Spartanburg City News

On National Food Day, Spartanburg will get a lesson in nutrition from The Mary Black Foundation when Dr. Ann Kulze, renowned authority, and motivational speaker in the areas of nutrition, healthy living, and disease prevention, presents "The Happiness Diet at the Chapman Cultural Center on Monday, October 24, 5-7 p.m. Dr. Ann has been featured in a number of national media outlets including the Dr. Oz show, Oprah and Friends Radio, Time Magazine, NPR, WebMD, CNN Radio, Prevention, and Redbook, among many others. She was the national spokesperson for Ruby Tuesday’s SMART EATING initiative and is a regular guest on the Midwest’s WBCL’s mid-morning program. The Happiness Diet presentation transforms the compelling body of science as it relates to diet and brain health into a program that is simple, fun, delicious, and completely straightforward. The audience will be wowed by Dr. Ann’s passion, and will walk away with take-action-today inspiration and all of the nutrition guidance needed to beat stress, boost hap

The restaurant announcements just keep coming in downtown Spartanburg, and at this past Monday's City Council meeting, another new concept got a big thumbs-up as Council approved a development agreement to bring . The concept, a fusion of Hawaiian and Japanese cuisines, has exploded in and is not only new to Spartanburg, but new to South Carolina, and brings new life to another long-vacant storefront in the city's central business district. Today on the podcast, we're talking restaurant momentum in downtown, as well as taking a look at the other action from . 

If you follow us on , or , or , or Snapchat, you might've noticed a flurry of activity on Tuseday night. 's nine public art installations debuted in neighborhoods throughout our city, bringing out thousands to see the culmination of more than a year's work in bringing the Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded project to life. Today on the podcast, we're talking about this great project, our community's reception to the installations so far, and what it will ultimately mean for the neighborhoods involved and for the city has a whole.  

In October 2014,  invited U.S. mayors to collaborate with artists and arts organizations to develop innovative projects that engage residents and attract visitors. In all, 237 cities submitted proposals, with Spartanburg joining three other cities around the country selected to receive up to $1 million for public art installations. Spartanburg's winning bold and innovative idea? , which will bring nine temporary art installations by internationally renowned light and digital media artist to 10 city neighborhoods From October 4 – April 1. The project is a partnership between the City of Spartanburg and ten city neighborhood associations, and is being led by . Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light builds on National Night Out, an annual event that promotes crime prevention efforts, police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Jennifer Evins, President and CEO of the Chapman Cultural Center about the project, and about the special Seeing Spartanburg in a New L

It's our city's both literal and figurative centerpiece, a space with which practically everyone who lives in Spartanburg County is familiar. Serving as the home for recurring events like Jazz on the Square and Music on Main, Morgan Square has long been an ideal (and iconic) place for the community to come together to celebrate.  Now, thanks to local arts organization Hub-Bub and their partners throughout Spartanburg, those opportunities are more abundant than ever. As part of their mission to "reimagine place," the group has launched a new initiative that will bring dozens of events of all types to the square, in the hopes of injecting a near-constant buzz of community activity into Spartanburg's most well-known public space.  For a taste of what they've got planned for the square, check out , September 28, 5– 8p.m. Morgan Square and the surrounding area will be turned into a mini art fair featuring live music, painting, poetry, and interactive stations. 

Spartanburg's craft beer scene has definitely been on the rise lately, and on October 15, local craft beer geeks will have even more reason to celebrate as the returns for its second year. Featuring over 20 brewers exclusively the Carolinas, the festival kicks off at 1 p.m. on the corner of W Main and Spring streets. Set up to raise funds for construction of the , the festival also features a fantastic live music lineup headlined by Major and the Monbacks and food from great local restaurants like Willy Taco and Venus Pie.  Today on the podcast, we're talking with the event's music coordinator Reid Johnson and RJ Rockers' Mark Johnsen. F.  

