Greensboro city manager announces goal to build 10,000 housing units

Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis announced Thursday a plan to add 10,000 housing units to the city over the next few years.

The proposal aims to add one-third of the units Guilford County needs by 2030, according to a study. For perspective, Greensboro approved building permits for 1,500 new units last year, according to the city's planning department.

The "Road to 10,000" plan was first revealed at a city council retreat. Davis said at the retreat that economic development throughout Greensboro has intensified the demand for housing.

"We want to make sure that our growth is not outpacing our communities, and that we also are not displacing communities in our area, but also the areas that need attention," he said.

To reach the new goal the city is creating a work group that is expected to launch in the next 30 days. Its focus will be assessing the existing inventory of properties, identifying potential development sites and evaluating barriers to building more units.

Davis said a more specific timeline for the goal will be presented to the city council in a future work session.