After a quarter century and $54 million, Greensboro’s Downtown Greenway is officially open.
On a sunny and warm late morning, about an hour before the big ribbon-cutting ceremony for the multi-use path that surrounds the Gate City, people have already begun gathering at the Guilford Avenue entrance to the Greenway, just blocks from downtown. It’s a festive atmosphere. Dozens of large, multi-colored banners blow in the breeze with slogans like “Walk, Ride, Explore.” There’s live music, food vendors, circus performers and lots of smiling faces.
Soaking it all in is Dabney Sanders. She’s been the project manager for the Downtown Greenway since 2007. As she makes her way through the crowded pathway, Sanders gets pulled aside every ten yards or so by folks who stop to show their appreciation.
"We are really feeling the energy and excitement from the whole community," says Sanders. "And whether that's from someone who lives in a neighborhood nearby that's just using it with their family, to business leaders, to elected officials. We've been getting calls from across the country and publicity across the country congratulating us on this occasion, and I have to say that feels really good."
Sanders says, so far, this public-private partnership has generated more than $600 million in private economic development. She adds that last year, the unfinished trail was visited more than 150,000 times.
Jake Keys is the vice president of marketing and communications for the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. He calls this a legacy that goes beyond commerce.
"It connects eight neighborhoods," he says. "So you can just loop around Greensboro, and you go through all these different neighborhoods, and here you are on a nice path that you can either bike, walk, jog — you can do anything, and get to another neighborhood. Visit friends, you can get to a restaurant. It connects people, connects neighborhoods, connects our community."
Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter stands near a 22-foot-tall sculpture — seven enormous earth-toned concrete bowls stacked on top of each other. It’s one of the more than 40 artwork installations scattered throughout the new corridor in gathering places, on bridges, and embedded in the trail itself.
Abuzuaiter scans the busy scene and recalls when all this was just a thought 25 years ago.
"Now it has come to fruition, taken a long time, a lot of blood, sweat and tears for everyone, the planners, the architects, you know, the Greenway Committee, and I think that we are seeing what a city can do when everyone comes together, builds relationships, collaborates with private and public partnerships, and we've got it all going," she says.
And that’s a sentiment shared by many of the people assembled here. It’s a diverse crowd, and there’s a strong sense of community in the air.
David Hurt juggles near the main stage. He was born and raised in Greensboro and attended some of the initial planning meetings for the greenway. He says back then it seemed like a pipe dream since so much of the land needed to complete the project was owned by different people. He says he’s amazed that it all finally came together.
"There's been a tradition of the East Side and West Side in Greensboro, and I think that this is kind of an attempt to bridge that gap," says Hurt. "There’s been historic exclusion, and I think it's time for that to end, you know. And this is a step in that direction, I believe."
Donna Jones came from Winston-Salem to attend the ribbon-cutting. She says she visited about a year ago to preview the yet-to-be-completed trail and see the sites, and she was determined to come back.
"I also like the fact that the trail walks along a historic site, the Magnolia House, so that's where I actually got to see where the Magnolia House was, because of this trail and some of the other art that's dedicated to African American history and the neighborhoods," says Jones. "So, I'm pretty excited about today."
Gail Dempsey originally moved to Greensboro after finishing her Phd, left the city in pursuit of a new job, and returned because she missed it here.
"I'm super excited that so many people are out here on a nice day to see the opening of a greenway," she says. "Greenways make Greensboro like a gem, so people want to move here."
John Davis and his wife Robin live two blocks away.
"So, we've seen it in all of its stages, and we're just thrilled that it's finally open, and they've done such a terrific job," says Davis.
David Heenan is here with his wife, Hannah Wineburg Heenan, and their young sons, Jack and Jacob. The family moved to Greensboro from Atlanta, where they had a similar Beltline.
"And it transformed the city and neighborhoods wherever it went," he says. "I think we used it almost every weekend to get to your favorite restaurant, or just to be out there with no plan whatsoever. So, I think this is going to be great for Greensboro, and a lovely place to have the kids ride their bikes around."
Around noon, Mayor Abuzuaiter, Project Manager Dabney Sanders and City Manager Trey Davis wield enormous scissors and cut the ribbon along the trail, officially opening the newly completed Downtown Greenway.
It’s one of about a dozen in the Gate City. The paved 4-mile loop connects to local trails, like the Atlantic and Yadkin Greenway, and larger routes, including the East Coast Greenway and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.