Greensboro demolishes Regency Inn paving the way for a new housing project

A former motel in Greensboro where a long-delayed supportive housing project was set to be established was acquired by the city and demolished last week.

The Regency Inn was supposed to be transformed into housing for the chronically homeless. The city originally loaned nonprofit developer Partnership Homes $3 million to do just that in 2021.

The group was unable to secure additional needed funding to complete the project. The city then directed another nonprofit, Step Up on Second, to take over, but that deal fell through too.

In August, the City Council voted to pay Partnership Homes an additional $210,500 to buy back the property. Council member Zack Matheny said at that meeting he supported the move, but was disappointed in how it came about.

"There's no question that this was an extremely poorly run project from the get-go," he said. "This the worst project I've ever seen the city run."

The building was in such a state of disrepair that the city decided to demolish it. Housing officials are looking for a new partner to transform the site.

The city is now accepting Requests for Proposals for its development.