City to hold public input sessions for Wade Hampton Boulevard strategic plan – May 29, 30

On Tuesday, May 29, the City of Greenville and Arnett Muldrow & Associates, the Greenville-based consulting firm hired to provide planning services for the Wade Hampton Boulevard Strategic Plan, will kick off a four-day public input process designed to gather community feedback on the future of Wade Hampton Boulevard. Throughout the week, City staff and members of the consultant team, which also includes Tom McGilloway with Mahan Rykiel Associates, Randy Wilson with Community Design Solutions and Eric Dillon with Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering, will meet with stakeholders such as neighborhood residents, merchants and property owners, as well as representatives from area institutions. A steering committee of business and property owners has also been established and will work with the consultant team during the process.

The City will launch the first of three opportunities for the general public to participate in the process on Tuesday afternoon with a three-hour open studio at City Hall, where citizens can meet and interact with the consultant team in a small group setting. On Tuesday evening, the City will host a public meeting at Bob Jones University. While the public meeting will include a brief presentation by the consultant team on some of its initial analysis and market data, the majority of the meeting will be devoted to a facilitated public input session. On Wednesday morning, the City will host another open studio at City Hall for the general public to meet and interact with the consultant team.

According to Emelie Hegarty, the City’s Economic Development Marketing Analyst, all of the feedback received during the week will be used to generate reality-based design concepts and recommendations for future improvements. “This public input process is exciting because it is designed to be inclusive and responsive,” said Hegarty. “The ideas and input received from the general public, stakeholder groups and technical experts will come to life in the resulting strategic plan.”

In addition to the final strategic plan, the consultant team will also provide several key deliverables throughout the process, including a market assessment, renderings and conceptual plans of key projects, an overall illustrative plan, policy recommendations and an action-based implementation strategy.

Each of the sessions below is open to the public. Interested citizens are welcome and encouraged to attend. Those who are unable to participate in person can still provide feedback by email at [email protected] or by phone at 467-4401.

For the open studios at City Hall, two-hour parking is available on the street and paid parking is available in the Poinsett Garage (25 W McBee Ave). As a reminder, the first hour of parking and accessible parking are free in City garages. Parking vouchers will also be available for use by attendees.

For the public meeting at Bob Jones University, attendees should enter the campus from the main entrance on Wade Hampton Boulevard, turn left onto University Circle and follow University Circle to the parking lot directly in front of the Dining Common. Directional signs will be posted and the booth attendant will be able to assist with any questions.

Tuesday, May 29

Open Studio
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. (participants can drop in any time)
First Floor Conference Room
City Hall
206 South Main Street

Public Meeting
5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Dining Common
Bob Jones University
1700 Wade Hampton Boulevard

Wednesday, May 30

Open Studio
8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (participants can drop in any time)
First Floor Conference Room
City Hall
206 South Main Street