From its inception, residency program has inarguably been, for many in our city, one of the Spartanburg's most beloved arts programs. Artists from the residency have left their marks on the community in sometimes physical ways (check out sometime) and often in more intangible ways, with each year's artists helping Spartanburg to see itself from their fresh, and very often novel perspectives.   For this year's revamped 11-month residency, Hub-Bub is partnering with to grow that community impact in new ways, and the residency's new focus seems to be a natural fit for its first artist, Lydia See. Throughout her residency, See's time will be split between her own artistic projects and community work centered around creating inclusive, accessible programs meant to introduce the artistic process to those who aren't often exposed to art in their everyday lives. Today on the podcast, we're getting to know Hub-Bub's newest resident, finding out about and more about what she'll be doing during her time in Spartanbu

With new restaurants opeing seemingly every week lately, it's probably safe to say that Spartanburg's restaurant scene is on an upswing, a . If the clockwork-esque opeings aren't enough to convince you though, maybe Spartanburg's new food blog, , can. The website provides reviews of local restaurants, as well as listings broken down by meal, type of cuisine, and feature.   Today on the podcast, we're talking with the founder of Hub City Bites, Amanda Richardson. Be sure to check them out at the , as well as on , and .

If you've heard any downtown Spartanburg news at all lately, you know that . On Monday, City Council passed a development agreement with developer James Bakker, a crucial procedural step that will allow Bakker to move forward with his plans to renovate the building to include 9,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, 9,000 square feet of office space on the second floor, and 72 residential units on floors three through 10. Today on the podcast, we're diving in deep on the biggest historcial redevelopment in downtown Spartanburg's history with Brad Steineke, Local History Archivist with Spartanburg County Public Libraries, about the Montgomery Building's place in Spartanburg's 20th century history and its freshly secured place in our city's future.

It is perhaps Spartanburg's most iconic struture, a symbol of our history as a textile powerhouse, and a long-vacant, sometimes painful reminder of downtown's 20th century heyday. In many ways, and for many locals, the Montgomery Building has become a barometer for downtown progress. Bring back this beauty, the reasoning goes, and we'll know there really is sometihng to this whole "downtown revitltilization" thing.  Yeah...there's something to it. At Monday's meeting, Spartanburg City Council approved first reading of a development agreement with developer James Bakker, a crucial procedural step that will allow Bakker to move forward with his plans to renovate the building to include 9,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, 9,000 square feet of office space on the second floor, and 72 residential units on floors three through 10. The agreement includes several development incentives, including free parking in the St. John Street Garage adjacent to the Montgomery Building (140 spac

Foodies in Spartanburg have never had it so good. New restaurants throughout the city have either opened or announced openings at a rate faster than anyone can seem to remember, and lunch lines out the door for new downtown hotspots are a daily downtown occurrence these days. The numbers back up what our eyes are saying as well. Hospitality Tax revenue, paid as a percentage of gross restaurant food sales, continues to climb at an ever increasing rate, with downtown restaurants, in particular, seeing even greater growth. The implication is clear. Those larger and larger crowds seen downtown recently are spending dollars while they're here. Today on the podcast, we're basking in the glow of what seems to be Spartanburg's restaurant renaissance, talking about some possible next steps, and as always, ruminating about what it all means for you. 

In June, on the heels of concerns raised by constituents, City Council created a committee to examine the City's longest-running special event, Spring Fling. The festival has been annual staple for decades, and some questions have been raised in recent years about how Spring Fling can serve our downtown as it exists today, and as it continues to grow and evolve. In their two bi-weekly public meetings so far, the committee has begun the information gathering process, looking over reports from the Police Department, results from a survey taken of this year's Spring Fling attendees, and approved a draft of a survey of downtown business owners to be finalized and admininstered later this month. Today on the podcast, we're taking a look at the committe's work so far and exploring a little more deeply some of the questions that led to its creation.

A few months ago, the released a detailing the challenges and opportunities Spartanburg faces as our community evolves with the changing global economy. Underpinning that 48-page document, was a comparison between Spartanburg and several "peer communities." Among those is Chattanooga TN, a city that has become a poster-child for growth and smart development in our region. On the heels of the report, the Chamber organized a field trip to Chattanooga, inviting City and County leaders to join. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Spartanburg Chamber Board Chair Todd Horne about what Spartanburg can learn from Chattanooga...and maybe a little about what Chattanooga can learn from Spartanburg too.

After a record-breaking 2015 that saw more than 70,000 people attend training camp, the Carolina Panthers, coming off their NFC Championship season, are set to return to Spartanburg on July 28.  Getting things started for the team's stay in town, the Lowe's Kickoff Party will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College. Events include the Mayor's Ball Run, on-field performances by the TopCats, Sir Purr, PurrCussion and Black & Blue Crew, face painting, food, and interactive games. As always, admission to the kickoff party and all Panther practices is free. . Today on the podcast, we're talking with Riley Fields, Director of Community Relations for the team. 

