend

2:28:34Civic Tea over at Greensboro College

2:28:36this past week where we had an

2:28:38opportunity to engage with the students

2:28:40and talk about

2:28:42the election process, the voting

2:28:43process, and a little bit of ourselves

2:28:45and how we got engaged in what we're

2:28:47doing today. It was exciting because the

2:28:50students do care. Council member

2:28:52Crawford mentioned the

2:28:54uh the students from North Carolina A&T

2:28:56and also from UNCG who did march uh to

2:29:00the Union Square polling spot on the

2:29:02very first day of voting because

2:29:04they really do want to be engaged. They

2:29:06really do want to play a part in goes on

2:29:09on what goes on in our community and I

2:29:12applaud we applaud their efforts. Not

2:29:15telling them how to vote, but it's just

2:29:16important that they have that passion to

2:29:20vote and we know that they're going to

2:29:21take that passion and share it with

2:29:23others.

2:29:24Um I will also say

2:29:27just again about the greatest homecoming

2:29:29on earth that's coming up this upcoming

2:29:33uh or next week.

2:29:34Um if if there's one thing that I could

2:29:37say to folks is that we have in the city

2:29:39about 310,000 residents.

2:29:42We're expecting 200,000 plus.

2:29:45And as you get closer and closer, there

2:29:47even more who looking at coming. So,

2:29:49there's potential that we have you know,

2:29:51almost maybe matching the number of

2:29:53folks we have in our community.

2:29:54Uh be safe. If you can, please uh

2:29:58uh take transportation that that that

2:30:01can drop you off someplace and pick you

2:30:03up.

2:30:04Transportation, egress and ingress are

2:30:06going to be uh a a or a major uh

2:30:10priority for the city.

2:30:12Uh but when you add that many people to

2:30:13our community, it's going to be

2:30:14important that you make some good

2:30:16decisions so that it's easier for you to

2:30:18get in and get out of wherever you want

2:30:21to be.

2:30:22So, let's be safe. Let's have a good

2:30:24time. And let's celebrate GHO 100.

2:30:28>> All right. I don't really have uh

2:30:30anything to report. I was going to talk

2:30:32about Civic Team, but that's okay, Mr.

2:30:34Holston. Uh I did graduate from

2:30:36Greensboro College. So, it was it was it

2:30:38was fun to be there. I'm I'm really

2:30:40teasing you. It's just fun, absolutely

2:30:42fun, cuz I might have forgotten. So,

2:30:44um with that being said, we will move on

2:30:46to our agenda items.

2:30:48>> Madam Mayor?

2:30:49>> Yes, Mr. Allen. I'm so sorry.

2:30:51>> Sorry, I just wanted to uh

2:30:54add just a little bit to brief things if

2:30:56possible.

2:30:57>> Sure.

2:30:57>> Um

2:30:59uh the first of which I uh

2:31:01don't want to forget that uh the Bennett

2:31:03Belles were also a part of that March to

2:31:04the Polls uh last Thursday. So, uh it

2:31:08was the Spartans, the Aggies, and the

2:31:09Belles. Uh as well, uh

2:31:12there were uh groups of students who

2:31:14also um

2:31:17planned a a march that is separate from

2:31:19the March to the Polls that uh

2:31:21highlighted uh the national tragedy

2:31:23around Nolan Wells. And I wanted uh to

2:31:26highlight those students as well for

2:31:27carrying on uh the tradition of uh young

2:31:31people at the forefront of seeking

2:31:33justice in our

2:31:34uh community here and uh nationally

2:31:36abroad. So, wanted to

2:31:39uh send some recognition that way to

2:31:40those students as well uh for their

2:31:43organizing and for their advocacy as

2:31:45well. Uh looking forward uh to a safe

2:31:49and uh happy homecoming

2:31:51uh and uh grateful for those who will be

2:31:53attending uh and celebrating with us. Uh

2:31:57so, looking forward to that and uh just

2:31:59grateful for

2:32:01uh

2:32:01uh yeah, the opportunity to uh see a

2:32:04hundred years of GSO. So,

2:32:06that'll be it for me, but thank you.

2:32:08>> All right. And um you know, also I would

2:32:10like to thank Mr. City Manager for your

2:32:12service to our community. As Mayor Pro

2:32:15Tem said, we've it's been a it's been a

2:32:17new year for everyone and uh with your

2:32:20Vision 36, I'm very very thankful for

2:32:23that because I think that is going to

2:32:25move us forward and uh with the

2:32:27strategic goals you have set out and the

2:32:29council will be setting out. I

2:32:31appreciate it. So, I think the sentiment

2:32:34is is unanimous.

2:32:36>> Thank you, Mayor.

2:32:37>> All right, thank you.

2:32:39Appreciate that. All right, moving on to

2:32:41our public hearing agenda.

2:32:43Uh item I1, public hearing for an

2:32:45ordinance annexing territory into the

2:32:48corporate limits for property located at

2:32:501816 Andrews Farm Road and Andrews Farm

2:32:54Road right-of-way, 20.336

2:32:57acres, SA Associates Limited

2:32:59Partnership. And item I2, public hearing

2:33:02for an ordinance for original zoning for

2:33:04property at 1816 Andrews Farm Road and

2:33:08portion of right-of-way, Nick Blackwood

2:33:10for KZT Acquisition LLC for SA

2:33:14Associates Limited Partnership. Go

2:33:16ahead.

