The four-lane roadway will be reduced to three lanes from Augusta Street to Henrydale Avenue near the Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital. The city’s neighborhood infrastructure bond will fund the project which aims to slow traffic and enhance pedestrian safety. 

Read more about the Grove Road project

Roadway repairs began Jan. 14. According to the city, lane closures will occur over the next three to four months as the work is completed. In the spring, the entire roadway will be repaved and high-visibility crosswalks and other safety enhancements will be installed.

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Community members can visit the clinic to receive free dental, vision and medical care. Insurance or identification is not required to receive care at the clinic. Services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

As a nonprofit, Remote Area Medical hosts pop-up clinics across the county to offer health care services to those in need. The clinics are funded by donors and operated by volunteers.

The clinic will be held at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville at 607 Grove Road. The parking lot at the clinic site will open no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. 

Clinic doors open at 6 a.m. Those wishing to receive services are encouraged to arrive as early as possible. The clinic closing time may vary based on daily capacity. 

For more information, visit ramusa.org.

Available services

Remote Area Medical will provide free medical care at its clinic in February. The services provided include:

Dental care

• Cleanings
• Fillings
• Extractions
• X-rays

Vision care

• Complete eye exams
• Eye health evaluations
• Prescription glasses made on site

Medical care

• Physical exams
• Prescription consultations
• Women’s health
• General exams

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Final approval: West End parking garage development agreement

Council gave final approval for the city to enter into a development agreement with RocaPoint Partners to build a new public parking garage in the West End. The city will allocate $13.38 million to cover the project’s cost.

RocaPoint Partners, the $1 billion County Square project developer, will design and build the 400-space parking garage on Howe Street and a pedestrian walkway connecting to Augusta Street. The project is expected to be completed in March 2026.

Initial approval: Housing impact analysis for accommodations tax funds

The city of Greenville seeks to use a portion of its accommodations tax revenue to develop affordable workforce housing, permitted under South Carolina Act 57. The act specifically allows up to 15% of both local and state accommodations tax revenue to be used for creating workforce housing.

Under Act 57, the city is required to create a housing impact analysis to use its state accommodations tax funds for workforce housing. The analysis provides an overview of the city’s housing market and conditions, construction and development costs, economics and employment analysis, and a review of barriers impacting housing.

According to the housing impact analysis, the city has the opportunity to use approximately $2 million from local accommodations taxes and $300,000 from state taxes toward affordable housing projects.

The analysis was approved by the city’s Planning Commission Jan. 7. Council gave initial approval to incorporate the analysis into the GVL2040 Comprehensive Plan following a public hearing Monday night.

Approved: Settlement agreement with short-term rental companies

The city of Greenville is one of the plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit out of Charleston County against several short-term rental companies, including Airbnb, Tripadvisor and Vrbo. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by several municipalities in South Carolina to recover unpaid local accommodations and business license taxes for short-term rentals.

Council approved a resolution consenting to a settlement agreement with the defendants in the lawsuit. The agreement must be approved by all plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Approved: Abandoned textile mill certification for Conestee Mill property

Council unanimously approved an abandoned textile mill certification for the old Conestee Mill site under the South Carolina Textile Communities Revitalization Act.

Kantasta LLC and Lake Conestee Dam Restoration Project LLC are redeveloping the property which is located near Conestee Road and Spanco Drive. The act grants state income tax credits of 25% of the qualified rehabilitation expenses for the site.

Review: Abandoned building certification for 700 Arlington Ave.

Council reviewed an abandoned building certification application for the historic structure at 700 Arlington Ave. during its Jan. 13 work session. The local landmark was most recently used as the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center.

Jordon Construction Co. is renovating the building. Once work is complete, the restored building will include office space for minority-owned businesses, gathering space and space to display historic African American artifacts from the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center.

James Jordon, president of Jordon Construction Co., said approximately $612,000 is being invested to restore the historic building. With the abandoned building certification, the developer can receive state income tax credits of 25% of the property’s actual rehabilitation expense.

Council is expected to formally vote on the item Jan. 27.

Additional items

• Council gave final approval for City Manager Shannon Lavrin to terminate the reverter clause in the deed to the American Legion Post 3’s property at 430 N. Main St. This action would allow an interested developer, currently known as 426 N. Main LLC, to purchase the property for a future project.
• Initial approval was given by council to appropriate approximately $2 million in the capital projects fund for the additional proceeds of the second round of the neighborhood infrastructure bond. The additional proceeds will go toward capital projects.

