When future visitors arrive in Greenwood, city officials want them to be greeted by a revitalized downtown with sidewalks and trails for pedestrians and bicyclists, more places to eat, shop and live, new and redesigned streets and additional places to park.
That’s the vision Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers has for the downtown area, and a city board has taken the first steps to make more than $35 million in projects eligible to receive tax dollars.
Downtown Greenwood has experienced redevelopment through its facade and grant programs, and that needs to continue, Myers said. Devoting money toward the new projects outlined by the Greenwood Redevelopment Commission is key in making that happen, he said.
“As we see downtown starting to thrive and grow as it is, we want to continue in with that,” Myers said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe city’s list of projects includes: a reconstructed Madison Avenue in between Smith Valley and County Line roads, a downtown parking garage, retail and residential development replacing the parking lot north of the Greenwood city building, a revitalized Old City Park, a roundabout at the intersection of Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue, a new road connecting Market Plaza and Surina Way and improvements to the intersection of Main and Meridian Streets.
The redevelopment commission, which finances projects through money collected in the city’s tax-increment financing, or TIF districts, that set aside money from property taxes certain businesses pay, is required to create and maintain a list of project it intends to spend money on, but that doesn’t guarantee those projects will come to fruition. These new projects will be put on the list, but the process, which takes about six months, will require a public hearing, and approval from the Greenwood City Council and redevelopment commission.
“It is a vision for what we’d like to see,” Greenwood Redevelopment Commission President Brent Tilson said. “It could and would change. It’s a road map for the future, not necessarily etched in stone.”
Work on several of the projects is already underway. The redevelopment commission will vote next month on whether to fund a $148,000 study on a new connector road between Market Plaza and Surina Way. The commission had already purchased land at the intersection of Main and Meridian streets last year to make room for improvements. And designs for the Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue roundabout have already been commissioned, and the city had a public meeting for the project last year.
Work on the connector road is expected to begin in 2018. Some of the improvements to Old City Park may begin this year, but will also continue into next year as well, Myers said. The new road will be funded through the TIF districts. The park improvements will be a combination of TIF funds, along with money from the stormwater board and parks board.
Other projects, such as improvements to Madison Avenue or development on the parking lot north of the city building, are further off, and how the projects would be funded isn’t certain yet. A timetable hasn’t been set for when work may begin on Madison Avenue, though it could start as soon as 2019, Myers said.
Myers described Madison Avenue as a gateway into the downtown area.
“We want to have that gateway look to bring people into the community,” he said.
Changes to Madison Avenue could include wider sidewalks, which would allow for outdoor seating for business lining the road, along with decorative lighting and more room for pedestrians and bicyclists.
How much additional land will be needed for the project isn’t known yet, but the amount should be minimal, and won’t require much additional land to be purchased since Madison Avenue already has a wide right-of-way, Greenwood Capital Projects Manager Kevin Steinmetz said.
The goal of each of the projects is to promote development and bring a higher quality of life to the area, Tilson said.
With limited remaining space to develop downtown, the parking lot north of the Greenwood city building along Main Street and Madison Avenue could be a prime area for development, he said.
“That parcel could be transformative in downtown Greenwood,” Tilson said.
A parking garage and space for offices, stores and apartments is what Myers would like to see the parking lot become.
“It would improve downtown parking and livability and walkability,” he said.
While the project is in the early planning stages, right now Myers sees the city building the parking garage, and bringing in developers for the other developments on the property, he said.
Outside of projects in downtown Greenwood, the redevelopment commission is also adding to its list funding for infrastructure improvements east of Interstate 65 along Main Street and County Line Road.
That would include work to prepare properties for future development, such as building access roads, adding traffic signals, sanitary sewers and drainage, similar to what the redevelopment commission will be doing for the big box store ETB Precedent Partners is looking to bring to the intersection of Main Street and Graham Road, Steinmetz said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”By the numbers” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Greenwood Redevelopment Commission is considering adding onto its list of projects that can be funded with TIF district dollars. Here is a list of what is being considered, along with an estimate of what the project will cost.
Madison Avenue reconstruction: $12.5 million
Old City Park improvements: $4.6 million
North city building parking lot redevelopment: $11 million
Market Plaza and Surina Way connector road: $2.6 million
Improvements to Main and Meridian Streets intersection: $800,000
Madison Avenue and Smith Valley Roundabout: $1 million
Infrastructure development to properties east of Interstate 65, along Main Street and County Line Road: $3 million
[sc:pullout-text-end]
