Whether you’re new around these parts or you’re a lifelong Greenvilian, one thing is clear — we’re growing. And we’re growing fast.

According to Mayor Knox White, the ideal way to grow is mixing some “intentional planning” with “natural evolution.” The definition of “downtown” is changing everyday, and as it expands beyond the confines of Main Street, different “nodes + corridors” or “small areas” have started to develop.

To name a few — The Village of West Greenville. Academy-Pendleton. Country Square. Laurens-Verdae. Greenville Convention Center. (Click here and scroll to page 47 to see more.) According to the GVL2040 Comprehensive Plan, each of these nodes + corridors “...should present a unique sense of place that distinguishes each from the other. In so doing, each will have a separate character and identity that will celebrate its form and help differentiate each from the other."

Node and corridor map from GVL2040 Comprehensive Plan

So, on Tuesday night, the City of Greenville and Urban Design Associates (who helped create the downtown Master Plan in 2019) hosted the first of three public planning meetings to discuss one such small area plan for South Downtown or the “West End.”

Some of the goals of this plan include enhancing connectivity, balancing differences of scale, tying together individual redevelopment initiatives, and more. To sum it all up — creating “what the West End wants to be when it grows up.”

If you live, work, or play in or around the West End, the team wants your feedback, and has created an interactive, engagement website to collect community thoughts and opinions.

To get a better idea of what Urban Design Associates (UDA) is referring to when they say “West End,” check out the map below. You can also access an interactive version of the map here. Using the interactive map, you can tag specific locations in the study area that are strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.

Additionally, the website has an idea wall where you can publicly share your opinions on the area at any time over the next few months. You can also “like” and “dislike” any comments you agree or disagree with.

Project timeline for West End small area plan

So, what’s next? Take advantage of the team’s engagement website from now until the next public meeting on Tues., April 27 at 6:00 p.m. UDA will use community feedback as they start to develop a small area plan and test different options. The third meeting will be held on Tues., May 25.