By April Harris

One thing I love about living in Greensboro is the numbers of times I hear other people say, “I love living here.”  We are all truly fortunate. Greensboro has beautiful parks and greenways, easy commutes, friendly people, a wealth of educational and cultural opportunities, and a vibrant downtown.  It’s a city that’s easy to live in and easy to love.

At the same time, I am increasingly disheartened by the way we make decisions about growth and development. There’s something very wrong about decisions made in a reactive rather than proactive manner, when long-term choices are forced into a short-term pressure cooker of emotions and deadlines. 
 
For the third time in three years, my neighbors in Starmount Forest, Hobbs Landing, Wedgewood, and beyond are dealing with a rezoning request on Friendly Avenue that will change our neighborhood forever. We are deeply involved in the decisions because we believe they will have a long term impact on traffic movement, pedestrian safety, property values, and overall quality of life in the city we love. Yet, each time it always comes down to a winner and a loser.  Why does it have to be this way? 

From an OpEd published in the Greensboro News and Record.  Read the rest here.