In recent years, Guilford County government has been doing a lot of major work in downtown Greensboro – as have private companies and the City of Greensboro – such as the county’s renovation of a giant underground parking lot beneath the governmental plaza and the construction of a new Sheriff’s Department headquarters, and all that displacement has already made finding a convenient parking space downtown a major challenge.
Now things are about to get worse: The City of Greensboro has announced that the Bellemeade Street Parking Deck is set for demolition after its 35 years of existence.
The Bellemeade deck has been a fixture in downtown Greensboro since 1989; however, in early 2025 it’s going to be torn down. City of Greensboro officials say the decision came after more than a year of engineering evaluations and partial closures. They added it’s now clear that repairing the aging structure would not be cost-effective.
Brand new City of Greensboro Spokesperson Eric Chilton stated this week that it was similar to coming to the decision that you really need to buy a new car because you find yourself simply putting too much money in keeping the old one running.
Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis said years of weather and wear and tear from automobiles have taken their toll on the structure.
“It’s time to move toward long-term solutions, which involves preparing the deck for demolition,” Davis said.
It’s not clear what will be built in its place.
Structural problems were first discovered in the upper levels, and that led to the city closing those off over a year ago. Engineers also found deteriorating support beams and cracks in the concrete walls. The city then reinforced the deck with trusses to stabilize it. That allowed the bottom three floors to remain safely open for parking, but now city officials have decided that it’s necessary to demolish the deck.
According to city officials, parking will remain available at the Bellemeade deck until February 15, 2025, so residents and commuters will have time to find alternative accommodations.
That may not be easy, however, since there’s a lot of construction going on downtown, the city and Guilford County are both major employers in downtown, and the area has been thriving with new businesses coming in.
New business is a good thing, but finding street parking near a business you want to visit quickly is very difficult, and, as many people know, Southerners simply do not like using parking decks.
Demolition of the Bellemeade deck is expected to begin not long after the last car exits for the last time in mid-February.
To help people out, the city is offering a 50 percent discount on monthly parking rates at three nearby city-owned decks:
- Eugene Street Parking Deck (215 North Eugene Street)
- Church Street Parking Deck (215 North Church Street)
- February One Parking Deck (110 South Davie Street)
Those discounts will be available for the next six months to help ease the pain of those losing their parking spot go-to.
City Councilman and President of Downtown Greensboro Zack Matheny said it was clear this was the best option after engineering firms studied that matter.
The parking deck, which is bounded by Greene, Bellemeade and North Elm streets, has a spiral staircase that runs to the top of the structure’s seven floors.
It was considered very stylish for its time when built more than three decades ago and some marble imported from Italy was used in the construction.
At that time. it was believed to be the biggest municipal parking garage in the state.