2:33:17>> Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'm Luke Carter

2:33:19with the uh City of Greensboro Planning

2:33:21Department. I'm the land

2:33:25development land development division

2:33:26manager so I've been in for Mike Kirkman

2:33:28tonight. map of the subject property

2:33:31identified as 1816 Andrews Farm Road and

2:33:35a portion of Andrews Farm Road

2:33:36right-of-way.

2:33:38The it's all one property. The property

2:33:40owner owns both sides of the property.

2:33:43The subject property contains

2:33:45approximately 20.336 acres and is

2:33:48located west and east on both sides of

2:33:51Farm Road. This is an annexation and an

2:33:54original zoning request from county

2:33:56agricultural to city CD residential

2:33:59multi-family 18.

2:34:02North and east of the request are zoned

2:34:05county agricultural. South of the

2:34:07request is zoned city conditional

2:34:10district residential multi-family 18.

2:34:13And county agricultural. West of the

2:34:15request is zoned city CD RM 18.

2:34:20This is the aerial map of the subject

2:34:22property showing that it is undeveloped.

2:34:26The

2:34:27properties to the north and east of the

2:34:29request are also undeveloped. South and

2:34:32west of the request contain

2:34:33single-family dwellings.

2:34:35Future land use map designates the

2:34:38property as residential.

2:34:40And the future built form map designates

2:34:43the property currently as exurban.

2:34:47These were the conditions that are

2:34:48proposed by the applicant and have been

2:34:50advertised for the case.

2:34:55And in recommending approval of this

2:34:57request, staff notes that the GSO 2040

2:35:00conference of plan designates the

2:35:03property on the future built form map as

2:35:05exurban. If the original zoning request

2:35:08is approved, the future built form map

2:35:10designation will be amended to urban

2:35:13general.

2:35:14The subject property is also designated

2:35:16as residential on the future land use

2:35:18map. The proposed original zoning

2:35:20request supports both the comprehensive

2:35:22plan's creating great places goal to

2:35:24expand Greensboro's citywide network of

2:35:26unique neighborhoods offering residents

2:35:28of all walks of life a variety of

2:35:30quality housing choices. It is also

2:35:32supported by the filling in a framework

2:35:34big idea to arrange our land uses for

2:35:36where we live, work, attend school,

2:35:38shop, and enjoy our free time to create

2:35:40a more vibrant and livable Greensboro.

2:35:42The proposed CD-RM 18 zoning district,

2:35:45as conditioned, would offer a range of

2:35:48residential uses that are similar to

2:35:50surrounding uses. Care should be taken

2:35:53with respect to building orientation,

2:35:55building materials, height, and visual

2:35:58buffers to ensure an appropriate

2:36:00transition to the lower density

2:36:02residential on adjacent tracts.

2:36:05This request, the annexation and the

2:36:07original zoning request were heard by

2:36:09the Planning and Zoning Commission on

2:36:11September 23rd of 2026, and they

2:36:15recommended approval of both requests

2:36:17with an 8-0 vote. There was one person

2:36:19in favor and no opposition. And with

2:36:21that, I can answer any questions that

2:36:22you have.

2:36:24>> All right, any questions from council?

2:36:28And I see Mr. Blackwood is here. Any

2:36:30questions from Mr. Blackwood?

2:36:33If not, I would accept a motion.

2:36:36>> Move to approve.

2:36:38>> Moved by Council Member Thurm. Do I hear

2:36:39a second?

2:36:40>> Second.

2:36:41>> Seconded by Council Member Holdsten.

2:36:43Council, please vote.

2:37:08Council Member Black?

2:37:13And Council Member Earl?

2:37:14>> I'm in.

2:37:14>> I'm an aye. Thank you.

2:37:17>> Councilmember Ervin, I'm Allen.

2:37:25You may

2:37:26>> Yes.

2:37:26>> Yes, thank you. It took a moment.

2:37:30All right, and that carries 9 to 0.

2:37:32Thank you so very much. Um item I3,

2:37:36public hearing for an ordinance annexing

2:37:38territory into the corporate Yes.

2:37:40>> have to vote

2:37:41I 2 and the statement of consistency.

2:37:42>> Oh, I 2. I'm so sorry. Item I2, um do I

2:37:46have a motion?

2:37:49Move by Mr. Marshall.

2:37:51And do I

2:37:52hear a second?

2:37:54>> Second.

2:37:54>> Seconded by Councilmember Holdstein.

2:37:57Um

2:37:58let's see.

2:37:59Uh that requires a statement of

2:38:01consistency, Councilmember Marshall.

