Greenville creating master development plan for area around downtown airport

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The area surrounding Greenville’s downtown airport is always busy with traffic and now city leaders are ready to make improvements. But what needs changing? That’s what they’re asking you.

Tuesday evening at the Greenville Convention Center leaders hosted the first public input session asking residents to help create a vision for the future of the Airport District. At 8 stations, using sticky notes, play money and stickers—residents now have a say in the future.

“Before we even put pen to paper, we like to come and engage the community” said

Amanda Morrell, the project manager with CallisonRTKL, the consulting firm working with the city to study the Airport District.

The district is made up of the area in between Laurens and Haywood roads, South Pleasantburg Drive and I-385.

“It’s diving into the parcel-level planning of what type of development, redevelopment should happen in and around the study area,” Morrell explained.

The goal is to create a master plan for growth in the area. The interactive session was a chance for residents to give their input on everything from where money should be invested to what more they’d like to see.

“We really represent a lot of folks in Nicholtown who weren’t able to make it out tonight,” said Joy Hill, a resident and co-founder of the non-profit, Eleos Ministry in Nicholtown. Hill and her students went to the session to make sure their needs were heard.

“An affordable grocery store would be amazing and close because Nicholtown is one of the largest food deserts so something like Aldi, would be nice, right near the neighborhood” she said.

Residents also said they’d like to see more bike lanes, affordable housing and better walkability. Less vacant buildings and empty lots. Consultants also asked about traffic and public art.

“I really enjoyed looking at all the options city staff had put together,” said resident Gordon Shereed.

With community input gathered, this master plan will take off soon.

“Residential, to hospitality to light industrial, hotel—we look at all the possibilities” said Morrell.

Coming up in the next month, consultants will host a 3-day design input meeting for the public to give input again. And they hope to have a draft master plan and designs ready by the end of the summer.

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