GREENSBORO, NC -- After years of fighting, some neighbors have changed their minds about retail rezoning near the Friendly Center.
For the first time, Atlanta based Halpern Development Company is receiving a show of support from neighbors regarding a proposal to build a shopping center near the intersection of Hobbs Road and Friendly Avenue.
However, as there was in the past, there's still a lot of people who are ready to give up on their fight.
"You want your neighborhood to stay your neighborhood," said Scott Kinsey, a neighbor and the Chair of the Friendly Coalition.
Attorney Tom Terrel says the majority of homeowners in the Hobbs Landing neighborhood are now backing a plan for redevelopment in the area.
He says they reached a deal with homeowners with a list of conditions including limited hours of operation, limited lighting, and a large brick wall between the proposed shopping center and the development.
"We are doing everything we can to make this a compatible development that would work in every respect next to a residential neighborhood," said Terrell. "There would be even controls on the types of construction for the dumpsters. So the dumpsters don't create noise when they are being emptied. "
But Kinsey says he and 500 other petition signers aren't backing down.
"This is a development that is not needed and not wanted," said Kinsey. "There is no reason, logical reason, to rezone this property. It just doesn't make any sense."
Meanwhile, Terrell says it's time for a change and the neighborhood is ready for more development.
"With 30,000 cars going down friendly every day, this is not a residential street, it is something more than that," Terrell said. "It's time for this particular area to transition."
Greensboro City Council is holding a public hearing on Tuesday to give folks a chance to talk about the rezoning plans. Kinsey said that he and a large group of supports plan to be there.
"This is not incremental growth. It's not incremental job growth," said Kinsey. "It's just an out-of-state developer that's trying to get a piece of the pie in an area that doesn't need it and doesn't want it. It's just frustrating."
Greensboro City Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson tells WFMY News 2 that initially, she was against the idea. But, now that there seems to be some changes in the works, she said she could be open to changing her mind.
