Cities are required by the State of South Carolina to review their comprehensive plans every five years and to revise them every decade.
“Between rapid growth in the City of Greer and the State’s passage of the
Priority Investment Act, the revision of our comprehensive plan actually comes at a very good time,” Greer City Administrator Ed Driggers said. “In the Greater Greer area, it will be both necessary and wise to partner with various agencies to manage future growth.”
The comprehensive planning process sets the context for continued development inside the city limits by analyzing the community’s population, future land use, economic development, transportation, community facilities, natural resources, cultural resources, and other infrastructure and environmental issues, needs, challenges, and opportunities.
Driggers pointed to development and revitalization in the City over the past decade as an important reason for revisiting the planning process. Residential developments continue at a record pace, commercial and industrial growth continues along the City’s major thoroughfares, and historic downtown Greer has been revitalized as a commercial and entertainment destination.
“Strategic planning is the process of considering trends and projections to guide growth and development, to determine future public facility, service, and recreational needs, and to preserve community character and natural resources — all of the things that contribute to a high quality of life in the City of Greer,” Driggers said. “It is an important task as we anticipate what the City of Greer will look like in ten years and, more importantly, how we guide growth and prepare properly for it.”
Driggers added that the City’s sound growth management policy fits nicely with the Priority Investment Act passed by the South Carolina General Assembly during its 2006-07 legislative session. The act requires a coordinated effort between adjacent and relevant jurisdictions and agencies — such as counties, municipalities, public service districts, school districts, public and private utilities, and transportation agencies — for responsible growth and fiscal planning and responsiveness to meeting the diverse needs of citizens.
Glenn Pace, Planning and Zoning Coordinator for the City of Greer, said the act is “an important step forward” in the comprehensive planning process for the Greater Greer Area.
“It’s simply a matter of cooperation and planning between everyone involved. We have already had excellent feedback from various agencies responsible for services in the Greater Greer Area and anticipate a strong partnership between all agencies as we move forward to address the needs of the area during the next decade and beyond,” Pace said.