Downtown Greenville

[jarvismj]

Those of us who are wanting to see changes in our area, what changes would you like to the downtown area of Greenville, notably new buildings, attractions, etc. I've made contact with someone on City Council, and just trying to pitch ideas, along with giving that person a link to the forum. It's a start in trying to get what we'd like to see.

[The_sandlapper]

Awesome way to take initiative.

[Spartan]

Well, a Trolley line of some sort along Main St. or around the area (maybe one block over) would be good. And some sort of direct link from the BiLo Center to Main St would be beneficial.

Most importantly, Greenville has old rail lines which could be purchased for use as mass transit lines later (addressed here: Light Rail/Commuter Rail in Greenville, Transit). The purchase of that northern line which goes toward Travelers Rest is an excellent step in the right direction.

I have heard that Greenville wants to maintain the small town atmpsphere. I say drop that attitude. Greenville is not a small town. It has a population of over 300,000 in its Urban Area, which essentially qualifies as the "city." For reference, Spartanburg has 145,000, Columbia has about 421,000, and Charleston has about 423,000. The current Greenville Metro (as of the 2003 standards) consists of Greenville, Pickens, and Laurens Counties. It has a population of 578,485. I've been to small towns all accross the South, and Greenville is most definatley not one.

Building mass transit near areas that people live, and most definately near high traffic areas will encourage dense growth within the city near these stops.

Downtown Greenville has come along way, and is progressing nicely in terms of housing and people wanting to live and work downtown. I'd like to see the Westend coninue its resurgence.

An attempt to influnce state legislatures to change the annexation laws in SC would do alot to help not olny Greenville, but every other city in SC by allowing them to have the necessary tax base to fund the civic functions of the city. I saw a report on Channel 7 (I think) that crime within the city limits of Greenville is virtually non-existant, but just outside the limits, the crim rate increases dramaticallly. Making this more public might encourage people to want to be annexed. Perhaps make that more evident on the City's website.

Basicly, my suggestion to any Council member who might read this is to consider the fact that Greenville-Spartanburg is the 5th most sprawling region in the nation, and we have relatively small towns! Just above the Upstate is Altanta. Steps need to be taken now to help ameliorate the immense traffic issues in the area now to prevent become the next Atlanta or Los Angeles (in terms of traffic). Greenville is the largest city in the region, and it should take steps to be the leader in sustainable growth, mass transit, and caring for the region in general. Lead by example and other cities will eventually follow.

[Spartan]

I've made contact with someone on City Council, and just trying to pitch ideas, along with giving that person a link to the forum.

That is a good idea by the way. Did you link him to the Upstate/Midlands section or just the forum in general?

[jarvismj]

I gave the link to the entire forum, and to Upstate Midlands.