Developer David Couch selected nearly 80 acres near northwestern Greensboro’s watershed as the location for his first mixed-use project on nearly 1,000 acres de-annexed from the town of Summerfield.
Christopher Village is the first of 11 neighborhoods that the CEO of High Point-based Blue Ridge Cos. plans to build on the property. The land was part of Summerfield until summer when state lawmakers de-annexed the land and put it under the jurisdiction of Guilford County.
Couch is asking Greensboro to annex and then rezone the 78.7-acre parcel in the southeastern corner of his 978 acres. City council approval is possible as soon as next month, clearing the way for an estimated 268 housing units, which would probably start in 2026,
“This is a passion project for me,” Couch told nearby residents of the proposed Christopher Village, named after former owner John Christopher.
Couch’s efforts to develop his property go back a decade, spanning several failed attempts to convince Summerfield’s Town Council to amend its zoning regulations. He wanted higher density housing, including the town’s first apartments, than preferred by local leaders.
The council budged, but not far enough to satisfy Couch. With support of N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger, the de-annexation took effect June 30. Now Couch will present his plan later this month to Greensboro’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
As proposed, the housing would consist of single-family dwellings, rowhouses, live/work units, apartments and attached dwelling units, or “in-law quarters,’’ according to Coral Gables, Florida, designer Victor Dover. He’s leading the design of the Villages of Summerfield Farms, the overarching name for Couch’s “multi-decade’’ project.
Dover said it’s too early to estimate housing prices or apartment rents. Earlier, Couch said housing would range from the $300,000s to more than $2 million.
The designer said Couch aims to develop “a neighborhood for all kinds of households and people in all different walks of life.”
Couch’s plans for apartments in Summerfield emerged as a lightning rod that divided the town of about 11,100 people north of Greensboro. Opponents said higher-density housing would bring crime and traffic congestion, overcrowd schools and ruin Summerfield’s rural character.
But Berger, Couch and others have noted growth pressures in northwest Guilford County mean the region needs to provide much more housing at various income levels.
Now Summerfield residents will learn how closely Couch will follow through with his pledge to preserve pastures and woodlands by clustering houses with a range of prices.
Dover said Couch’s plan “locks in place certain features including the common green space and the areas around the streams or near the lake to protect the watershed.’’
Changing that approach “would mean going back and doing the zoning over again,’’ he said. “I think you can be pretty confident…that we or somebody else in the future would not be able to casually decide to put McMansions where the pasture was.’’
