Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the University Expansion And Greenway topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents praise High Point University withdrawal of greenway relocation; call for greater community engagement on campus expansion
Summary
Public commenters said High Point University withdrew a proposed greenway relocation after community opposition; speakers urged the university and city to involve neighbors earlier on development plans. Council members praised university volunteer work, while residents raised concerns about home buyouts and loss of historic structures.
Speakers at the High Point City Council public comment period said High Point University withdrew a proposal to relocate a city greenway and that university leadership committed not to reintroduce the plan during the current president’s tenure.
Sam Lasine, a resident who addressed the council, said he met with university leadership and that “Dr. Quibane acknowledged that in proposing the relocation, the university had only considered its own needs and had not considered the interests of the community.” Lasine said Dr. Quibane committed that he “would not propose to limit, relocate, close, or otherwise impact the Greenway,” and Lasine thanked the university for the withdrawal and the public commitment.
Other residents used the public comment period to express broader concerns about the university’s expansion. Kirby Hurd said the campus has grown substantially over decades and described closures and demolitions that, in his view, reduced historic housing and neighborhood cohesion. “I see family businesses that are shuttered and homes that are either knocked down or turned into short‑term rentals,” Hurd said, and he asked the university and city for more transparency and community forums.
At the dais Mayor Cyril Jefferson acknowledged both neighborhood concerns and the university’s community contributions, saying he believed HPU has been a partner and that volunteers from the university provide substantial service across the city. Mayor Pro Tem Moore defended the university’s record and said assertions that the university lowballed homeowners are contradicted by public records: “That’s a matter of public record, if you care to go find it,” Moore said. Moore also noted emergency‑response issues were discussed during past public meetings on street closures.
Council members clarified that a prior campus presentation to a council committee had been informational rather than a formal proposal. “I should have made it crystal clear that it was only a presentation,” said one council member who chairs the Prosperity, Livability and Safety Committee, apologizing for any confusion.
Speakers and council members asked that future major campus plans include earlier community input to reduce conflict and increase buy‑in.