2:38:06>> The Greensboro City Council believes

2:38:08that its action to approve the original

2:38:09zoning request for the property at 1816

2:38:13Andrews Farm Road and a portion of

2:38:15Andrews Farm Road right-of-way from

2:38:18County AG agricultural to city CB RM 18

2:38:22conditional district residential

2:38:24multi-family 18 to be consistent with

2:38:27the adopted GSO 2040 comprehensive plan

2:38:30and considers the action taken to be

2:38:32reasonable and in the public interest

2:38:34for the following reasons. The request

2:38:36is consistent with the comprehensive

2:38:38plan's future built form map

2:38:40and future land use map. The proposed

2:38:43city CB RM 18 zoning district as

2:38:46conditioned permits uses that fit the

2:38:49context of surrounding area

2:38:51and limits negative impacts on the

2:38:53adjacent properties. The request is

2:38:56reasonable due to the size, physical

2:38:58conditions, and other attributes of the

2:39:00area. It will benefit the property owner

2:39:02and surrounding community and approval

2:39:04is is the public interest.

2:39:07>> All right, Council, please vote.

2:39:10Council member Black?

2:39:14>> I.

2:39:15>> And Council member Allen?

2:39:17>> I.

2:39:29>> And that carries 9 to 0.

2:39:32Item I3 and item I4. Item I3 public

2:39:35hearing for an ordinance annexing

2:39:37territory into the corporate limits for

2:39:40the property located at 2806

2:39:43York House Drive, 0.24 acres, Jose

2:39:47Garcia on behalf of Armando Zagoya. And

2:39:50item I4 public hearing for an ordinance

2:39:53for original zoning for 2806 York House

2:39:56Drive, Jose Garcia on behalf of Armando

2:40:00Zagoya.

2:40:01Um go ahead, Luke.

2:40:04>> Thank you very much.

2:40:07The subject property is identified as

2:40:092806

2:40:11York House Drive.

2:40:13Um it is currently in the in the county,

2:40:15so you will be uh hearing an annexation

2:40:17and an original zoning request. The

2:40:19original zoning request is uh to go from

2:40:22county CZ conditional zoning planned

2:40:26development uh residential with a

2:40:28special use permit. It's important to

2:40:30note that the the special use permit is

2:40:32an an additional layer of uses. Um I

2:40:34think they had to get a special use

2:40:35permit for their signage uh for the

2:40:37subdivision itself. So, it's that does

2:40:39not uh take away use rights.

2:40:43Uh and the request is to take it to city

2:40:46R5.

2:40:47Northeast and west of the request are

2:40:49zoned county uh CZ PDR with the special

2:40:52use permit.

2:40:54Uh and south of the request is zoned

2:40:56city R5.

2:40:58This is the area map of the subject

2:41:00property. Um there is currently a single

2:41:02family dwelling that is under

2:41:04construction on the property.

2:41:05Um, north, east, south, and west of the

2:41:08request contain single family dwellings.

2:41:11The future land use map designates the

2:41:13property as residential.

2:41:16And the future built format designates

2:41:18the property as urban general.

2:41:21In recommending approval of this

2:41:23request, staff notes that the GSO 2040

2:41:25conference of plans future built format

2:41:28designates the subject property as urban

2:41:30general and is designated as residential

2:41:33on the future land use map. The proposed

2:41:35original zoning request supports both

2:41:37the conference of plans creating great

2:41:39places goal to expand green to expand

2:41:41greens for a citywide network of unique

2:41:43neighborhoods offering residents of all

2:41:45walks of life a variety of quality

2:41:47housing choices. It is also supported by

2:41:49the building community connections goal

2:41:51to maintain stable, attractive, and

2:41:54healthy places to live and raise

2:41:55families. The proposed R-5 zoning

2:41:58district is primarily intended to

2:42:00accommodate low-density single-family

2:42:02detached residential development up to

2:42:04five dwelling units per acre. The uses

2:42:07permitted in the proposed zoning

2:42:08district are compatible with the

2:42:10existing uses on adjacent properties.

2:42:12Uh, the annexation and original zoning

2:42:15requests were both heard by the Planning

2:42:16and Zoning Commission at the September

2:42:1823rd, 2026 meeting and they recommended

2:42:21approval of both the annexation and the

2:42:23original zoning with a vote of eight to

2:42:25zero and there were no speakers. With

2:42:27that, I can answer any questions that

2:42:29you have.

2:42:29>> All right. Any questions?

2:42:32We don't have anyone sign up for the

2:42:33public hearing, so no need to open that.

2:42:36Um, I would accept a motion.

2:42:38Moved by Council Member Thurm. Did I

2:42:40hear a second?

2:42:41Seconded by Council Member Holston.

2:42:44Uh, Council, please vote.

2:42:58Council Member Black?

2:42:59>> Aye.

2:43:00>> And Council member Allen?

2:43:02>> Aye.

2:43:06>> Thank you.

2:43:10>> Madam Pro Tem, and Council member

2:43:12Crawford.

2:43:22>> And that carries nine to zero. Thank you

2:43:24very much. We're now on item I4, which

2:43:27is a long there.

2:43:28Uh the public hearing for the original

2:43:30zoning, and that

2:43:32Let's see, that does require the

2:43:34statement of consistency. Do I hear a

2:43:36motion?

2:43:37Moved by Mr. Council member Holston. Do

2:43:39I hear a second?

