News & INSIGHTS

The Greenville Planning Commission has signed off on the city’s GVL2040 comprehensive plan, which will steer the city’s growth and evolution over the next two decades.

More than a year in the making, the plan will also help elected officials and city staffers make decisions about policies and projects that impact development and quality of life in the city of Greenville.

Transportation, the environment and affordable housing are listed as the top three priorities within the plan.

“Greenville’s community expressed the desire to continue growth in a new way that promotes quality of life for all,” city planners said in a report to the Planning Commission on Jan. 12.

To do that, Greenville must:

Preserve as much as 35% of remaining vacant land as open space or as parks.

Ensure that at least 10% of all new housing units are affordable.

Make a range of appealing and safe mobility options possible.

“Greenville’s growth, as it relates to physical form, will need to occur in a new and different way from current trends,” the Planning Commission report said. “GVL2040 outlines a growth pattern shift towards a node/corridor development framework, or rather, a pattern similar to ‘urban villages.’”

These urban villages will be mixed-use areas that combine housing, employment opportunities, retail, restaurants, neighborhood conveniences, transportation options and community outdoor spaces in an accessible and walkable environment.

The GVL2040 comprehensive plan will go before the City Council in February. A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25.