It has been a problematic area within the city's north side for years, and after City Council voted unanimously to approve $1.9 million to purchase Oakview Apartments for the future construction of a new Dr. T.K. Gregg Community Center. The purchase marks the end of a long struggle to acquire the property from its owner, Related Companies, a New York-based real estate firm owned by multibillionaire and Miami Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross. The city condemned Oakview after attempts to purchase the property failed, and took possession in December, utilizing eminent domain. The purchase comes ahead of a civil trial that had been scheduled to begin July 18 to determine the property's value. Related had previously indicated it would not accept any offer below $2.4 million, the amount owed on its outstanding mortgage. The county assessor lists the property's value at $1.3 million. The City has already begun working with Spartanburg Housing Authority to relocate residents from the substandard units and will continue

Yet another downtown construction project is ready to get underway after the City's Design Review Board voted 3-0 to approve plans for a five-story mixed-use development for the corner of W Main Street and Daniel Morgan Avenue. The building will bring 30 new apartment units as well as 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail space to the prominent downtown corner. A development agreement for the building was , providing the city-owned property at no cost to local developer Royce Camp, after which the Design Review Board raised concerns about some aspects of the building's design at their meeting in March. Working together, the City Staff and the developer were able to address issues raised by the DRB, clearing the way for this week's approval. Today on the podcast, we're taking a deeper look at the development, the process of approving this important project, as well as what it could mean for the future of downtown's western end.

Walking down the western side of Magnolia Street will be a lot less claustraphobic pretty soon, as our latest streetscaping project is underway between Dunbar and W Saint John streets. The Magnolia Street project is the third of the City's $2.3 million streetscaping plan, passed by Council in 2014. Designed to improve storefront visibility, create additional public space, and significantly improve the street's pedestrian experience. Plans call for replacing and widening the sidewalk, as well as constructing four “sidewalk patios,” around 24 ft. wide and 42 ft. long, meant to serve as outdoor dining space. The project also includes changes to the street's landscaping, removing the existing trees located in the sidewalk, and replacing them with trees planted primarily around the patio spaces. No on-street parking will be lost as a result of the project. But that's far from the only thing happening in downtown Spartanburg this summer, with construction sites (and soon-to-be construction sites) seemingly around e

Officially, summer hasn't actually arrived yet, but you'd have a hard time guessing that if you've spent anytime outdoors lately. Looking for a unique way to beat the heat this weekend? On Saturday, June 18 consider that heat beaten thanks to our friends at . , a one-day event offering the chance to slip and slide down a 1,000-foot section of Daniel Morgan Avenue in downtown Spartanburg, comes to town June 18, 10 a.m–6 p.m. Registration for the event is open now, so for what's sure to be the most fun way to get some hot weather weekend kicks in Spartanburg. Today on the podcast we're talking with William Gray and Eric Kocher of Hub-Bub about the event.

June is here, and in the world of local government that normally means one thing: budget time! At their most recent meeting, , which includes no tax increases and includes a four percent projected increase in General Fund revenue, the largest growth rate since end of the recession. Still, even with positive signs for future growth, this FY 2017 is a "status quo budget" year according to City Management, with unavoidable spending increases including a 10 percent increase for the City Employee medical fund, $220,000 for building facilities maintenance, and around $114,000 for mandatory increases in the city's retirement contribution for employees. Additionally, a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise for City employees is included.  Today on the podcast, we're diving deep on the fiscal year 2017 budget with Assistant City Manager Chris Story, getting the nuts and bolts as well as discussing what this year's budget says about the near-term future of our city and the direction we're headed.

For many, the Downtown Memorial Airport is likely one of those rarely visited gems, something most locals know exists but may not know much about. Looking for a chance to take a look around one of Spartanburg's lessor-known amenities, and maybe get a view from above while you're at it?  Then you definitely don't want to miss Airport Fair at Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport on June 4, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Admission and parking for the event are free. Airplane and helicopter rides around the city will be offered for $30, as well as rides on a military Huey or Cobra starting at $75. The event also will include a kids zone, a wide variety of food vendors, live music, and special attractions like the Flying Tigers Sport Parachute Demonstration Team of skydivers.  Today on the podcast, we're talking with flight instructor Adam Lockamy of Pivotal Aviation about the event and about the Downtown Memorial Airport's importance to the Spartanburg community. Listen below for more.