We are excited to announce the completion of the Comprehensive Plan Analysis Review by TATT intern Kyle Dool. Kyle is a graduate student in the City and Regional Planning program at Clemson University. This presentation is the results of an effort between Ten at the Top, Upstate planners, and Clemson University to uncover trends and evaluate opportunities for development collaboration across the Upstate region. The basis of the project is the analysis of comprehensive plans from the 10 Upstate counties and the cities of Greenville and Spartanburg, which allowed us to identify key planning themes for each county and the two largest cities in the region.

    The comprehensive plan analysis review identifies common themes and key takeaways among the plans of the Upstate.

    The presentation can be viewed here.

    Q & A

    Answered by Kyle Dool unless otherwise noted

    Q: Future Land Use maps – What were some of the challenges in normalizing the ten-county region, considering each jurisdiction utilize their own terms?

    A: (From Katherine Amidon, Synterra Corporation, who helped with the GIS mapping for the project): Definitely some assumptions had to be made. Once we have Pickens and Spartanburg we will provide context for how we got there. We tried to mimic the 2015 effort as best as possible. Without context for how the previous class performed this analysis we had to make some guesses.

    Q: What are some weaknesses that the Upstate can focus on in the next few years?

    A: Only the Union county plan talked about the connection between internet access, economic development and community prosperity. We know it is an issue in all counties, but it is something that wasn’t mentioned as much as might have been expected.

    Q: Was the growth pattern representative of those reflected in individual comprehensive plans?

    A: Yes, most growth is focused along existing transportation networks, and there is much emphasis on bolstering the relationship between land use and transportation.

    Q: Is there opportunity moving forward for the Upstate Professional Planners to discuss how they can collaborate to turn some of the plan elements into actual policies within Upstate counties to ensure the plans are followed?

    A: Yes, there are many commonalities that could bring inspiration between counties, and a lot of opportunity for planners to collaborate. Cities and counties are interconnected geographically also (eg. Clemson professors live all over the Upstate).

    Q: You mentioned some plans discussed alternative funding options for transportation. Did most ideas include Sales Tax? Or were there other ideas we should be exploring?

    A: Sales tax and exactions with some discussion of federal funding.

    Thank you to:

    Kyle Dool

    Phil Lindler & Michael Forman, co-chairs of the Upstate Professional Planners Group

    Comprehensive Plan Review Steering Committee

    Katherine Amidon, Synterra

    Sherry Barrett, Upstate Forever

    Lisa Bollinger, SPATS

    Chris Brink, Pickens County Planning

    Keith Brockington, GPATS

    Tee Coker, Greenville County

    Kara Drane, Catawba Regional COG

    David Dyrhaug, City of Mauldin

    Sherry Dull, SPATS

    Lance Estep, ACOG

    Michael Forman, GSP International Airport

    Rick Green, Upper Savannah COG

    Michael Hildebrand, Upstate Mobility Alliance

    Maurice McKenzie, Anderson/ANATS

    Nina Hallissy, ReWa

    Phil Lindler, Greenwood City/County Planning

    Natalia Rosario, City of Spartanburg