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Children under the age of 16 will be restricted at Bon Secours St. Francis’s Eastside and Downtown hospital locations to ensure the safety of patients, staff and visitors. This change will go into effect beginning Wednesday, Jan. 15. 

Prisma Health will also restrict visitors under the age of 16 from visiting its hospitalized patients starting Jan. 15. Jacie Volkman, executive director of Prisma’s infection prevention department, said exceptions may be made to the visitation restriction by the attending physician and local leadership. 

“By taking this proactive best-practice step, we can ensure our hospitals remain safe places for our patients to receive high-quality care,” Volkman said. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared that seasonal influenza activity is elevated across most of the county. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health, respiratory illnesses have specifically been increasing across South Carolina.

Both health care systems recommend visitors wear masks when visiting patients. Community members are asked not to visit patients if they currently have symptoms or tested positive for a respiratory illness.

By the Numbers

So far this season, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that across the country there has been

• 9.1 million flu illnesses
• 110,000 hospitalizations
• 4,700 deaths from the flu

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Schools and offices will open two hours later than normal. However, the school day will conclude at its regular time.

Bus routes will begin to run two hours later than the usual schedule and will avoid specific icy roads considered impassable. Students on these impacted routes will be noticed by the district’s transportation department. 

For more information, visit https://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/News/main.asp?titleid=2501delay. 

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Upstate South Carolina remains under a winter storm warning until 7 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Between 1 and 3 inches of wintry mix was expected to fall Jan. 10. Chances of snow and sleet continue through early morning on Jan. 11.

Heavy accumulation is not expected south of the mountains, but freezing temperatures could create hazardous road conditions. Accumulating ice could also bring down trees and limbs, leading to the possibility of power outages.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency for the winter weather moving across the state. The executive order issued Friday supports the state’s ongoing response efforts to the snow, sleet and ice predicted to impact many areas in South Carolina.

Publix changes hours

Publix Super Markets in the Upstate will close on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. and will reopen pending weather conditions at 8 a.m. Jan. 11.

Schedule changes and cancellations

Greenville County Schools shifted to eLearning on Friday, with all activities canceled and facilities closed.

The city of Greenville and Greenville County offices are closed Friday. Greenville Municipal Court sessions for Friday have been canceled.

Greenlink will end services at 12:30 p.m. on Friday due to the winter weather. The last bus will depart from the transit center at 11:30 a.m. There will also be no bus services on Saturday.

The Greenville Swamp Rabbits rescheduled both weekend games. The Jan. 10 game will be made up on April 13, and the Jan. 11 game will be played Feb. 15.

Several Prisma Health locations have altered their schedule Friday due to the weather. All AnMed practices will remain open until noon and any closures will be shared later today.

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PowerSchool, a cloud-based software used for K-12 education, notified the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDOE) of the incident on Jan. 7, which compromised personally identifiable information for students and staff. 

Greenville County Schools shared in a statement that no data from the district was affected or compromised by the cybersecurity breach. This was confirmed by an internal district investigation, PowerSchool and SCDOE.

According to GCS, the district provides PowerSchool with limited access to data and has additional security measures in place to protect students and educators’ personal information. 

“In 2023, Greenville County Schools became the first, and remains the only, school district in the nation to earn ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for information security, which means we have a system in place to manage risks related to the security of district data and that the system respects all the best practices and principles,” according to a GCS statement. 

PowerSchool informed SCDOE that the breach has been contained and has taken steps to secure its systems. The state department shared in a statement that is working with legal counsel, the State Law Enforcement Division, the Attorney General’s office and local school districts to determine the next steps. 

“While PowerSchool has taken accountability for this breach, our department will take uncompromising action to ensure we uncover the complete extent of this incident.  We will insist that PowerSchool not only notify affected individuals but also provide them with credit and identity monitoring services,” said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver

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Young artists from across the county are recognized in the annual competition for their talents in classical music, dance, design, film, jazz, photography, theater, visual arts, voice and writing. For the 2025 competition, nearly 11,000 students ages 15 to 18 submitted applications.

