High Point adopts Southwest Mill District area plan after months of outreach; residents press water, displacement concerns

High Point City Council on Tuesday adopted the Southwest Mill District area plan, a policy document and recommended zoning framework aimed at encouraging mixed‑use redevelopment in a 171‑acre industrial area southwest of downtown.

The plan, presented by Andy Piper of the city planning department and Margaret Flippen of Dover Coal and Partners, recommends creating a new “Southwest Mill District” zoning district to allow a mix of uses, revise land‑development standards to support a walkable environment, and improve connectivity with the proposed Southwest Heritage Greenway. Piper said the next steps will be an amendment to the development ordinance and a zoning map amendment; city staff will gather property‑owner signatures under recent state law before those rezoning hearings.

“By creating a walkable, mixed‑use district, the intended plan is to preserve the physical character, support for infill and…spark redevelopment,” Flippen told the council in a slide presentation. She and Piper described the area’s existing land use as predominantly industrial but noted the greatest number of parcels are vacant or underutilized.

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