‘Plan Greenville County' Comprehensive Plan Greenville County, South Carolina
Services Provided
Comprehensive Planning
Public Engagement
People Involved
Chris Hermann
Donald Zellefrow
Plan Document
A comprehensive plan to manage growth and guide future development
MKSK led a team of consultants and county staff on the development of Plan Greenville County, a ten-year comprehensive plan update for Greenville County, South Carolina. The plan casts a twenty-year vision for the continued improvement and growth of the county, and, once adopted, will provide the foundation for future land use and development regulations as well as future coalition-building and strategic decision-making in Greenville County.
Take a proactive approach to growth. Greenville County’s population is expected to increase by over 40% from 514,000 residents in 2018 to 736,000 in 2040. At the same time, employment in the county is anticipated to increase from 262,000 jobs in 2018 to 370,000 jobs in 2040. The question of where people are going to live, work, and play is fundamental to future land use, prosperity, and quality of life in the county. The plan addresses these questions with a future land use map and policy recommendations designed to promote desired growth in the urbanized core and curb unwanted development in the mountainous northern and agricultural southern stretches of the County.
Build consensus for decision-makers. The comprehensive planning process included twenty community meetings, a statistically valid survey, and numerous convenings of a citizens advisory committee and stakeholders advisory committee as well as numerous meetings with educational and economic development leaders, planning commissioners, and county councilors. The result of this thorough engagement process is a sense of consensus, clarity, and confidence among citizens and decision-makers regarding the big planning-related issues the community will confront in the coming years.
Create a foundation for future planning and development. Plan Greenville County includes a ten goal statements, 32 measurable objectives, and over 100 implementation strategies that address partnerships, funding sources, and time frames. The plan includes a future land use map that is designed to address the character of the diverse communities within the county, with a flexible set of “character areas” to help define the unincorporated county (most of which is unzoned).
Plan Greenville County is a deliberate and strategic response to the question, “why plan?”
Fulfill a statutory mandate. Lastly, Plan Greenville County is a response to the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994. The planning process and plan document reflect the statutory requirements (three phases, a minimum of nine plan elements, and a future land use map) for counties, cities, and towns in the State of South Carolina to update every decade.
Seven Key Recommendations. Plan Greenville County also includes a series of key recommendations for the county and its partners to address over the coming years. These include:
Follow the future land use map in the plan.
Work toward a unified sewer system.
Identify and prepare employment centers.
Increase the supply of workforce housing.
Create and expand traditional neighborhood centers.
Address needed transportation network improvements.
Improve inter-jurisdictional coordination.
