County launching SPEED to raise community involvement

Initiative focuses on sustainability, planning, education, engagement and development

Richland County is rolling out an initiative to keep residents up to speed on community revitalization programs.

In February, the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) will introduce SPEED (Sustainability, Planning, Education, Engagement, Development), a yearlong program featuring a series of events geared toward training and engaging the community. NIP is a division of the County’s Community Planning and Development department.

“Each series is going to be catered to different aspects of the department and the various divisions within it,” Richland County Comprehensive Planner Brian Crooks said of SPEED. “We’re trying to provide takeaways that neighborhoods and citizens in general can utilize for themselves and for their communities.”

The initiative kicks off Feb. 20 with “Planning for SPEED,” an event that will feature a short introduction to the program followed by presentations from the County’s Business Service Center and the Assessor’s Office.

In March, the NIP team will collaborate with Community Planning and Development for “Gaining SPEED for Fair Housing Month.” This event will cover Neighborhood Matching Grants and give an overview of NIP programs during an orientation for potential first-time homebuyers through the Richland County Homeownership Assistance Program.

In 2020, Richland County is set to create a new land development code and a new countywide sustainability master plan and is evaluating and revising its comprehensive plan. With such major initiatives underway, Interim Planning Services Manager Tommy DeLage noted the importance of residents being active in their community.

“We’ll be doing something just about every month,” DeLage said. “The goal was to have as much opportunity for that engagement and education as possible.”

For more about the SPEED lineup and to keep up with new events as they are announced, visit the NIP events page on the