City of Greensboro seeks developer to purchase and revitalize old Regency Inn property for affordable housing

Featured photo: The Regency Inn’s sign over the summer, now gone along with the building. (Photo by Gale Melcher)

Swinging into an empty parking lot at 2701 N. O. Henry Blvd. in Greensboro, it feels like something is missing.

For those familiar with the city, the ghost of the Regency Inn still lingers in the space where it once stood.

Earlier this month, the building was razed, leaving nothing but slabs of concrete more than 65 years after its roof was raised in 1957. The inn welcomed visitors until 2021. More recently, it housed unsheltered individuals during the winter months.

In recent years, the hotel has been mired with constant change. The city first loaned nonprofit developer Partnership Homes $3 million to rehabilitate the hotel for housing for houseless individuals, but they weren’t able to follow through and gather additional financing to make the project come to fruition.

Then, in May 2023, the city agreed to work with Step Up on Second, a nonprofit organization that creates permanent supportive housing for the houseless nationwide. This type of housing offers chronically houseless residents a combination of housing plus supportive services and case management. But problems soon surfaced as construction delays and more unfulfilled promises piled up. Eventually, the city had to buy the property back from Partnership Homes, opting to demolish the building once they realized it couldn’t be saved.

The Regency Inn, or what’s left of it. (Photo by Gale Melcher)

Now, the city is looking for a developer who will build low-income and affordable housing on the site, serving households that make 80 percent or below AMI, or area median income. The median household income in Guilford County is $65,413. 

According to the city, proposals that include permanent supportive housing components may be evaluated more favorably. 

What’s next?

The city is holding two presubmittal conferences for those interested in the sale and redevelopment of the property. According to the city’s request for proposals, all interested developers are “highly encouraged” to attend a meeting. Questions can be emailed to Neighborhood Improvement Manager Grant Duffield at [email protected] until Dec. 9.

The first presubmittal conference will be held on Nov. 19 from 2-3 p.m. via Zoom, the meeting ID is 872 2823 1170 and the password is 053428.

The second will be held on-site at 2701 N. O’Henry Blvd on Nov. 20 from 2-3 p.m.

The city is selling the 5.46 acres of land that the Regency Inn once stood on for a minimum offer of $300,000. According to the city, proposals that offer more than $300,000 “may receive more favorable evaluation.” The land is valued at $1.4 million according to Guilford County property tax records.

The city has also included some preferred features from the proposal that will ultimately be selected, such as a “variety of housing types and building heights.” A diversity of tenant income levels “may be desirable,” the RFP added, such as a limited number of units reserved for tenants making at or below 30 percent of AMI, and if so, they should collaborate with supportive services partners on the project.