AC Marriott rises in downtown Greensboro, mixed-use project advances

Steel and concrete were changing the skyline across from First National Bank Field as the Parkside project in downtown Greensboro rose to about five stories, bringing the long-delayed AC Marriott and apartment complex closer to the ballpark district. The mixed-use development is designed to add hotel rooms, new residents and ground-floor activity around the city-financed South Eugene Street parking deck.

The Carroll Companies first announced the project in 2019, but the plan did not move into construction until a May 5, 2025 groundbreaking that followed years of negotiations with Guilford County and the City of Greensboro. At that time, Roy Carroll said tariffs and construction costs had pushed the project back, but that the timing was finally right to proceed. He said the hotel and apartment portion should take about 24 to 30 months to build once underway.

Updated plans announced in August 2024 called for a nine-story AC Marriott with a bar and rooftop restaurant called The Bristol, along with 337 apartments, 16,000 square feet of retail space and 4,500 square feet of event space. The hotel is planned for 150 rooms. The project is meant to wrap around the South Eugene Street parking deck and sit opposite First National Bank Field, placing lodging, housing and restaurant space in the middle of one of downtown Greensboro’s most visible development corridors.

City leaders have argued that the payoff goes beyond one building. Mayor Nancy Vaughan said the project would help generate property tax and occupancy tax revenue for Greensboro and Guilford County, while Henri Fourrier of the Greensboro Area Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city proper already has more than 10,000 hotel rooms and still needs lodging that is close to major destinations. That calculation matters in a downtown that drew 9.3 million visitors in 2024, including 1.7 million unique visitors and 1.6 million people attending large events, according to Downtown Greensboro Inc.

The Parkside build also reflects a broader push to make downtown feel like a place to live and linger, not just a place to park or attend an event. Downtown Greensboro Inc. president Zack Matheny said construction costs, interest rates and safety perceptions remain barriers to year-round activity, but Carroll has cast Parkside as a major signal to other investors. If the project delivers its hotel, rooftop restaurant, apartments and retail as planned, it could add a new layer of foot traffic and spending to the streets around the ballpark, Bellemeade Street and Eugene Street.