Leaders Discuss Uptown Development

More than 20,000 people attended this year’s Festival of Discovery. Lander University is in talks to lease the Inn on the Square for student housing, a move that would place numerous young people in the heart of the city’s Uptown revitalization efforts.   On Tuesday, Greenwood Mayor Welborn Adams and assistant city manager Charlie Barrineau addressed Greenwood Rotary Club on those and other topics dealing with Uptown development.

Greenwood assistant city manager Charlie Barrineau makes a point Tuesday as he addresses Greenwood Rotary Club at American Legion Post 20. (Staff photo by Chris Trainor)

Frank Wideman, who introduced Adams and Barrineau, talked about the city center masterplan and the importance of Uptown being a hub for the arts and cultural events.

“The objective (in the Emerald Triangle) was to develop and arts and cultural district for downtown Greenwood to attract more folks to the city center and revitalize the center city economy,” Wideman said. “Hopefully, some day we will bring more development off the bypass into the city center.

“It’s also an effort to improve the quality of life. That will help industrial retention and recruitment by providing state of the art programs for both children and adults, centered on the cultural arts.”

Adams talked about the need to cultivate the city and Uptown to a point where young professionals are attracted to Greenwood.

“For us to make it, we’ve got to attract young professionals to our town,” Adams said. “Young professionals move here, have families here and they stay here. That’s how a town or a city — and a county — grows. It is vital that we get these people when they are 25 years old, that they come to Greenwood.”

The mayor talked about four aspects of a city that attract young professionals.

“There are four items that attract young professionals to a city today,” Adams said. “They are not as inspired by the money today. They are looking for the arts, they are looking for dining, unique dining and not just your cookie-cutter Outbacks, they want music and they want to go out to parks, on trails and such.”

Adams said that, while there is still room to grow, he thinks the city has made great strides in all four of those areas during the last 20 years.

The mayor stressed the importance of parks within the city.

“I’m a big runner. I go to West Cambridge Park three or four times a week and run,” Adams said. “We used to not have any of that. People want to get out. We are becoming more and more of an active population, with people wanting to get out and exercise.

“In our partnership with Lander and their (to be constructed Recreation Wellness and Sports) facility, you are going to be able to walk from West Cambridge Park to those athletic fields. I just think that’s a perfect set-up.”

While he lauded this year’s well-documented Festival of Discovery, Barrineau also promoted October’s click646 photography festival, which is set to bring world-renowned photographers into town.

Photographer Jon Holloway is organizing click646.

“I know a lot of you know Jon Holloway,” Barrineau said. “If he touches something, it turns to gold. The guy is the most creative person I have ever met in my life. click646 is his vision and he is doing it because of his love for Greenwood. Tickets are on sale now. They are moving quick and they are going to sell out. If you wait until October, there won’t be any tickets left.

“We are having more Web traffic about click646 than any of our other events, including the Festival of Flowers and the Festival of Discovery.”

Barrineau touched on the possibility of Lander acquiring a lease with the Inn on the Square.

“We think that’s a beautiful marriage,” Barrineau said. “If we can get the potential of Lander moving into the downtown, we think that’s a great marriage.”