New nature park possibly coming to Greenville County

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A new 52-acre park could be coming to Greenville County off Adams Mill Road between Mauldin and Simpsonville, where the YMCA Hollingsworth Outdoor Center is.

“This is going to be a regional park, not just a next-door park, a small park. When you’re talking about over 50 acres it will serve all the citizens of Greenville County and beyond,” said Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust Chairman Carlton Owen.

The piece of land has ties with Native American history, as well as a farmhouse built in the early 1800s that still stands today.

“We also need places for people to go and experience nature, experience history in a context,” said Owen.

The Upstate Preservation Trust is purchasing the land and the hope is to turn the area into the county’s newest park in one of the most densely populated parts of Greenville County.

‘The way we grow, we want to maintain quality of life, and this park is a big part of how we’re going to do that,” said Greenville County Councilman Butch Kirven.

“The opportunity to get more than 50 acres in more of the dense, developed area of our county is very difficult and very rare,” said Owen.

If finalized, this park would be the first new county park in Greenville County in nearly 15 years.

“It will provide actually recreational opportunities and appreciation of nature to an area that really needs those kinds of services,” said Kirven.

The next step is to get $1.2 million in funding for the project. The HNRT will meet in December to discuss giving funding to the Upstate Preservation Trust for project. The South Carolina Conservation Bank will also meet in December regarding funding of the project.

The planning process on what the park will look like and features will follow later.