Spartanburg City News

Morgan Square has been the most important public gathering space in Spartanburg almost since its beginnings in 1787. Arguably the birthplace of Spartanburg County after having been selected by four state-commissioned judges as the county seat and site of the the area's first courthouse, the area that would eventually be named for the Revolutionary War general whose statue it houses today formed the core of a new frontier town, stimulating the first wave of Spartanburg's development as taverns, hotels, and general stores filled in the areas nearby. As that frontier town grew and changed, Morgan Square changed as well, with each generation putting its own stamp on the space as the community's needs evolved over time. Even as the square has changed shape and configuration over the years, its position as a focal point for Spartanburg's people has remained constant. For well over two centuries now, Morgan Square has been the most iconic and important piece of public land in Spartanburg County. Today, Morgan Square

Whether you're getting in some steps at the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail or strolling through Morgan Square after dinner, it's fair to say there are more pedestrians moving in and around Downtown Spartanburg than at any point in living memory, and with historic levels of private development and accompanying new infrastructure showing no signs of abating in Spartanburg's urban core, the pedestrian experience in our city is changing rapidly. So how did we get here? What was downtown like back before concepts like "walkability" dominated the urbanist landscape? How did the national trend towards car-centered suburban development in the mid-20th century affect Downtown Spartanburg and what did leaders then try to do about it? And why were those efforts less successful than everyone in Spartanburg had hoped they would be? On today's podcast, we're sharing a conversation about those questions held during our first-ever live podcast recording, held on August 18 at Fretwell. Joining us for the discussion are Brad

At their last two meetings, Spartanburg City Council took a pair of actions to move discussions of Morgan Square's future forward, and then voting to continue to keep W Main Street along the square closed to traffic for the next 24 months while the committee undertakes its work.  The committee comprises a diverse selection of city residents and stakeholders including downtown restaurant and retail business owners, City planning board members, experts in local development and architecture, and community activists. In presenting the recommended list of committee members to Council, City Manager Chris Story said that in addition to a diversity of experience and background, the committee also includes a diversity of opinions about what should come next for Spartanburg's most prominent piece of public land.  The decision to close W Main Street to traffic was first made in spring of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic drastically curtailed shopping and dining in Downtown Spartanburg, in an effort to encourage visitors

At their most recent meeting, . This year's budget includes no significant operational changes and no increases to City taxes or commonly applied fees, but as Spartanburg continues to see record growth and economic development, staff projections account for a relatively modest four percent revenue growth. Meanwhile, increases this year include $1.5 million set aside for increases to City employee compensation, representing most of that projected revenue growth. The budget includes a three percent cost-of-living adjustment for all City staff, with an additional 2 percent allocated for the City's Public Works department. In his presentation to Council, Story said the additional increase is needed to bring department salaries into alignment with the overall job market. Additionally, the budget includes mandatory increases to the state retirement and health care systems covering City employees. Why, at a time of historically unprecedented growth in Downtown Spartanburg, have City coffers not been filled more yet?

If you're a frequent user of the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail, chances are you've seen Fretwell's construction progress over the past year . Recently opened, the new mixed-use gathering space features a new headquarters for Little River Roasting and a concessions trailer selling sandwiches, specialty drinks, wine and beer, and snacks, along with a stage area overlooking the trail, a large grassy area for games and recreation, as well as space for food trucks and events. Redeveloped by a group of local Spartanburg entrepreneurs, the former industrial area is positioned to capitalize on the growth the Rail Trail has seen in recent years and takes its inspiration from similar concepts such as Asheville's Wedge at Foundation. Today on the podcast, we're talking with some of the folks behind Fretwell to get details on the development and what they've got planned for their first summer. Listen below for details, and be sure to check out Fretwell's and accounts to learn more!

