Here’s a recap of the June 8 meeting of Greenville City Council.
Presentation: State of the city
Greenville City Manager Shannon Lavrin delivered the third annual “state of the city” address, highlighting Greenville’s continued growth. The presentation provided a recap of the work completed by the city in fiscal year 2025. Lavrin also highlighted key initiatives and projects that will be focused on during the upcoming fiscal year.
The city has made significant progress on planning the multi-million-dollar renovation of Greenville City Hall. Lavrin said replacing the existing building would cost two to three times more than the planned renovation. Preliminary design plans for the project will go before the city’s Design Review Board on June 18.
Plans were also announced in March for creating a downtown conference center as part of the Falls Park Conference District. More than $500 million in public and private investment is planned to transform more than six acres east of Falls Park into a new mixed-use district. Lavrin said the project will require substantial investment of time throughout the next year.
The Greenville Police Department plans to launch a real-time crime center this year. This will provide a centralized, technology-driven hub for the department at the Public Safety Campus and Municipal Complex on Halton Road. Lavrin said the center will serve as mission control for public safety, providing officers with real-time data and support for more coordinated decision-making.
Creating more parking in Greenville’s West End remains a priority for city leaders. In 2025, the city entered into a development agreement with RocaPoint Partners, the developer creating the $1 billion County Square project, for a new public parking garage on Howe Street. Lavrin said construction on the 400-space parking garage is slated to begin any day now.
Progress has been made on designing the city’s new wheelsports park next to the Greenville Downtown Airport. The new park will consist of a bicycle playground, a pump track and a skate park. The city plans to look for a construction manager for the project this summer. Lavrin said the goal is to finalize the project’s design plans this year and start construction in early 2027.
Several projects relating to the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail are also moving forward. Construction of the $4.7 million pedestrian bridge over Verdae Boulevard is expected to be completed by early fall. This project will allow for the trail to be extended to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. Lavrin said Greenville County has promised to have the trail paved upon completion of the bridge.
“We hope that we have the Swamp Rabbit Trail extension completed by the end of this year,” Lavrin said. “The bridge is expected to be completed no later than October.”
Additional trail projects that the city will focus on include:
- Airport Loop Trail: Five miles around the Greenville Downtown Airport
- Swamp Rabbit Trail rehabilitation: One mile between River Street and Unity Park
- Halton Road Shared Use Path: Three miles extending off the Swamp Rabbit Trail Green Line
- Zoo Trail: One mile between the Greenville Zoo and downtown Greenville
- West Village Connector: One mile connecting Unity Park and West Greenville
City staff will continue to work on upgrading the community centers in Viola and West Greenville. Construction of the new Viola Community Center is underway and expected to be finished by the end of 2026. Lavrin said the design vision for the West Greenville Community Center is also anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.
Other key initiatives the city plans to work on in the next fiscal year include:
- Selecting a land planner for the city-owned property in Haynie-Sirrine, with construction aimed to begin in 2027
- Creating infrastructure plans for the Greenline-Spartanburg neighborhood
- Potentially launching a pilot modular housing initiative to help with affordable housing
- Collaborating with a private developer on a missing middle housing pilot project
- Completing the city’s first Urban Forest Comprehensive Plan
- Improving the infrastructure, appearance and functionality of Court Street
- Transforming the alleyways in front of the Greenville City Design Center and at One City Plaza.
Approved: State accommodations tax funding designations
City Council approved designating $2.4 million from the state accommodations tax fund to provide financial assistance for events and projects that promote tourism within the city. The events and projects receiving the funding were selected by the city’s Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee.
VisitGreenvilleSC will receive the largest total award amount of $1.6 million in state ATAX funding. The funding will be used to increase overnight visitation in Greenville and to support the organization’s tourism program for fiscal year 2026-27.
The Metropolitan Arts Council was also awarded $300,000 to market and promote the arts community in Greenville. Other entities that received funding include Artisphere, Falls for Greenville, South Carolina New Play Festival, the South Carolina Children’s Theatre, Upcountry History Museum, the Children’s Museum of the Upstate and more.
Approved: $2M for public space upgrades, safety improvements
The city received $20 million in earmarked funding from the South Carolina General Assembly in fiscal year 2023-24. The funding went towards a specific list of public space upgrades and safety improvement projects.
City Council gave initial approval to appropriate $2 million in additional funding to four capital projects. This will reimburse the city funding previously set aside for these projects with additional state-earmarked funds.
The funded projects include:
- $541,349 to the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan project
- $357,992 to the Cultural Corridor project
- $575,778 to the Stone Avenue Corridor project
- $598,594 to the Augusta Street utility undergrounding project
Approved: $241K for Hudson Street and Townes Street projects
City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to appropriate $241,976 to improvement projects on South Hudson Street and Townes Street. The funding comes from the city’s previous sale of right-of-way and temporary easements to the South Carolina Department of Transportation for the bridge replacement project on Hudson Street.
The city’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department will use $45,000 to complete landscaping work on the right-of-way area affected by the bridge replacement on South Hudson Street. The remaining $196,976 will be used by the city’s Engineering Department to complete a road diet and improvements on Townes Street between West Elford Street and West Park Avenue.
Approved: Annexation applications
City Council gave final approval to four annexation requests, including an application for two land parcels consisting of 7.56 acres off Conestee Road and Spanco Drive. Park District (PK) zoning will be applied to the parcel on the north side of the Reedy River, owned by the Conestee Nature Preserve.
Lake Conestee Dam Restoration Project owns the second land parcel, which encompasses the newly constructed Conestee Dam. The portion of the parcel containing the dam will be zone PK. The other section, located south of the Reedy River next to the historic Conestee Mill, will be rezoned Mixed-Use 3.
The other approved annexation applications include:
- 7 acres of open space on Grove Road and West Faris Road, with the proposed city zoning of PK
- 0.78 acres of land at 201 Edwards Road, with the proposed city zoning of Residential House B District (RH-B)
- 0.31 acres of land at 116 Otis St., with the proposed city zoning Residential House D District (RH-D) in the Greater Sullivan Neighborhood Revitalization Overlay District
Additional items
- City Council approved a resolution to amend the city’s procurement procedures. The amendment will increase the limits for acquisition and procurement methods from $2,500 to $5,000.
- City Council gave final approval to rezone an approximately 0.24-acre property on Pine Street from RH-D to Residential Neighborhood A District (RN-A)