The six local winners include:

• William Armstrong — jazz/piano (previously recognized in 2023)
• Anna Cassell — visual arts
• Ronnie Elliott — jazz/guitar
• Mary B. Mays — visual arts
• Lillie Markel — creative writing
• Taylor Marie Robinson — voice

“The Fine Arts Center is proud to have six students receive this recognition for the second straight year. The YoungArts Award and YoungArts Award With Distinction are incredibly competitive honors,” said Vee Popat, director of The Fine Arts Center. “These awards reflect the dedication and hard work not only of our exceptional students, the mentorship they receive at the FAC, and the support from Greenville County Schools.”

The winners each received a monetary prize of $250. Cassell was also named a YoungArts Award Winner with Distinction and will be invited to participate in the National YoungArts Week this month. At the conference, her work will further be evaluated for cash awards up to $10,000.

Read more about the local 2025 YoungArts National Arts Competition winners.

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Emily Dawkins, Aiden’s mother, provided a look into his day in the life at the Meyer Center.

What is Aiden’s typical routine at school?

Emily Dawkins: He rides the bus to school and then in his classroom — just like a typical preschool — they do circle time. Depending on the day, they go to the library or music or art and they’re learning things like shapes and colors. Throughout the day, he is also pulled for therapy — speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. He gets all three of those at least two or three times a week.

What is it like for Aiden to ride the bus to school?

Emily Dawkins: His favorite thing in the whole world is riding the bus. He absolutely loves the bus. We live 30 minutes away from the Meyer Center, so it’s a drive that would be two hours’ worth of time back and forth every day. I was a little hesitant sending my 2-year-old on the bus, so we started on the bus just three days a week and quickly realized how much he loved it.

Through therapy, what has Aiden been able to accomplish?

Emily Dawkins: Last year, Aiden got a speech device. He’s learning how to communicate through that device. When he got that last year, his therapist was able to go into his classroom with him and sit with him at circle time. They do the good morning song, and everyone says everyone’s name and Aiden can use his speech device to say his own name or just say his friend’s name, which is so cool to watch.

How else has Aiden been able to progress while at the Meyer Center?

Emily Dawkins: Physically he has progressed so much. When he started at the Meyer Center, he could barely roll over. Now he does this really cool commando crawl and he’s so fast. He’s able to get himself where he wants to go even though he can’t walk, and he doesn’t sit up independently.

What is Aiden’s favorite thing to do at school?

Emily Dawkins: The indoor playground. It’s just a big room with lots of toys and things to do. He loves being in there, I think, because he has the freedom to crawl around wherever he wants. Then he also loves music. They have a music therapist who comes into the classroom, and she brings instruments and the guitar, and they get to participate and learn about instruments.

How do you feel about Aiden’s time at the Meyer Center?

Emily Dawkins: As a mom, knowing that he gets to go to school, that’s a huge blessing in itself, but he’s at a school where he also gets all his therapy. He’s at a place where he is included and he is valued and he’s loved and cared for. I can’t put a value on that because it means so much to us that he has this place where he can be included and is challenged and not held back. They push him and they want him to be the best version of Aiden that he can be just as much as we do.

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Reese is an interdisciplinary artist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With the residency, Reese will run an open studio in Furman’s Roe Art Building throughout the spring semester where he will develop a body of work with the help of Furman students, faculty and community members. 

For his project, Reese plans to explore food insecurity in the Upstate and the impact of consumer capitalism on low-income communities. He will create artwork using data from the Greenville County Food Insecurity Index, local partnerships and community engagement. 

Artists residency programs

His public exhibition, “Daily Bread,” will be on display at the Thompson Art Gallery starting Feb. 17 until March 28. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Furman University Department of Art’s 2025 True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence was started in 2016 as part of The Furman Advantage. The program awards one residency each academic year to emerging and professional artists and designers. 

To learn more about the program, visit furman.edu/academics/art/facilities-resources/true-inspiration-artist-in-residence.

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The open-air chapel has been closed since late September 2024 after the storm ripped off part of the structure’s roof. The chapel’s wooden benches also sustained significant water damage. 

Sam Franklin, CEO and president of YMCA of Greenville, said approximately $455,000 in repairs were completed to the chapel including replacing the roof, installing new wood/metal benches, adding water drainage protectors and more. Hogan Construction Group was hired to complete the work.

“We wanted to make sure that the original rustic feel of the chapel was maintained,” Franklin said. “It’s a landmark for not just this area but for our state and so we’re just happy and excited to have it back open.”

Around 250 people traveled to the reopened chapel to watch the sunrise on the morning of Jan. 3. The famous structure, officially named Fred W. Symmes Chapel, sits at 3,200 feet atop Standing Stone Mountain in northern Greenville County. Tinisha Johnson, an Anderson County resident who visited the chapel on Jan. 3, said it was devastating to see such a beautiful place damaged by the storm. 

