I’m sure by now you have heard about the Urban Loop and the fiasco that it has caused around Greensboro.
I was just on the City of Greensboro’s Web site and noticed that the interactive map that helps people figure out if their home is in the path of the loop is now up and running. I was a bit intrigued so I decided to look up the address of a condo (new at time of purchase) I bought on Cotswold Avenue when I was 20 years old (sold it about four years ago). See the image (click to enlarge) below.
My building was the one with the star over it, and according to this image the view from my bedroom would be changed from woods to interstate. Now this is when one might say, “Well you should have done your research.” Again, I was 20 years old, it was my first home and yes… I was probably very ‘green.’ I remember being extremely happy the day I closed, in fact, so happy that I slept on the floor (couldn’t move my furniture until later that weekend) that evening.
Prior to making the purchase I specifically remember the agent on duty mentioning a “loop that will circle Greensboro” and that “it was not going to be in close proximity to the unit I was buying.” In no way was I told that a major interstate would be right next to the building.
I just called GDOT and had them look up the address. Upon doing so I said,
“So, according to this image would the building stay or be torn down?”
The response was a bit vague,
“Funding has not been obtained for this portion of the loop and land acquisition has not yet started.”
If I still lived in that condo I’d be worried that my home was either going to be torn down or that I would be living next to an “absolute nightmare,” according to those that have already been impacted. This is a huge mess that is going to negatively impact Greensboro for many years to come.
As a matter of fact, at the corner of Cotswold and Old Battleground there is a relatively new townhome complex ($200k price range I think) and it appears that several of those units will have to be torn down. I can’t for the life of me understand why developments were approved (without modifications) that are going to be negatively impacted by this loop.
Hopefully this will emphasize the importance of planning in the future.
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