2:43:40Seconded by Council member Crawford, Mr.

2:43:42Holston.

2:43:43>> Thank you, Madam Mayor. The Greensboro

2:43:44City Council believes that this action

2:43:46to approve the original zoning request

2:43:48for the property at 2806 York House

2:43:51Drive from County CZPDRSUP,

2:43:55conditional zoning plan development

2:43:57residential with a special use permit,

2:43:59to City R5 residential single family

2:44:01five, to be consistent with the adopted

2:44:04GSO 2040 comprehensive plan, and

2:44:07considers the action taken to be

2:44:08reasonable and the public interest for

2:44:10the following reasons. The request is

2:44:12consistent with the comprehensive plan's

2:44:14future built format and future land use

2:44:17map. The proposed City R5 zoning

2:44:19district permits uses that fit the

2:44:21context of surrounding area, and limits

2:44:24negative impacts on the adjacent

2:44:26properties. The request is reasonable

2:44:28due to the size, physical conditions,

2:44:30and other attributes of the area. It

2:44:32will benefit the property owner and

2:44:34surrounding community, and approval is

2:44:36in the public interest.

2:44:38>> All right. Council, please vote.

2:44:52Council member Allen?

2:44:55>> I.

2:44:55>> And Councilmember Wells.

2:44:57>> I.

2:45:01>> And that carries 9 to 0. Thank you so

2:45:04much.

2:45:05All right.

2:45:06Item I-5, public hearing for an

2:45:08ordinance annexing territory into the

2:45:10corporate limits for the property

2:45:12located at East Vandalia Road

2:45:13right-of-way adjacent to 401A and 403

2:45:19East Vandalia Road, 0.03 acres, City of

2:45:22Greensboro. And item I-6, public hearing

2:45:25for an ordinance for original zoning

2:45:27portions of East Vandalia Road

2:45:30right-of-way adjacent to 401A

2:45:33and 403 East Vandalia Road, City of

2:45:37Greensboro. All right, go ahead.

2:45:40>> Thank you, Mayor.

2:45:41The next four items are all

2:45:44because of the the city's East Vandalia

2:45:48Road widening project.

2:45:50So, that's all of this would be to bring

2:45:52properties in inside of the city so that

2:45:54the City of Greensboro could

2:45:56widen and maintain that street.

2:45:59Um

2:46:00on the zoning map, you see the the small

2:46:04portion of right-of-way in front of 401A

2:46:09and 403 East Vandalia Road. The total

2:46:12amount of that land is 0.03 acres.

2:46:18And this is an annexation and an

2:46:19original zoning request from County

2:46:21RS-30 to City R-3.

2:46:25North of the request is zoned County

2:46:27RS-30.

2:46:29East and south of the request are zoned

2:46:31City R-3. West of the request is zoned

2:46:34City R-5.

2:46:37This is the aerial map showing that the

2:46:40subject property is currently road

2:46:42right-of-way.

2:46:44North and south of the request contain

2:46:46single-family dwellings and east and

2:46:48west of the request contain portions of

2:46:50East Vandalia Road.

2:46:53The future land use map designates the

2:46:56property as residential.

2:46:58And the future built form map designates

2:47:00the property as urban general.

2:47:03In recommending approval of the request,

2:47:05staff notes that the GSO 2040

2:47:07comprehensive plan's future built form

2:47:10map designates the subject property as

2:47:12urban general. It is also designated as

2:47:15residential on the future land use map.

2:47:17The proposed original zoning request

2:47:19supports the GSO 2040 comprehensive

2:47:21plan's filling in our framework big idea

2:47:24to arrange our land uses for where we

2:47:26live, work, attend school, shop, and

2:47:28enjoy our free time to create a more

2:47:30vibrant and livable Greensboro.

2:47:32It is also supported by the building

2:47:34community connections goal to maintain

2:47:36stable, attractive, and healthy places

2:47:38to live and raise families.

2:47:40The proposed R3 zoning district is

2:47:43primarily intended to accommodate low

2:47:45density single family residential

2:47:47development at three units per acre or

2:47:49more.

2:47:51The um

2:47:53or less. Uh this specific request is for

2:47:56a portion of road right-of-way and the

2:47:59request uh requested zoning permits uses

2:48:02that are present on adjacent tracts.

2:48:04The uh Planning and Zoning Commission

2:48:06heard this request um both the

2:48:08annexation and original zoning at the

2:48:10September 23rd, 2026 meeting and they

2:48:14recommended approval with an eight to

2:48:16zero vote on both items. There was one

2:48:18person there in favor and no opposition.

2:48:20And with that, I can answer any

2:48:21questions that you have.

2:48:22>> Any questions from council?

2:48:25We have no one signed up for the public

2:48:26hearing, so uh we could move forward

2:48:28with a motion if no questions.

2:48:32>> Move the add.

2:48:33>> Move by council member Thurn.

2:48:35>> Second.

2:48:36>> Second by my Mayor Pro Tem.

2:48:38Council, please vote.

2:48:45>> Council member Black?

2:48:47>> Yes.

2:48:48>> Council member Allen?