In April, both Spartanburg County Council and Spartanburg City Council approved the site of the current City Hall on W Broad Street for construction of a new joint city-county local government complex. Expected to be around 180,000 square-feet and to stand 4-6 stories, the building will serve as a replacement for both City Hall and the Spartanburg County Adminstration Building on N Church St. that also funds construction of the new Spartanburg County Judicial Center, the new facility will also feature an adjacent parking deck with around 500-600 spaces. Located one block from Morgan Square, the W Broad Street site beat out nine other sites in the downtown area and met County and City criteria for the new facility including size (greater than 2 acres), walkability to Morgan Square, and the ability for public use of parking infrastructure during non-operating hours. The current City Hall site was the least expensive of all nine options as well, with a net cost of $600,000-$700,000 to prepare the site for const

Last week, Spartanburg Police Chief Alonzo Thompson and department leadership on the latest report on . Mirroring a similar nationwide uptick in violent crime over the past year, Spartanburg saw an increase of 5.2 percent above our 10 year average, while the overall trend remains on a downward trajectory, dropping 14.5 percent over the past decade. Property crimes have also fallen in our city, dropping more than 19 percent in the past 10 years. Beyond those top-line numbers though is a much more compelling story about a police department doing things differently, pursuing a holistic strategy to not only combat crime in our community, but to serve our most vulnerable populations and address the root causes of crime through mental health interventions. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Spartanburg Police Chief Alonzo Thompson and department leadership about those statistics and the innovative approaches they and the other members of our police department are taking to keep Spartanburg safe and serve our

Last month, Spartanburg City Council approved a resolution authorizing the City to pursue $300,000 in federal Land and Water Conservation Fund matching grant for improvements to trails and clearing of invasive species in wooded areas of Duncan Park, an opportunity identified as an early opportunity by a new community steering committee working with the National Park Service, the City, and to create a plan for improvements to the park that will increase its use and provide new recreation opportunities. The City's largest recreational asset at over 100 acres, Duncan Park is home to tennis courts, a playground, two recreational ball fields, historic Duncan Park stadium, a 14-acre lake, large wooded areas, four miles of natural surface trails, and one mile of paved trail. Last year, the City and PAL were selected by the National Park Service to receive expert consultation for a broad reimagining of Duncan Park. Through the process, the City and PAL will engage with stakeholders, surrounding neighborhood resident

At their last meeting, Spartanburg City Council gave approval to a property sale that could pave the way for Downtown Spartanburg's first-ever apartment development composed of entirely affordable units.   Located adjacent to the Kennedy Street parking garage on the corner of Kennedy and S Converse streets, the 2.6 acre site will be sold to developer Blue Wall RE LLC for $4,500, well below market value, in the hopes that the developer will be able to secure state Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to construct the project's planned 55 units. If successful, the units would be leased to those making no more than 80 percent of area median income. Specifics on the envisioned unit mix and income levels is as follows.   • 17 studio apartments. Maximum household income for any unit of this type would be approximately $43,520 (equal to a person working full time at $20.92 per hour). The average household income for these 17 units must be at or below approximately $31,500 (equal to a person working full time at $1

We've been recording podcasts previewing the year ahead for the City and for the Spartanburg community for a long time now, but even a short glance at that list for 2022 would make it clear that this year will be filled with more significant decisions that will have more generational impact than any in recent memory. Whether it's welcoming a new Mayor for the first time in 12 years, a redistricting process that will set local representation for the next decade, decisions around millions of dollars in one-time state and federal funding allocations, finalizing the citywide comprehensive plan, or determining what possible changes Morgan Square could see, the 11 months ahead of us in Spartanburg will be anything but boring. Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager Chris Story about some of the issues ahead for leadership and City Council in 2022.

With its restaurants routinely filled and its sidewalks bustling with activity, it's not hard to see these days that Downtown Spartanburg is on an upswing. Explaining just how large an upswing though takes some contextualizing, especially in a record-breaking year for downtown development that capped off with an announcement of the , a massive redevelopment planned by Greenville's M Peters Group along E main that will transform seven properties and reshape a high-profile portion of our city's downtown core. Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager Chris Story and OneSpartanburg Inc. Chief Economic Development Officer Katherine O'Neil about what this year's seemingly nonstop string of announcements means for our downtown and for the next phase of its growth.

It's been on the City's priority list for years, and in January, an innovative, first-of-its-kind coordinated group of support systems that will seek to improve outcomes for young children and their families in Spartanburg will become a reality as the City and its partners launch the Hello Family program. Designed to significantly improve child wellbeing, boost future prosperity, and provide quantifiable financial benefits to our community well in excess of its cost, Hello Family will provide, at a full citywide scale, free universal nurse home visiting, free evidence-based parent education and support tools, and significantly enhanced early learning opportunities.   Based on the work of James J. Heckman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist who found that investing in programs targeted at the earliest years of life yield the most lasting and cost-effective results, Hello Family seeks to improve birth outcomes, reduce child abuse and neglect, and improve kindergarten readiness throughout the City. Today on the po

