Just a short drive east from the heart of Greenville is the Downtown Airport District, an area teeming with economic potential and ripe for redevelopment.
Boarded by major city corridors, the district encompasses the Greenville Downtown Airport, the Greenville Convention Center and the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail Green Line.
Now the city is taking a fresh look at the area.
See more Airport District Master Plan renderings
The Airport District Planning Study began in October 2022 to craft a 15-year comprehensive plan for development, infrastructure and connectivity in the area. Photos by Ryan Gilchrest
“The study casts light on the untapped potential of the Airport District,” City Manager Shannon Lavrin said.
The project was conducted in partnership with the Greenville Airport Commission and Arcadis, a consultant company. A final draft of the Airport District plan was released by the city for public review and comment on Sept. 6. It will go before the city’s planning commission for recommendations on Oct. 5; then it will be put before Greenville City Council for consideration.
Driven by public input, the 90-page draft plan includes numerous suggestions, changes, improvements and additions to the Downtown Airport District.
Drive economic growth
At-large city Councilwoman Dorothy Dowe said good planning of an area should always precede its growth and economic development.
“You start to think about, ‘OK, how can this big footprint of land be planned to optimize it as an economic engine but also — which is so critical — give back to the community in terms of amenities,’” Dowe said.
To fuel private investment within the district, the planning study recommends creating more outdoor-recreation opportunities and identifying three catalyst sites for conceptual-development opportunities. These sites include:
- Greenville Convention Center and Greenville Downtown Airport
- Swamp Rabbit Trail and Laurens Road
- Haywood Road
Strategies to improve each site were also identified within the plan, such as traffic and pedestrian safety improvements, roadway reconfigurations, trail connections and more.
Tiffany Kayser, general manager of Goldfish Swim School on Haywood Road, thinks that more pedestrian-safety improvements along corridors would be beneficial, especially because of the area’s continued growth.
“We’ve definitely seen, in the last year, the extra sidewalks added with the pedestrian crossings and signals, so that’s really nice,” Kayser said. “If they’re going to be expanding all of that for the safety of pedestrians around here, that is wonderful news.”
Increase connectivity
The district’s connectivity plays a critical role in its potential economic growth. The study identifies ways to increase the area’s multimodal transportation opportunities while also improving Haywood Road, Laurens Road and Pleasantburg Drive.
“Good connectivity relieves traffic congestion,” Dowe said. “Connectivity is directly connected to … our quality of life.”
Kevin Feeny, a member of the Airport District Planning Study’s steering committee, said improvements along Laurens Road would help increase the connection between the district and the surrounding neighborhoods. Feeny co-owns Kitchen Sync restaurant and is a member of the East Lynne Neighborhood Association.
“(East Lynne Neighborhood) is a great little neighborhood and is situated so well but it’s not currently very well connected to these amenities that are growing around us,” Feeny said. “That’s one of the things that I’m very interested in helping facilitate if I can.”
While the city recently completed an extension of the Swamp Rabbit Trail to the district, the planning study includes a proposed runway trail loop that would connect many district destinations. Conceptual amenities identified in the plan include a skate park, a bicycle pump track and an airplane viewing platform.
Dan Singletary and Connie Dimick, co-owners of White Duck Taco, said they have seen an uptick in sales and foot traffic since the Swamp Rabbit Trail Green Line opened. They are excited about the possible trail loop.
“I think the more trails the better in Greenville,” Dimick said. “It gets people out and it exposes them to a different part of town that they might not otherwise go. The downtown airport’s also really cool and it’s so accessible to just come and watch planes go by.”
A visionary process
It is important to note that the plan for the Airport District is a visionary process with suggested improvements and changes to the area.
“This is kind of the front-end process,” Feeney said. “Once this part of the process is done, then there’s the all-important budgetary side of things.”
Almost a year since the project began, the Airport District Planning Study is still several steps away from turning lofty ideas into reality.
“We’re thrilled with the community’s interest and excitement for the draft plan,” Lavrin said. “This plan is a first step and gives the city a blueprint for future improvements and priorities for capital projects in this area.”
Modes of transport
Multimodal transportation pops up several times within the draft of the Airport District plan. This terms refers to the modes of transportation a person can take to arrive to a destination including a car, bus, bicycle and walking.
Public feedback on the plan asked for more opportunities to travel by foot or bike instead of by car. The city hopes to improve safety along roadways and trails to increase connectivity within the district.
Project timeline
October 2022: Project initiation
November 2022-January 2023: Background review and analysis
February-March 2023: Establish a vision
April-May 2023: Develop the master plan
June 2023: Prepare the draft master plan
July-Sept. 2023: Finalize the master plan
October 2023: Review by planning commission and anticipated Greenville City Council adoption
Study area
The 1,000-acre study area for the Airport District Plan is bounded by Interstate 385, Haywood Road, Laurens Road/U.S. Highway 276 and Pleasantburg Drive/state Highway 291. The Greenville Convention Center and the Greenville Downtown Airport make up more than three-quarters of the district’s acreage.
Runway Loop Trail
The proposed Runway Loop Trail would run along the perimeter of the Greenville Downtown Airport’s runways. It is estimated to be 24,000 linear feet or 4.5 miles in length.