2:48:50>> Yes.

2:48:51>> Thank you.

2:49:06That carries 9 to 0. Then we need to go

2:49:08ahead and adopt the item I6, which

2:49:11requires statement of consistency.

2:49:13Do I hear a motion?

2:49:18Moved by Council member Marshall. Do I

2:49:19hear a second?

2:49:20>> Second.

2:49:22>> Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem. Council

2:49:23member Marshall?

2:49:26>> The Greensboro City Council believes

2:49:28that its actions to approve the original

2:49:30zoning request for the properties at

2:49:33portions of street right-of-way adjacent

2:49:35to 401A and 403 East Vandalia Road from

2:49:39County RS30 residential single-family to

2:49:43City R3 residential single-family three

2:49:46to be consistent with the adopted GSO

2:49:482040 comprehensive plan and considers

2:49:51the action taken to be reasonable and in

2:49:53the public interest for the following

2:49:54reasons.

2:49:55The request is consistent with the

2:49:57comprehensive plan's future built form

2:50:00map and future land use map. The

2:50:02proposed City R3 zoning district permits

2:50:05uses that fit the context of surround of

2:50:08surrounding area and limits

2:50:10negative impacts on the adjacent

2:50:12properties. The request is reasonable

2:50:15due to the size, physical conditions,

2:50:17and other attributes of the area. It

2:50:19will benefit the property owner and

2:50:21surrounding community and approval is in

2:50:23the public interest.

2:50:27>> All right, Council please vote. Council

2:50:29member Black?

2:50:32>> Yes.

2:50:33>> Council member Allen?

2:50:35>> Yes.

2:50:36>> Thank you.

2:50:40And that carries nine to zero.

2:50:42Uh moving on to item I7 and I8 public

2:50:45hearing for an ordinance annexing

2:50:46territory into the corporate limits for

2:50:48property at 3800 Riverdale Road

2:50:52road and portions of East Vandalia Road,

2:50:55Riverdale Road, and Pleasant Garden Road

2:50:57right of rights of way, 2.36 acres, City

2:51:01of Greensboro. And item I8 public

2:51:03hearing for an ordinance for original

2:51:05zoning for 3800 Riverdale Road and

2:51:08portions of East Vandalia Road right of

2:51:10way, City of Greensboro. Boo.

2:51:13>> Thank you, ma'am.

2:51:15This is the zoning map showing that the

2:51:17subject property contains um

2:51:20uh about 2.56 acres and is located east

2:51:24of Wood Bluff Drive and west of Pleasant

2:51:27Garden Road. This is an annexation and

2:51:29an original zoning request from county

2:51:32RS30 and county RS40 to city R3.

2:51:37North and east of the request are zoned

2:51:39county RS30 and county RS40.

2:51:43And south of the request is zoned county

2:51:45RS30. West of the request is zoned city

2:51:48R3.

2:51:49This is the aerial map showing that the

2:51:52property um the properties

2:51:55uh that are requested with this um

2:51:57annexation and original zoning

2:51:59currently contain portions of East

2:52:01Vandalia Road, Riverdale Road, and

2:52:04undeveloped land. North and south of the

2:52:06request contain single-family dwellings,

2:52:09portion of railroad right of way,

2:52:11uh and a portion of Riverdale Road right

2:52:14of way.

2:52:15East of the request contains

2:52:16single-family dwellings, portion of

2:52:18Pleasant Garden Road right of way, and

2:52:20west of the request contains

2:52:21single-family dwellings and a portion uh

2:52:24and portions of East Vandalia right of

2:52:27way.

2:52:30The future land use map designates the

2:52:32subject properties as both residential

2:52:35and industrial.

2:52:37And the future built format designates

2:52:41the properties as urban general and

2:52:43industrial.

2:52:46In recommending approval of this

2:52:47request, staff notes that the GSO 2040

2:52:50comprehensive plans future built format

2:52:52designates the subject properties as

2:52:54urban general and industrial. The

2:52:57subject properties are designated as

2:52:59residential and industrial on the future

2:53:00land use map.

2:53:02The proposed original zoning request

2:53:04supports the GSO 2040 comprehensive

2:53:07plans filling in our framework big idea

2:53:09to arrange our land uses for where we

2:53:11live, work, attend school, shop, and

2:53:14enjoy our free time to create a more

2:53:16vibrant and livable Greensboro.

2:53:18It is also supported by the building

2:53:20community connections goal to maintain

2:53:22stable, attractive, and healthy places

2:53:24to live and raise families. The proposed

2:53:27R3 zoning district is primarily intended

2:53:30to accommodate single-family detached

2:53:32residential development up to three

2:53:34dwelling units per acre. The request

2:53:36facilitates the improvement of East

2:53:39Wendover Road and permits uses,

2:53:41specifically the the zoning requested,

2:53:44permits uses that are present on

2:53:45adjacent tracts.

2:53:47The annexation and original zoning

2:53:49requests were both recommended for

2:53:52approval by the planning and zoning

2:53:53commission at their September 23rd, 2026

2:53:57meeting, and the vote was eight to zero

2:54:00on both accounts, and there were no

2:54:01speakers. I can answer any questions

2:54:03that you have.