  Note: Later this year, the Northside Development Group will mark its 10th year since it was founded to be a land bank to guide development and protect the community’s interests on the Northside. The NDG partnered with the Northside Voyageurs, Northside residents and the City of Spartanburg to launch the Northside Initiative, the most comprehensive neighborhood revitalization effort in the city’s history. To mark this moment, the City has been sharing a series of stories and podcasts about the Northside Initiative. You can check out part one of our podcast series  and part two .   If you've driven down Howard Street lately in Spartanburg's Northside neighborhood, you've undoubtedly seen a lot of construction. How did all of that happen and what does it mean for the neighborhood and the people who live there?   Well, it starts with a plan, takes a detour with a legal tussle with a billionaire NFL owner over control of one of Spartanburg's most challenging substandard apartment complexes, and ends with an incl

At their meeting on August 23, , during which time the City will engage in a community-led planning process to consider more permanent physical changes to the space. The move came after Council heard an overview of downtown data collected by city staff, including an increase in City Hospitality Tax revenue, increased pedestrian activity, and cell phone carrier data showing increased downtown visits this spring and summer over the same time period in 2019, signs which point to a Downtown Spartanburg economy resurgent after weathering worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the decision being made to continue Morgan Square's expanded outdoor dining and pedestrian space for another year, and with staff tasked with beginning a process to consider a rethinking of the space, today we're talking with City Manager Chris Story to get his perspective on Morgan Square as it fits currently in the Downtown Spartanburg landscape and how residents and stakeholders from all across our community will come together to dec

Nowhere in any community redevelopment expert's notes will you find "bring a medial college to your neighborhood" listed as a strategy to spur a holisic rethinking of an area plagued for decades by depopulation, decaying housing stock, concentraitions of generational poverty, and lack of investment, but on Spartanburg's Northside, that's exactly what happened. On today's second part of our Northside Rising podcast series, we're taking a look back at how public investment, private philanthropy, and sustained community engagement came together to create the most ambitious community-led neighborhood transformation initiative in Spartanburg history. Listen below for more, and be on the lookout for more from our Northside Rising series next week!

Following on the heels of last week's release of the , where we take a look back at the story of Spartanburg's Northside neighborhood, today on the City Podcast, we're delving deeper into the history of the Northside before the decision by the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine to build their Carolinas Campus in the neighborhood became a catalyst to galvanize the largest community redevelopment effort in Spartanburg's history.

It's a year when the word "unprecedented" became commonplace. Beginning with a February tornado that cut a swath through the heart of our city and followed shortly by the COVID-19 global pandemic that still rages as the year comes to a close, 2020 is a year most of us would likely rather forget, though none of us ever will. Through it all, signs of our community's continued strength were abundant, whether in our leadership's and residents' equity-focused response to this summer's protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd or in the continued resiliency and dynamism of our local economy.   Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager Chris Story to get his thoughts on 2020 in Spartanburg and how the lessons of this year will serve us going forward.

Today on the podcast, we've got details on our "Snowman Scramble" scavenger hunt and downtown business spotlight giveaway, both of which will be kicking off soon!

  It's not the easiest route to satisfy a state requirement, but here at the City of Spartanburg, we don't shy away from big challenges and we're never afraid to be innovators. That's why when discussions around racial equity in our community were given new urgency on the heels of  showing large racial disparities in practically every area of our residents' lives, our City Council and City Staff understood that in order to do our part to correct those imbalances, our City's most important guiding development document should reflect our commitment to ending those disparities and increasing racial equity for our residents.   It was with that in mind that the nation's first citywide comprehensive planning process focused around racial equity was born. Created with the help of those who call Spartanburg home,  will ultimately guide the city's growth for the next decade to come, and will have an impact long after that, informing strategies on areas as wide-ranging housing, economics, health and wellness, parks and

At their , City Council approved the creation of the Spartanburg Housing Fund, a special fund to be used exclusively to fill gaps in development projects that build, preserve, or improve affordable housing units in the city. Initially capitalized with $750,000 as , the fund will be used to provide loans to for gap financing to developers to help make affordable housing developments more financially feasible and may also be used to provide grants or even a limited number of equity investments.    Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager Chris Story to get details on how the new fund will provide another tool to help our community address its supply of affordable housing.