by: Lisa Hallo, Land Policy Director at Upstate Forever. Lisa has been living in the Upstate region and working on regional and local land use issues for the past 10 years.

My husband Jeff and I moved to the Upstate about ten years ago. Back then it was just the two of us, plus our 90-lb yellow lab, Marley. We rented an apartment, Jeff began work at Clemson University, we adopted another dog (Moab), and I was lucky enough to land a job at Upstate Forever in downtown Greenville.

A lot has changed since that time. We now have three wonderful kids — Cooper, Ashlyn, and Bridger — and a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Nali (RIP Marley and Moab). We moved from the apartment to a house. And I now focus on land planning and policy issues at Upstate Forever.

It is always at about this time of the year, when the redbuds start blooming and the days start getting a bit warmer that I’m reminded just how much there is to love about this place. In Greenville County alone, the opportunities and assets are endless -- from the tree-lined Main Street to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, to the growing local food scene, to the farmers in the rural areas making that “scene” possible.

As with all communities, however, Greenville County is not without its share of issues -- from an increasingly severe affordable housing shortage, to an underfunded public transportation service unable to operate efficiently due to low-density development, to a land use ethic that at best can be described as inefficient.

Underlying these interconnected issues is a simple question: What sort of community do we want to create and as our community grows, are we willing to invest in that future through policy action and public investment?

Comprehensive plans -- followed by swift policies to enact plans -- are the best tools Greenvillians have to decide how and where the community will grow (as well as where it should not). Both the City and County of Greenville are set to launch 10-year updates to their comprehensive plans in the next few months. We must engage with these processes if we want to articulate a shared vision and then work together to support our leaders in helping us reach it.

There are many ways to make your voice heard. You can share your thoughts directly with your local council representative, draft a letter to the editor, participate in a community meeting, or just grab a beer with a neighbor and talk about the dreams you have for your neighborhood.

To learn more about ways to engage in Greenville’s Comprehensive Planning process, sign up for this newsletter.