2:54:04>> All right, any questions?

2:54:07Hearing none, and there are no speakers

2:54:09signed up for this item, so I would

2:54:11entertain a motion on I7.

2:54:14>> I'll move.

2:54:16>> I would

2:54:17And for a second? Seconded by I mean

2:54:19I'm sorry, motion by Councilmember

2:54:21Holden, seconded by Councilmember

2:54:23Marshall. Council, please vote.

2:54:25Councilmember Black?

2:54:28>> Yes.

2:54:29>> And council member Allen?

2:54:32>> Aye.

2:54:34>> Thank you.

2:54:38And that carries 9 to 0. And now item

2:54:41I8, and that requires statement of

2:54:43consistency. Do I hear a motion?

2:54:46>> So moved.

2:54:46>> Moved by council member Holdsten.

2:54:48Second?

2:54:49>> Second.

2:54:50>> Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem.

2:54:52Council, please vote.

2:54:55Mr. Holdsten?

2:54:57>> Thank you, Madam Mayor.

2:54:59The Greensboro City Council believes its

2:55:01action to approve the original zoning

2:55:03request for the properties at portions

2:55:06of East Vandalia Road right-of-way, east

2:55:08and west of Riverdale Road, and all of

2:55:113800 Riverdale Road from County RS30 and

2:55:15County RS40 residential single family to

2:55:18City R3 residential single family 3 to

2:55:21be consistent with the adopted GSO 2040

2:55:24Comprehensive Plan, and considers the

2:55:26action taken to be reasonable and the

2:55:28public interest for the following

2:55:29reasons.

2:55:30The request is consistent with the

2:55:32comprehensive plan's future built form

2:55:34map and future land use map. The

2:55:36proposed City R3 zoning district permits

2:55:38uses that fit the context of surrounding

2:55:41area and limits negative impacts on the

2:55:43adjacent properties, and the request is

2:55:45reasonable due to the size, physical

2:55:48conditions, and other attributes of the

2:55:50area. It will benefit the property owner

2:55:52and surrounding community, and approval

2:55:54is in the public interest.

2:55:56All right.

2:55:57Uh votes in progress. Council member

2:56:00Black?

2:56:01>> Yes.

2:56:03>> And council member Allen?

2:56:04>> Yes.

2:56:05>> Thank you.

2:56:10And that carries 9 to 0.

2:56:13Moving on to item I9, ordinance

2:56:15designating the North State Milling

2:56:17Company building, 816 South Elm Street,

2:56:20tax parcel 1390, as a Guilford County

2:56:23local historic landmark. We do have a

2:56:26speaker for this one.

2:56:28Issue online. Okay, I would need to open

2:56:30the public hearing.

2:56:33Do I hear a motion?

2:56:35Moved by council member Thurm, seconded

2:56:36by council member Hope Holston. I have a

2:56:39Ms. Stewart.

2:56:41Samantha

2:56:42>> Hi, yes, I'm here.

2:56:43Good evening.

2:56:47Hi, I'm Samantha Stewart. I'm a

2:56:48preservation consultant with Gate City

2:56:50Preservation and I completed the local

2:56:53landmark report for the North State

2:56:55Milling Company, which is located at 816

2:56:58South Elm Street. Built in 1912, the

2:57:01building stands as a rare example of an

2:57:03early 20th century roller mill. And

2:57:05architecturally, the building continues

2:57:07to embody the functional design of

2:57:08industrial buildings from the era.

2:57:11The building functioned as a grain mill

2:57:12from its construction in 1912 until its

2:57:14closure in 2001.

2:57:17Grain first arrived by rail and then

2:57:18later by truck, was processed and then

2:57:21across the region or sold on site.

2:57:23Brands manufactured at the mill included

2:57:25Joy brand cornmeal and daily bread

2:57:27flour.

2:57:28Grain silos, wooden ceilings, floors,

2:57:30and structural members, corbeled brick

2:57:32cornices, terracotta parapets, and

2:57:34milling equipment remain intact. The

2:57:37exterior also displays historic painted

2:57:39signage. The site marks the transition

2:57:42between downtown's commercial district

2:57:43and the industrial core South

2:57:45Greensboro. I'm happy to answer any

2:57:47questions you may have about the local

2:57:49landmark report or anything else about

2:57:51the building. Thank you. All right, any

2:57:53questions for Ms. Stewart?

2:57:57Hearing none, I would like a motion to

2:57:59close the public hearing.

2:58:01Moved by council member Thurm.

2:58:03Uh

2:58:04seconded by council member Holston.

2:58:07All right, council, please vote. Council

2:58:09member Black.

2:58:12Yes.

2:58:13And council member Allen.

2:58:15>> Mayor, we need a to do

2:58:16>> yes.

2:58:17>> a motion for

2:58:19I think there was motion to close it. We

2:58:20need somebody to move that.

2:58:21>> Oh, oh, okay. So, you

2:58:24Did we close the public hearing? Yes.

2:58:26And so, Council Did you want a motion on

2:58:28this item?