“I’m so glad that they were able to repair it and they were able to restore its natural beauty,” Johnson said. 

In addition to Pretty Place Chapel, tree removal and other storm repairs are underway throughout YMCA Camp Greenville. Franklin estimates Helene caused over a thousand trees to fall across the campus, damaging several cabins and areas around the 1,400-acre property.

Read more about YMCA Camp Greenville damages from Hurricane Helene 

“We’re probably about 75% to 80% done with the tree removal which is great,” Franklin said. “Most of the program areas have been cleared. The camper cabins have been repaired. 

Franklin said YMCA Camp Greenville will be ready by June for its summer programming. The YMCA of Greenville is accepting monetary donations to help cover the cost of the camp’s storm repairs. For more information, visit campgreenville.org. 

 

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Cost estimates

$455,000: Pretty Place Chapel repairs (roof replacement, new benches, etc.)

Approximately $700,000: Tree removal and cabin repairs across YMCA Camp Greenville

Pretty Place fast facts

Pretty Place Chapel, officially named Fred W. Symmes Chapel, was built in 1941.

The chapel welcomes more than 325,000 people each year.

Around 550 wedding ceremonies are held at the chapel each year.

162 weddings had to be canceled after the chapel was damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Visitation schedule

Pretty Place Chapel officially reopened on Jan. 3. To view the chapel’s visitation schedule, visit campgreenville.org/visitation-schedule.

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Kirk Conover, commander of the James F. Daniel Jr. American Legion Post 3, explained an unnamed developer approached the local chapter to purchase the property at 430 N. Main St. Greenville City Council had recently approved the sale of the Greenville City Municipal Court property at 426 N. Main St. to the developer for $4 million.

According to the city’s ordinance, the buyer, 426 N. Main St. LLC, plans to construct a Class A mixed-use development on North Main Street. Official designs for the project have yet to be released. Johnston Design Group is the architect for the project.

“The city didn’t really notify us that the courthouse building was going to be for sale. We first noticed it when the signs went up and then we noticed that someone was surveying our piece of land,” Conover said. 

Located at the corner of North Main and Academy streets, the American Legion’s 0.35-acre parcel currently holds the chapter’s first dedicated lodge, built in the early 1930s. The building is listed on the Greenville Historic Inventory. Today, the two-story structure holds the American Legion War Museum and is used for member meetings.

In November, American Legion Post 3 members voted to sell the property to the developer. Conover said it is time for the American Legion to look for a new space in downtown Greenville better suited for the chapter.

“While this building has been wonderful for us for the last 90 years, our post is changing,” Conover said. “Our membership is changing. Our dealings with the community are changing.”

City staff and representatives of the developer worked with American Legion Post 3 to help find a new site for the organization, Conover said. He thinks they may have found a suitable location for the local chapter. 

“Contracts have not been finalized,” Conover said. “When/if Post 3 moves from its current location, it most likely will not happen until late summer or early autumn 2025.”

As the current property owner, the American Legion plans to submit an application to demolish its current building for future development on the site. The item was presented at the city of Greenville’s project preview meeting on Dec. 17. 

The city’s Design Review Board is tentatively scheduled to review the demolition application on Feb. 20, 2025. Scott Johnston, founder of Johnston Design Group, said the demolition of the American Legion building would occur later in 2025 in concert with the redevelopment of the site. 

Related News

The American Legion Post 3’s first dedicated lodge was built in the early 1930s on municipal land at 430 N. Main St. The city deeded the parcel to the American Legion in 2000. Greenville City Council recently gave initial approval for City Manager Shannon Lavrin to terminate the deed’s reverter clause, which would give the title back to the city. This would essentially allow the developer’s purchase of the American Legion property to move forward. 

About the American Legion Post 3

Post 3 of the American Legion, a national wartime-veterans service organization, was established in Greenville in 1919. The chapter’s first lodge was built in 1933 using locally quarried granite. Members of the local chapter have met in the building since October 1933. 

The building at 430 N. Main St. is listed on the Greenville Historic Inventory. Kirk Conover, commander of the James F. Daniel Jr. America Legion Post, said they would take several elements of the historic building before it’s demolished, including the fireplaces. 

