Implementation Task Force
For High Point to succeed at implementing High Point 2045 it must remain at the forefront of mind. It must become part of doing business in every relevant city department and it must have someone or something holding people accountable. The HP2045 Implementation Task Force is a broad-based coalition of public, non-profit, and private entities all pulling in the same direction and supporting one another.
The organization of the Task Force is yet to be determined. Conceptually, it’s one large group with representation from each relevant city department along with other key private and non-for-profit organizations. Sub-committees for each of the three priority areas could be created and involve only those representatives necessary for that priority area. Some representatives could be involved in more than one priority area. It’s important to involve only the people and organizations that have the best interest of the city in mind and have the resources and expertise to help implement High Point 2045. People and organizations with self-serving interests should not be on the Task Force.
Strategic Initiatives refer to carefully planned actions or projects that will need to undertaken to achieve this plan’s desired outcomes for each of the Big Things. These initiatives are purposefully designed to bring about significant changes, improvements, and/or advancements that demonstrate incremental progress along each stage of implementation until the initiative has been fully executed.
These initiatives are characterized by their alignment with the broader strategic vision for the city and will require collaboration among many city departments – an endeavor that will require city staff to play an outsized role and will demand significant resources, including funding to ensure success. Moreover, the public, private, and nonprofit sectors will need to collaborate in ways that may feel uncomfortable at first, but should become normalized over time.
These initiatives are characterized by their alignment with the broader strategic vision for the city and will require collaboration among many city departments – an endeavor that will require city staff to play an outsized role and will demand significant resources, including funding to ensure success. Moreover, the public, private, and nonprofit sectors will need to collaborate in ways that may feel uncomfortable at first, but should become normalized over time.
At every stage of public outreach during this comprehensive planning process, residents from the northern and southern neighborhoods were very clear – the city of High Point feels like two cities or, in some cases, three or four cities. In other words, the city feels divided economically, socially, racially, and visually. In a strange and unforeseen way, recognition of this division (these divisions) united the community. Collectively, the residents prioritized correcting this divide as a Big Thing that the comprehensive plan should address.
Sometimes quality of life can be hard to measure but a simple drive through northern High Point and southern High Point provides a distinct scale that quickly confirms significant differences – condition of housing, state of road and sidewalk infrastructure, number of vacant or abandoned structures, and quality of public schools. The recommended initiatives are designed to begin to meaningfully move the needle to guarantee improvements in the quality of life for the city’s residents, specifically those who live in south High Point.
The home furnishings market (High Point Market) has been able to solidify itself as the mainstay of downtown and today occupies more than 180 buildings. Its biannual Market attracts more than 150,000 visitors annually. However, outside the home furnishings market, downtown has suffered from decades of disinvestment, despite several planning efforts. In recent years downtown is showing signs of a rebirth, especially in and around what is known as the “Social District.” This area includes Truist Point, which opened in 2019 as a baseball stadium but has since evolved as a multi-use stadium for baseball, soccer and other events. Congdon Yards – a multi-purpose building with flexible workspace – and Stock & Grain Food Hall and several other restaurants and bars have opened nearby. Market rate housing and a nearby hotel is also under development. In addition, Downtown High Point - a non-profit organization focused on redeveloping downtown beyond the Furniture Market – is a champion for downtown that is doing exciting things.
These are all great signs for downtown but it’s just the start. There is a lot of work yet to be done to realize its full potential. It’s going to take a proactive approach by City Hall and local stakeholders working together to build on recent success, leverage local assets, and a continued commitment to making downtown the vibrant activity center that people want it to be. What people want downtown to be is also connected to the value per acre and the return on investment for infrastructure. Opportunities for small businesses to create the foundation for downtown development should be fostered.
Much of the growth framework as outlined in the previous section hinges on land use, quality site and building design, and the integration of both of those things with the transportation system. Updating the development ordinance is the most important initiative that must take place to have a chance of realizing the High Point 2045 vision. However, it’s only of part of the equation. The city must commit to creating great streets for all users. That doesn’t mean that every street needs to be everything, but it does mean that a street typology based on context and place types rather than functional class must be developed. To achieve this might require the reallocation of space from the automobile via the reduction in lane width and / or number of lanes. The streets must coordinate with the district framework and the development standards in the ordinance. This will require a strong working relationship between the city’s Transportation Department and the Planning and Development Department. Together they must raise expectations and standards and decision-making bodies must hold to them.
Housing is and will likely continue to be a major focus for people across the country. However, the supply shortages we are experiencing now will likely loosen over the next several years as interest rates stabilize and the demographic shift associated with our senior population begins to take shape. It’s not the time to panic and let local homebuilders drive city housing policy. More single-unit homes in greenfield development will not solve the housing shortage. The update of the development code should be looking to preserve greenfield land and provide flexibility to build more types of housing in more districts in more walkable neighborhoods.