When the Next Apartment Complex Becomes Your Back Yard
A Kirkwood / Colonial Perspective on the Koury Cone Blvd Project
I love Kirkwood neighborhood. So many of the homes in this neighborhood have professional decorator who have worked there or lived there. These homes have character and many have been updated to correct the too tiny kitchens and closets, and some have added garages and moden ameninties like heated bathroom curbless shower rooms, and washer and dryers fully intergrated into the kitchen.
If you live along Colonial, Cleburne, or the outer edge of Kirkwood, you’ve probably heard the whispers. A big Koury project rising behind the trees. For now, it’s quiet back there: cardinals, oak roots, and that soft afternoon light that makes your yard feel like sanctuary. But paperwork is moving, and what’s long been the neighborhood’s green edge may soon become the back fence of a multi-story apartment complex.
What’s actually filed (without all the jargon)
Koury Corporation who is the same developer behind Friendly Center and Grandover, has applied to redevelop parcels around 1414 W. Cone Boulevard and several adjoining lots on Cleburne Street.
The rezoning, Case 20-0790, changes the area from single-family (R-3/R-5) to CD-RM-26, meaning multifamily housing up to 26 units per acre.
They also filed an environmental permit with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SAW-2024-01049), mapping wetlands, streams, and flood zones across roughly 21 acres.
The maps show potential building pads, parking areas, and grading zones that push right up against the back line of Kirkwood’s older homes.
(Rezoning record: Greensboro Legistar; Wetland plan: USACE SAW-2024-01049 PDF)
The lay of the land
These maps (sourced from city zoning files and public USACE notices) show how close the proposed development sits to the Kirkwood and Colonial borders:
🗺️ Map 1 – Greensboro Context
Shows where Cone Boulevard runs across the city and how it connects to Battleground, Lawndale, and the neighborhoods branching east.
🗺️ Map 2 – Site & Wetlands Overview
Highlights Koury’s 21-acre study area between Cone Blvd and Cleburne Street, marked with wetland boundaries and potential flood zones feeding into North Buffalo Creek.
🗺️ Map 3 – Neighborhood Interface
Shows the back-lot relationship between Kirkwood’s homes (particularly on Colonial and Cleburne) and the project’s footprint. Many of those parcels back directly onto the proposed multi-family site.
(All base layers: City of Greensboro GIS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Notice SAW-2024-01049, and City Planning rezoning files.)
How this might feel from your porch
You may start seeing survey stakes, brush clearing, and construction fencing.
Heavy equipment comes first, then the steady hum of generators, truck beeps, and after-dark lighting that doesn’t fade when the sun does.
If your property slopes lower than Cone Boulevard, rain and runoff may take new paths — this project drains toward the same North Buffalo Creek watershed.
The view changes too. Where you once saw treetops, you could see rooftops or balconies.
That’s not always a disaster, some developments integrate gracefully, but unbuffered height, bad lighting, or poor stormwater design can make your backyard feel suddenly public or with a new water feature you do not like.
What research says about value
Well-designed multifamily projects don’t automatically hurt nearby single-family home values, especially in stable, in-demand neighborhoods like Kirkwood.
But the details matter:
how close the buildings sit to your property line,
whether the buffer is thick and tall or just a few shrubs,
and whether what faces you is a green space or a parking lot.
Research sources worth exploring:
If Koury follows through with high-quality design and landscaping, values can hold or rise.
If they cut corners like clearing too far, adding glare, or paving up to the fence then, the impact will be visible and felt.
What you can do (in plain English)
You don’t need a degree in zoning to ask smart questions that make a difference. Here’s the language you can use:
“Where’s the buffer?” Ask for the landscape and buffer drawings. Look for height details, not just the words “Type C Buffer.”
“Show me the lighting plan.” Ask what the foot-candle level is at your property line and request downward-facing fixtures to limit glare.
“Where does the rain go?” Ask to see the stormwater and grading plans. Find out whether runoff is piped away or flowing toward your yard.
“What’s the tallest point near my fence?” Building elevation drawings should show maximum height at the closest property line and not just an average.
“What’s the construction schedule?” Ask for public posting before grading begins and request limitations on late-night work.
“Will there be noise limits?” Ask if deliveries and trash collection can be restricted to daylight hours.
All of these are legitimate questions for city staff or Planning Commission meetings. You can email them directly at planning@greensboro-nc.gov to have your comments entered into the public record.
Why it matters
Kirkwood has survived the rise of strip malls, cul-de-sacs, and condo booms before — what keeps it special is the scale: front porches, sidewalks, and a human pace of life.
Growth doesn’t have to mean loss, but balance requires watchful neighbors and transparent builders. The best outcome is one where both new residents and long-timers can look out their windows and still see a community worth belonging to.
🌻 Joy Watson Real Estate
JoyWatsonRealEstate.com
