City of Spartanburg gets community input as Morgan Square plans progress

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - For months now, the City of Spartanburg has been working to figure out what’s next for Morgan Square. Last year they formed a committee to generate some ideas and now, they’re asking you. Tuesday night, they held a community workshop at C.C. Woodson Community Center.

The city needs and wants input to move forward and begin creating designs. But with so many thoughts and ideas, the real challenge is finding a plan most people will be happy with. When the drawing table is empty– no idea, is a bad idea.

“What made me come out today was to make sure that everybody has a chance to come together up under one area, all colors and all ages, so that we can just enjoy Spartanburg together,” said Spartanburg resident Darline Ross.

A city survey found 84% of people say it’s the food that brings them to Morgan Square, while only 34% say shopping. And some business owners want the square to bridge that gap.

“As a downtown resident and downtown business, I would like Morgan Square to be a jumping off point, I would like people to come downtown to Morgan Square, and from there know where they can go eat, know where they can go shop” said Tori LeRoy, the Co-Owner of Two Doors Down Boutique.

The city closed the road early in the pandemic to allow outside dining. But LeRoy says fewer parking spots interfere with business.

“It definitely impacted our business. It definitely hurt us so we would like to see change” she said.

Others love the pedestrian friendly feel.

“Walking does not bother me. So if I have to park one block away I mean, it’s nothing” said Spartanburg resident, George Loudon.

Neighbors learned about the process, sketched designs and wrote their visions for the square during the meeting.

“As soon as we get the input from the community, we’re going back to the design team so they can go ahead and put some schematics together, some drawings together,” said Mayor Jerome Rice.

Mayor Rice says from here they’ll work on getting more input by visiting businesses and setting up more meetings. We’ll keep you updated as plans progress.

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