Spartanburg City News

Today on the podcast, we're sitting down with City Manager Chris Story to get an update on the impressive list of major projects in the works for Downtown Spartanburg and our city's Northside.

Late last year, the City was awarded a $1 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create a new City initiative, "Lead-safe Spartanburg." Funding will be used to remove lead-based paint hazards and reduce other health hazards in the home for families with children under the age of 6 and safely improve the housing stock of pre-1978 homes in our community. Both owner-occupied and rental units in the city are elegible, and all applicants must meet the following requirements: Home must be located within the City of Spartanburg A Child under the age of 6 must reside or regularly spend time in the home (over 60 hours per year), or a pregnant woman must reside in the home Household income must be less than 80% of Area Median Income Home must be built prior to 1978 All property tax payments and homeowner’s insurance must be current   Today on the podcast, we're giving you details on the program and how the process works.

As COVID-19 continues to imact our community and we're all doing our part to flatten the curve by staying home when possible, when in public, and , we wanted to offer a way to both share our own tips on how you can get through these challenging times and to offer our residents the chance to share their tips with us as well. So today we're kicking off our #SafeInSpartanburg campaign!

Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager Chris Story about the Governor's "Work or Home" order, requiring all people in South Carolinians to stay at home unless reporting to work, traveling for essentials, visiting relatives, or engaging in individual recreation. We also have an update on current City operations and a look forward at the weeks ahead.

One of the most critical ways for our community to ensure that it gets the critical Federal resources it needs depends on all of us, and in 2020, it's never been easier to do your part. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Kathryn Harvey of Neue South Collective and Andy Flynt, Director of Information Services with Spartanburg County Public Libraries about the Census, which you can .

Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager, Chris Story about the latest on COVID-19 in Spartanburg and about the City's response to this global pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting communities throughout the world and Spartanburg is no different. Today on the podcast, we're offering tips on how you can stay informed and help stop the spread of this virus.   What's the short takeaway? Check the for the most comprehensive overview of the virus, its spread, and how to protect yourself. Check for information that's focused on communites in our state. If you're feeling ill, to help determine if you may have been infected. Check City social media regularly for important local updates as they become available.   And lastly, don't panic. We're all in this together.

It's one of the most popular outdoor amenities in our city, and like so many other parts of Spartanburg, the Cottonwood Trail was hit hard during the recent tornado that swept across our community. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Clay McDonough and Alix Refshauge of SPACE (Spartanburg Area Conservancy) about recovery on the trail, its place in the Spartanburg community, and about the organization's broader land conservation mission.

It cut right through the heart of our city, and no one can ever remember seeing any weather event in Spartanburg quite like last Thursday's tornado. Carving a path through Spartanburg, from beyond the western edges of the city to our most eastern neighborhoods, the twister sowed chaos in our community and left behind debris and damage that will impact our residents' lives for weeks to come. Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager, Chris Story about the City's response to the tornado, what teams were called into action, what each phase of the recovery process means for our residents, and what we're doing to help return our community to normal. Check out the podcast below for more.

For the next installment in our #Spartanburg2020 podcast series, we're taking a slightly different approach, talking with a trio of guests about what it's like to live, work, create, and play in Downtown Spartanburg. Why choose to live here? Why is Downtown Spartanburg the right place to express your creative vision? What amenities are we still lacking? What challenges are we facing, and how are those challenges different from the challenges Spartanburg has faced in previous generations? Our guests share their perspectives and their reasons for making Spartanburg home. 

With Spartanburg's explosive growth across every sector over the past decade, it's probably not surprising to anyone paying attention that the number and variety of ways for residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy the outdoors and get active has also grown exponentially.   Whether it's the City's $2.5 million neighborhood parks improvement plan that touched all corners of our City, or the addition of new parks at the Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport and Denny's Plaza, or the new Butterfly Branch Greenway on the Northside, or the public-private partnership led by Partners for Active Living that has seen more than $1.7 million invested in the new Rail Yard Park along the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail, or any of the other dozens of improvements and additions our community has seen, there has never been a better time to get outside and enjoy yourself in Spartanburg.   Today on the podcast, we're talking with PAL Executive Director, Laura Ringo about this tremendous growth and change in our latest #Spa

Change is seemingly everywhere you look in Spartanburg these days, from the historic levels of growth seen in our downtown, to the transformational community redevelopment seen in some of our city's most underserved areas, the energy that can be felt throughout our community is palpable. The arts are no exception to this incredible journey of change and growth. Today on our next #Spartanburg2020 podcast, we're talking with Chapman Cultural Center President and CEO Jennifer Evins about the amazing surge she's seen in Spartanburg's arts community and what that growth has meant for both local artists and for the community as a whole.

