Spartanburg City News

At their , Spartanburg City Council gave unanimous approval to a measure paving the way for a new $7 million mixed-use development behind the . The hotel's owners, Jimmy Gibbs and Andy Cajka, have plans for a new, complimentary project on the adjacent property, though no specifics are yet being disclosed. Under the approved agreement, the City will sell the lot to SMR Hospitality II for $1 if a development assessed at least $7 million is constructed.    While full details on the project aren't yet finalized, today on the podcast, we're talking with Assistant City Manager Chris Story to get the details on deal and what this latest development means for the continued momentum around Downtown Spartanburg. 

At a workshop held after their most recent meeting, for demolishing the Sunshine Inn, a blighted motel across from Wofford College, and a crucial piece of the . On the heels of recent news of the  for around $600,000, staff recommended to Council that the City allocate $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding toward demolishing the dilapidated motel. Once demolition is complete, the site will become a new gateway into Northside redevelopment area, with plans calling for Evins Street to be extended from Wofford College into the neighborhood (). Today on the podcast, we're talking with Assistant City Manager Chris Story about the nuts and bolts of this important project, and what it could ultimately mean for connecting the Northside redevelopment area with the rest of the city.

Despite what it may feel like today, spring is here. After the coldest few months in recent memory, winter's brown is yelding, finally, to a verdant new season. Sounds like the perfect time for a barbecue festival, and as it happens, Downtown Spartanburg's very own is back for its second year this weekend. Kicking off Friday at 10 a.m., and running through Saturday at 10 p.m., the Hub City Hog Fest will be held at RJ Rockers () in the Grain District. The event includes music, food venders, and a chance to sample offerings from some of the teams in this year's competition. You don't want to miss this one.

Think of it as craft beer with a side of entrepreneurship...or maybe the other way around. Either way, one of the coolest ways for Spartanburg's budding entrepreneurs to take that idea they've been kicking around and grow it into something special is the bi-monthly "Grain Ideas" session at Grower Haus (). Today on the podcast, we sit down with Growler Haus owner Craig Kinley to get the details, so give a listen below and be sure to check out the Grain Ideas for more details.

In case you've missed it, earlier this week we . In all, 15 businesses representing 12 different business concepts move on to the next round, 10 of those businesses representing some kind of restaurant or other food and beverage concept.  Those semifinalists will now have to submit formal business plans and other information to support their application by April 18. After that, the selection committee will narrow the field to at least six finalists, who will make a presentation to the selection committee in early May, followed by a final pitch to the public at The Main Event on May 22, when the winners will be announced.   Today on the podcast, we're talking about those semifinalists, and the possibilities they represent for Downtown Spartanburg. How does this year's pool compare to last year's? What are the ideas that have seem to have the most obvious buzz in our ongoing, informal poll? Listen to the podcast below to find out.

Let's say you've got an idea for the next "Great American Novel," an idea so great that it's practically begging to leap from your imagination to the page. Where do you start? Even if you've got writing chops to put the story down in black and white, what then? How do you go about getting an agent who can nail down the book contract your masterpiece deserves? Today on the podcast, we talk with Hub City Writers Project Executive Director, Betsy Teter about "The Writing Show," a monthly series of panel discussions with writers and publishing professionals being held in partnership with Spartanburg County Public Libraries. Held at the , the program allows writers and aspiring writers to hear advice from panelists in a casual, talk show format and to get specific questions answered about a different topic each month. This month's edition of "The Writing Show," on getting a book contract, is being held February 20. For more information, listen to the podcast below.

It's perhaps one of the most enduring images of childhood. Mention kite flying to just about any adult and you'll see a nostalgic gleam in the eyes as images straight out of Norman Rockwell painting fill the imagination. For the briefest of moments, we're all just kids again, hoping for a nice breeze. Wouldn't it be great to spend a sunny afternoon just flying a kite again? Thanks to the Chapman Cultural Center, the City of Spartanburg, and more than 20 other partners and sponsors, you can. is a community-wide initiative being held through April to build civic pride with a series of playful activities and cultural events using kites as a theme. Aside from a series of community kite-flying days sponsored by the City and Partners for Active Living, Spartanburg Soaring! also includes poetry readings, movies, an exhibit featuring kites from the collection of local enthusiast, Chuck Holmes, and much more.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a great business idea into a successful startup? Designed as a way to bring creative people together to turn innovative concepts into startups over the course of a grueling 54 hours, Startup Weekends have been held in more than 400 cities in over 100 countries worldwide, and on February 21–23, Spartanburg will get its chance to join in on the fun with its first ever . The event is being held at 's Showroom and , and today on the podcast we sit down with Kate McCarthy of the Iron Yard to get the skinny on Spartanburg's newest chance for potential entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground.

Having  after winning election to the District 6 seat in November, Erica Brown is one of two new members to join Spartanburg City Council this year. Recently, we got the chance to sit down and get to know a little about Brown and the local issues she's passionate about, including the Northside Intiative and downtown development. Listen below and enjoy!