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The new partnership – under the name AnMed Integrated Therapy – was launched on Jan. 2. Elite Integrated Therapy Centers will manage operations across all locations which provide physical, occupational and speech therapy services to patients. 

AnMed Integrated Therapy includes eight locations, six of which were formerly owned by Elite Integrated Therapy Centers in Anderson, Powdersville, Belton and Seneca. AnMed currently operates the other two locations in Anderson and Hartwell, Georgia. An additional location will be located at the AnMed Piedmont campus which opens in the spring of 2025. 

William Kenley, CEO of AnMed, said the collaboration with Elite Integrated Therapy Centers helps AnMed excel at addressing the health care needs in the community.  

“Strategic partnerships like this enable our independent, not-for-profit health system to expand and improve upon the services our patients need and deserve,” Kenley said. “In Elite Integrated Therapy Centers, we’ve found a partner who’s wonderfully aligned. We’re poised to build on our respective strengths and enhance the care that AnMed has provided to the community for more than a century.”

Through the new venture, Elite Integrated Therapy Centers will also provide expanded professional development and staff training opportunities along with residency and fellowship programs. Paul Hecker, owner and CEO of Elite Integrated Therapy Centers, said it was an honor and a privilege to be offered the opportunity to partner with AnMed on the new venture.

“We believe the strengths and tenured experience of our combined teams will make way for a comprehensive and attainable therapy experience for our patients,” Hecker said. 

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Adopted in June 2023, the code serves as a tool to regulate development within the city limits. The city’s planning and development staff recently completed an 18-month review of the code. 

Read more about Greenville’s development code

The public is invited to review and provide feedback on the proposed changes to the code during two drop-in style meetings. The meetings will be held at the Prisma Health Welcome Center in Unity Park from 8 a.m. to noon on:

• Friday, Jan. 3
• Monday, Jan. 6

One of the proposed changes is to reduce the code’s change of use standards. These standards apply when a new type of business such as a nail salon intends to open in a building previously used as office space. 

Since the building’s use is changing, the new business would be required by the code to complete improvements to the site. The proposed revisions would create reduced standards for some situations when the change in use of the building is considered to be equal to or of a lesser intensity.

Other revisions from the 18-month review include a reduction of the waiting period to demolish a historic structure, changes to the code’s permitted use table and more. The city’s Planning Commission will review the proposed regulations on Jan. 7 before they are presented to the Greenville City Council for final approval at a later date. 

For more information on the proposed development code update, visit greenvillesc.gov/182/Greenville-Development-Code. 

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City Hall to be rebuilt

Greenville City Hall will be demolished to construct a new building in the same location at 206 S. Main St. Five to six floors of the new structure will house City Hall with the remaining space for residential and commercial tenants. The city plans to invest $10 million into the project, which will be completed through a public-private partnership. City Council approved a non-binding letter of intent with M Peters Group in September; however, a formal development agreement has yet to be signed between both parties. 

City parks continue to evolve

Some of the city’s parks hit major milestones in 2024. Unity Park saw several grand openings and the groundbreaking of the future Thomas A. and Vivian Wong Honor Tower. The city secured property to build a future skatepark and paved pump track next to the Greenville Downtown Airport. Falls Park in downtown Greenville celebrated its 20th anniversary in September. Gower Park also reopened following renovations which added new pickleball, tennis and basketball courts to the park. 

Affordable housing efforts carry on

Several strides were made by the city this past year to help create more affordable housing in the area. Approximately $4.45 million was specifically earmarked for affordable housing in the city’s operating budget for fiscal year 2025. The city purchased 36 parcels in the Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood for $10.7 million to add affordable housing and green space to the site. The city also supported several efforts made by the Greenville Housing Fund to create and preserve affordable housing in the area. 

Roadway safety projects move forward

The city’s engineering team was busy in 2024 planning out several roadway projects. The team crafted a finalized list of traffic and pedestrian safety enhancements along Augusta Street in April. The following month, new conceptual plans for roadway improvements along Wade Hampton Boulevard were unveiled to the public. Other planned roadway projects include Pendleton Street, East North Street, Dunbar Street and Green Avenue.

Neighborhood master plans updated

Two neighborhood master plans were updated in 2024. The city worked with neighborhood stakeholders and residents to create a new plan for the Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood. The plan outlines strategies to balance new development with the preservation of the existing neighborhood. Greenville City Council recently approved the updated master plan for the Greenline-Spartanburg neighborhood. The recommendations within the plan focus on affordable housing and infrastructure updates.

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