2:58:29Okay. And second?

2:58:32Seconded Councilmember Crawford. Sorry

2:58:33about that. Uh and Council, please vote.

2:58:36And Councilmember Black, you were a yes.

2:58:37Councilmember Allen?

2:58:39>> Yes.

2:58:40>> Thank you.

2:58:52And that carries 9 to 0. Item I10, and

2:58:56we also have someone to speak. Ordinance

2:58:58designating the Pilot Life Insurance

2:59:00Company Campus, 5300 High Point Road,

2:59:03tax parcel number

2:59:06156629

2:59:08as a Guilford County local historic

2:59:11landmark.

2:59:13Is there someone to speak to this?

2:59:15>> Yeah. Uh

2:59:16Herb Goldman is representing the

2:59:17property owner and can answer any

2:59:18questions that you might have on this

2:59:20item.

2:59:20>> Okay.

2:59:22So, I guess I do still need to open the

2:59:25public hearing, correct, Madam Attorney,

2:59:27Madam City Attorney? Uh so, I would like

2:59:29a motion to open the the public hearing.

2:59:33Made by Councilmember Hostetler. Do I

2:59:34hear a second?

2:59:36Seconded by Councilmember Parker. Yes,

2:59:38go ahead, please.

2:59:45>> Good evening, Madam Mayor and City

2:59:47Council members. My name is Herb

2:59:49Goldman. I'm with Clachan Properties. Uh

2:59:52we're out of Virginia. We're an adaptive

2:59:54reuse developer

2:59:55that um specializes in these types of

2:59:58buildings. In the last 25 years,

3:00:02we've probably renovated 15 or 20 of

3:00:04them.

3:00:05And so, you've got a real gem here.

3:00:08And I don't know I mean, you you all

3:00:10probably know more about the building

3:00:11than I do, but since we acquired it 4 or

3:00:145 years ago, we've learned a lot. And

3:00:17one of the cool things about my business

3:00:19is you get to know the buildings and the

3:00:21history of the buildings. For example,

3:00:24did you know that gentleman that

3:00:26built this

3:00:27also built Sedgefield and the whole

3:00:30Sedgefield community. And he was the

3:00:33master developer in the 1920s.

3:00:37Another interesting fact that we learned

3:00:39in researching the building is

3:00:42back then, corporate offices were

3:00:44downtown.

3:00:46Never out in the suburbs. And he was one

3:00:49of the visionaries of changing the way

3:00:51we think about

3:00:53um treating our employees in a park-like

3:00:57setting.

3:00:58And there are only two buildings in the

3:01:00United States at that time in the entire

3:01:03country that implemented his vision. You

3:01:07know what the other one is? Bell Labs in

3:01:09New England.

3:01:11So, you're in real special, you know,

3:01:14um

3:01:15uh place uh

3:01:17for for a building of that age. It was

3:01:19it was quite something 100 years ago.

3:01:23And since we've acquired it and done a

3:01:25lot of background work and things like

3:01:27that, I've had a number of people come

3:01:29up to me and say,

3:01:31"My parents took me through that

3:01:32building when I was a child." Cuz yet

3:01:35there was a live nativity scene that you

3:01:37drove through. And I've I've heard so

3:01:40many times about local Greensboro folks

3:01:42telling me the history of of Pilot Life.

3:01:46So, we're here to try to save it. It's

3:01:48it's going to be a doozy. Um but it's a

3:01:51spectacular building that we need to try

3:01:53to preserve. So,

3:01:55if you have any questions for me, I'm

3:01:57happy to answer them, hopefully. And

3:02:00so

3:02:01>> Any questions?

3:02:04Comment? Councilman Durham.

3:02:06>> I'm thrilled to see you all take this

3:02:09building on and try preserve it. 43

3:02:13years ago, I had a my wedding reception

3:02:15out there.

3:02:16>> Oh, wow.

3:02:17>> at that property, and so it holds very

3:02:19fond memories for me.

3:02:22Um and it's a it's a beautiful property.

3:02:24It's a beautiful building, and it's very

3:02:27exciting to see that come back to life.

3:02:29So, thank you for for taking on this

3:02:31project.

3:02:32>> the good Lord to bring down interest

3:02:34rates.

3:02:36>> You know, I would I want to thank you as

3:02:38well because um as Tammy was saying,

3:02:40it's a beautiful building, and I'm sure

3:02:42you remember probably what uh less than

3:02:4510 years ago there was

3:02:47uh the possibility it might be torn

3:02:49down.

3:02:50And I know that there was a massive

3:02:52community uh

3:02:54lift to try to save it. So, um I do know

3:02:58that was in the works at one time, and

3:03:00that broke my heart because I've heard

3:03:01all of the stories about how wonderful

3:03:03it was.

3:03:04>> Yeah. [snorts]

3:03:04>> So,

3:03:05>> it's it's something. I don't know if

3:03:06you've been inside of it, but it's it's,

3:03:09you know, as you would think a large

3:03:11insurance company would do, just really

3:03:14unique things on the interior. So,

3:03:17>> and I would say, you know, we've done

3:03:1915, 20 buildings between Virginia, North

3:03:22Carolina, and South Carolina. This is

3:03:25This is dear to my heart because it's a

3:03:27special building in your state.