Here on the City Podcast, we've devoted a lot of time to the Northside Initiative. We've given our listeners a  and some of the challenges facing our neighbors there, and heard  about why the Northside matters for the future of our city. All the while, we've tried to convey the enormous scale and importance of this crucial redevelopment effort. This week though, it's your turn to tell us what you think. On January 9–11 at Green Street Baptist Church, a series of community planning workshops will be held as part of the planning process for the Northside Initiative. These workshops, which are free and open to the public, will provide the public with both an opportunity to learn more about various facets of the initiative, and more importantly to have a say in what this part of our city will ultimately look like. Today on the podcast, we delve into what folks can expect from this workshop series with Community Services Director Mitch Kennedy. Listen to learn more, and for a full schedule of this week's workshops

On parts  and  of our podcast series looking ahead to 2014 in Spartanburg, we covered some of what we expect will be the biggest changes in store for us this year, from new City Council members, to the renovation of one our city skyline's most important buildings, to the much-anticipated launch of this year's Main Street Challenge.   As great as all of that is, we may have saved the best for last, starting with some  and . On an even more transformative scale, 2014 is set to be a huge year for the , starting with a series of public workshops taking place January 9-11. With work underway on both the new , and a  designed to show what the Northside can look like in the future, 2014 is poised to be the year when plans to redevelop this vital part of our city start to bear visible fruit.

In the first part of our podcast series taking a look at some of the things to look forward to in the coming year, we talked with Assistant City Manager Chris Story about , starting with welcoming two new City Coucnil members.    Today, on part two of our podcast, we talk about some of the important downtown residential and business developments coming in 2014. With the  set to add 88 apartments for downtown residents, and with this year's Main Street Challenge getting underway soon, the coming year has all the makings of a great one for our city.

On yesterday's podcast, we talked with Assistant City Manager Chris Story about , and as long as the list of great things that happened in our city over the last 12 months is, we're convinced that things in 2014 will be even more exciting. In fact, we're so enthused for the upcoming year that we couldn't fit all of it in one podcast, so rather than depriving our loyal listeners of the full spectrum of awesome things coming to Spartanburg in 2014, we've spit our "city wonk prognostication 2014" podcast into three parts. Today, we talk about some of the nuts and bolts changes on the horizon for Spartanburg City government in the upcoming year, including the addition of two new City Council members.  in November, and a  left vacant after the resignation of Council member Sterling Anderson. 

There's no denying that 2013 has been quite a year for Spartanburg, especially for our city's blossoming downtown. With 24 , , and the , we couldn't fault anyone for calling 2013 the most important year for Downtown Spartanburg in recent memory.   Today on the podcast, we sit down with Assistant City Manager Chris Story to talk about those, and more of what we believe were this year's highlights.

The  are pretty clear, and for Spartanburg Academic Movement Executive Director, Dr. John Stockwell, those statistics mean that Spartanburg has work to do.   As of 2008, , a figure that puts our community below both the state and national average. Tackling that problem takes a renewed focus on educational achievement at all levels, "from "cradle to career" as the new Spartanburg Academic Movement puts it. Today on the Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Stockwell to talk about some of the ways our community can tackle that challenge. Listen to our full conversation below.

Yesterday,  with former Mayor and current Northside Development Corporation Chair, Bill Barnet. If you haven't listened to it yet, we highly recommend taking a half-hour out of your day to give the entire episode a listen. Within that podcast though, was something we think is pretty special, something that deserves to be highlighted. One of the questions we asked was a simple one: Why should folks in other parts of the City of Spartanburg should care about what's happening on the Northside? Barnet's answer is both direct and compelling, challenging all of us in Spartanburg to have a larger vision of ourselves as a community. We hope you enjoy it.

In previous podcasts, we've talked with City Community Services Director, Mitch Kennedy about the Northside Initiative,  of what the large redevelopment program entails, as well as focusing in on one aspect of the initiative, , which recently broke ground. Today, on the heels of recent news from the Mary Black Foundation of a  for the initiative, we shift gears a little, talking with former Mayor and Northside Development Corporation Chair, Bill Barnet about the importance of the Northside to the future of our city. What is the end goal of this redevelopment effort? Why should what happens on the Northside matter to city residents in other areas? We delve into those, and other important questions, on today's podcast.

Going back to its beginnings in 2006, the  has been one of the crown jewels in Spartanburg's cultural crown. Every year, four artists from around the country came to Downtown Spartanburg to live free and create, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to our great city. Now, after a one-year hiatus, the much-loved AiR program is making a return,  featuring a filmmaker, a theater artist, and two visual artists.    Today on the podcast, we sit down with Hub-Bub Artists-in-Residence Program Director, Eric Kocher to get some details about the resurgent AiR program.

December is here, and with the holidays upon us, it's time for another conversation with Champan Cultural Center President and CEO, Jennifer Evins about some of the center's great offerings this month. Listen to learn more, and be sure to check out the  for a complete list of what's happening this month.

Among the many places people gather in Downtown Spartanburg to grab a meal or a drink, Little River Coffee Bar is certainly one of the busiest. Serving up espresso drinks and coffee in the Grain Distirct alongside its sister shops Cakehead Bakeshop and Hub City Bookshop, there's hardly a morning at The Coffee Bar where you won't see a who's who of important local figures getting their caffeine fix. Little River isn't just any coffee shop though.   For starters, all of the coffee served at Little River Coffee Bar is roasted at Little River Roasting, fewer than two miles away. Much of that coffee also comes from farms that have a direct relationship with Little River, farms located in in far-flung reaches of the world like Cameroon, Costa Rica, and the country . Today on the podcast, we sit down with Geier to get some details of their trip and the unique relationship this great local business has with its suppliers.