Greensboro mayor unveils 'Vision 36,' sets 10,000-home target by 2030

Mayor Mary Kay Abuzalaf used her first State of the City address to introduce Vision 36, a 10-year strategic framework that will guide how the city evaluates investments and major projects. Speaking at the Pearl, Abuzalaf said the framework centers on five priorities — talent retention, geographic equity, stakeholder alignment, income structure and staff readiness — and will be used to ask a single question of proposals: “Does this make Greensboro stronger?”

The mayor announced a signature housing goal, the “Road to 10,000,” aimed at increasing Greensboro’s housing capacity by 10,000 units by 2030. “As of today, more than 3,200 homes are under construction or completed,” Abuzalaf said, providing a breakdown she attributed to city monitoring: 1,720 apartments, 12 duplexes, 805 single-family homes and 662 townhomes. The address also highlighted a new Rise Infill loan program under the Office of Economic Development to support redevelopment of underutilized commercial properties into housing and mixed-use projects.

Abuzalaf framed Vision 36 as a decision-making framework rather than a prescriptive plan. “We’ll show our work along the way,” she said, adding that initiatives will be evaluated for how they broaden access, retain talent and pay for themselves over time. The mayor cited recent private-sector commitments and relocations — including a U.S. manufacturing facility for Lumencity and expansions by Legacy Federal Credit Union and Hoffman and Hoffman — as momentum the city intends to leverage.

The mayor also noted steps already taken on housing and code enforcement: “We most recently revised our ordinances to improve housing quality and give code enforcement the much-needed tools that they need,” she said, without providing ordinance numbers. She urged ongoing community engagement in moving Vision 36 from concept to action and said the city will prioritize transparency and partnership as projects advance.

Next steps: the mayor said the Vision 36 rollout is beginning and staff will continue outreach and development of implementation details. Abuzalaf closed the address by inviting residents to remain engaged as the city translates the framework into specific initiatives and investments.