More than 30 years ago, Spartanburg became the first city in South Carolina to hold an official event celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a simple ceremony around the flagpole outside Spartanburg City Hall, where attendees reflected on the words and purpose of Dr. King’s life. From the seeds sown there, Spartanburg's annual celebration has grown to include an annual gathering attended by thousands each year, and new events have been added to both honor and continue Dr. King's mission of equity, inclusion, and service. Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Community Relations Coordinator, Kathy Hill and Spartanburg County Librarian (and MLK Unity Week steering committee member) Todd Stephens about this year's events and the importance of Unity Week for our community.

Can you remember a more transformative decade in Spartanburg than the one we're bidding farewell to in 2019? We certainly can't. In fact, even trying to list the changes seen since 2010 quickly devolves into a spiral of "what did I leave out?" doubt. From the hundreds of millions invested in Downtown Spartanburg, to the combined public, private, and nonprofit efforts on our city's Northside, the city we had a decade ago was in an enormously different place from the one we call home today. It's with that tremendous change in mind that we're launching a new project in January that will encourage locals to answer one question: What, to you, was the most transformative in Spartanburg over the last decade? Over the coming weeks, we're going to be presenting and curating those answers on our website and social media accounts from local leaders and residents, highlighting your experiences of Spartanburg in these past 10 years through video, podcasts, written pieces, and posts using the #Spartanburg2020 hashtag.

It's become an annual holiday tradition on the City Podcast to take a look back at the previous year in Spartanburg, but with the 2010s winding down, this year we decided to dial that up a bit. Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager, Chris Story about what we believe has been the most transformative decade in living memory. From the hundreds of millions invested in Downtown Spartanburg, to the combined public, private, and nonprofit efforts on our city's Northside, the city we had in 2010 was in an enormously different place from the one we call home today. How did that transformation happen? What work remains to be done? What will the next 10 years bring? We do our best to answer those questions on today's podcast, which also serves as a conversation starter for our new #Spartanburg2020 initiative, a community listening project that will ask Spartanburg residents to answer question: What is the most transformative change Spartanburg has seen in the last decade? Listen to learn more, and to get

It started as an Instagram account that burst onto the local scene late last year with some stunning aerial photos of Spartanburg. Right from the start though, it was clear that Above Spartanburg wasn't your typical drone photography page. The shots are taken with an artist's eye, with the lighting and the symmetry of each one clearly reflecting the amount of planning and forethought going into each one.    That attention to detail wasn't lost on the folks at Hub City Press, and after admiring the new mystery Instagram account feed for a while, they decided to reach out to its creator, Kavin Bradner. Now that Instagram account has spawned a beautiful book by the same name. Above Spartanburg, features photos previously seen in the account as well as dozens of new shots of both local icons and lesser-known corners of our community.   With a release event planned for this Saturday, November 23 at 4 p.m. at Fr8yard (RJ Rockers in the event of rain) this week on the podcast we're talking with Bradner and Betsy Tet

It's the first step in a process that will take at least three years to complete, but , Spartanburg City Council took the first steps towards tearing down and replacing Norris Ridge Apartments, a privately owned substandard section 8 apartment complex in the Highland neighborhood that has long been a site targeted for redevelopment by the City and Highland residents. Under the approved agreement, the City will transfer 10 properties—totaling around 25 acres—along Wofford St. in the Mid-towne Heights area to Mississippi-based firm EquityPlus, LLC for construction of a mixed-income development that will serve as a replacement for the 190 units that will be lost with the eventual demolition of Norris Ridge Apartments. EquityPlus, LLC has an agreement in place with the current owner of Norris Ridge to purchase the property and has agreed to redevelop the site in accordance with the Highland Transformation Plan, currently underway in the neighborhood. The developer plans to construct the Mid-towne Heighs project

Walkability. It's one of the keys to future prosperity in every city and has been a crucial lens to help focus downtown development in Spartanburg in recent years, and at a free event next month, area residents will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of walkability from the person who literally wrote the book on the topic. Walkability expert Jeff Speck will share his thoughts on creating a more walkable Spartanburg at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church on November 7 at 5:30 p.m.    who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors' Institute on City Design and created the Governors' Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates, an award winning private design consultancy serving public

It's the most important purchase most of us will ever make, and navigating the home buying process can feel overwhelming for folks taking those first steps towards homeownership. Fortunately, help is out there, and on Tuesday, October 15, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m., at the C.C. Woodson Community Center, future homeowners looking for some guidance will have an opportunity to learn how they can take that next step toward the American dream from professionals in all aspects of the real estate world.   Today on the podcast, we've got details on what you can expect at the Homebuyers Seminar and about the overall housing market in our city. 

It all started with John Green, a man with a vision and passion for educating children about the wonders of science, and today the Spartanburg Science Center continues that mission and is expanding its presense in the community. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Mary Levens and Kathryn Harvey about that expansion, including a new aviation program the organization has spearheaded in partnership with our Downtown Memorial Airport.