3:03:29>> Right.

3:03:29>> So, there are not many like this in

3:03:31North Carolina. So,

3:03:33we're going to do our best to to

3:03:34preserve it.

3:03:35>> Thank you. Thank you so much. Okay,

3:03:38motion to close the public hearing?

3:03:40Moved by Council member Therm. Do I hear

3:03:41a second? Second public hearing is

3:03:43closed. All right, uh

3:03:46to adopt the ordinance, item I-10. We

3:03:49have just heard about that. I would

3:03:50accept a motion.

3:03:52>> Move the item.

3:03:52>> Moved by Council member Therm. Do I hear

3:03:54a second?

3:03:55Seconded by Council member Parker.

3:03:57Council, please vote.

3:04:16>> And Councilmember Black?

3:04:18>> Yes.

3:04:18>> Councilmember Allen?

3:04:20>> Um, yes.

3:04:25>> And that carries nine to zero. Thank you

3:04:27so much.

3:04:29All right. We have no general business

3:04:32items, so uh the rest of our agenda are

3:04:35matters to be presented by the city

3:04:37manager.

3:04:41>> Madam Mayor and Council, uh first I want

3:04:43to say um

3:04:45uh

3:04:46a very real heartfelt thank you to you

3:04:49all for the opportunity to serve in this

3:04:51role.

3:04:52Uh thank you for, you know, all that we

3:04:54have worked on together through this

3:04:56year, through your first year.

3:04:58Um and thank you for the encouragement,

3:05:00the feedback. Um our staff members

3:05:02appreciate it and we will continue to

3:05:04work hard. Um one more update, I know

3:05:06that, you know, as we get closer to the

3:05:09anticipation of

3:05:11uh the 100th GHO,

3:05:13uh there are a number of questions uh

3:05:15that you all may have. I think there

3:05:18are

3:05:19uh anticipations that will be a very

3:05:21large crowd and you all as Council have

3:05:23done a tremendous job of making sure uh

3:05:25the preparations and plans are in place.

3:05:28Uh there are a number of things that

3:05:29that we're making sure

3:05:31uh are being done as it relates to

3:05:32traffic and um monitoring of different

3:05:35areas. Uh there's some traffic things

3:05:37along Gate City Boulevard. I do want to

3:05:39assure you that you all will receive

3:05:42some email updates so you can have it in

3:05:44case you need to send it. Um for the

3:05:47homecoming concert at the Coliseum, uh

3:05:51that area of Gate City Boulevard that's

3:05:52being worked on so we can meet some

3:05:54other milestones. Uh that work will be

3:05:57stopped for that time period doing

3:05:59homecoming so that all um lanes of

3:06:03travel are open. I know that it appears

3:06:05a little rough right now, but I've got

3:06:07an update from our transportation folks

3:06:09that they will uh try to neaten things

3:06:11up to make sure uh they're in the best

3:06:13condition uh can be. Um but again, uh if

3:06:16you if you have any questions at all, uh

3:06:19please let us know. Uh if you have any

3:06:22concerns, uh if you need information, uh

3:06:25we're available. And again, thank you so

3:06:27much.

3:06:28>> Thank you. All right, Madam City

3:06:30Attorney.

3:06:31Nothing this evening? All right. Uh

3:06:34anything else from council?

3:06:36Sure.

3:06:36>> Just one comment to Mr. uh City Manager.

3:06:39Thanks so much for that update about the

3:06:41transportation. I know that that with

3:06:43the excitement of J'ouvert coming in,

3:06:45uh

3:06:46the 100th, the 200-plus thousand folks,

3:06:49we know that uh you know, the hotels are

3:06:51going to be swamped. We know that at the

3:06:55the west end of of Gate City, there's

3:06:57going to be a large contingent of of

3:06:59hoteliers uh serving uh those visitors.

3:07:02We have the First Horizon Coliseum,

3:07:04which is also

3:07:06uh right there on Gate City Boulevard.

3:07:08And then coming into downtown at the at

3:07:10the south end of Elm Street and the like

3:07:12on Gate City. So, uh hearing those

3:07:15updates about Gate City being uh up and

3:07:18fully functional, uh no closures so that

3:07:21those who are in town can get where

3:07:23they're going and get there quickly so

3:07:24they can enjoy themselves and be safe is

3:07:27extremely important. And thank you for

3:07:28that update. Uh also, uh I know that

3:07:31last week or so, there was some work

3:07:32being done on the railroads. Uh is all

3:07:35that work completed also throughout the

3:07:37city?

3:07:38>> Y- Yes, sir. That has been completed.

3:07:40Yes, sir.

3:07:41>> So, great. So, we're ready to roll.

3:07:43>> We are ready. Thank you all.

3:07:45>> Thank you. Anyone else?

3:07:47I would accept a motion to adjourn.

3:07:51I

3:07:52All All we are adjourned. Thank you all

3:07:54very much.

3:08:12>> [music]

3:08:17[music]

3:08:25[music]

3:08:33[music]

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