The city of Greenville plans to purchase a $10.7 million property in the Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood.
The more than six-acre vacant property is located at the corner of Church Street and Haynie Street, just south of the $1.1 billion, 40-acre Greenville County Square redevelopment. The site, previously owned by Stone Family Properties LLC, was placed on the market in June.
City officials said the property is under contract but can’t move forward until City Council approves the purchase. It is included on the council agenda for Aug. 12.
Greenville City Councilmember Dorothy Dowe said it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the city to purchase the land, allowing them to control how it is developed and protect the neighborhood.
“Haynie-Sirrine is one of those neighborhoods that we work really hard to protect and they are under a lot of pressure from the development around them,” Dowe said. “With the city purchasing this land, it allows us to keep it focused on the neighborhood for the development and guide that growth.”
“This is a neighborhood that lost its rental housing over 25 years ago. Now this long vacant land will be a beachhead of affordability in the very heart of downtown.” – Greenville Mayor Knox White
Haynie-Sirrine, a historically Black community, is one of the 13 special emphasis neighborhoods in the city. The federal designation applies to communities with at least 51% of residents making below 80% of the area’s median income.
“We are very pleased that the city has purchased this very important piece of property. This is a great opportunity to grow our neighborhood in a way that can also be beneficial to the rest of the city,” said Becky Warth, co-vice president of the Haynie-Sirrine Neighborhood Association.
The city will purchase the 36-parcel property using various funding sources including the capital projects fund, parking enterprise fund and tree fund.
Greenville Mayor Knox White said it is thanks to public-private partnerships that the city has the “financial firepower” to purchase the property.
Future development
Greenville City Councilmember Ken Gibson believes the city’s purchase of the property has the potential to be transformational for the community. He said it allows the city to save green space and create affordable housing for the neighborhood.
“We have been concerned about the effect that the County Square development would have on this community ever since I’ve come to council,” Gibson said. “The main things we thought we might lose would be green space or affordable housing.”
Over the past several months, the city has worked to envision a new future for the Haynie-Sirrine community. A new master plan has been under development, detailing future land use recommendations, infrastructure improvements and more within the neighborhood.
“The neighborhood is excited and we are deeply grateful to the city for this investment in our neighborhood.” – Becky Warth, co-vice president of the Haynie-Sirrine Neighborhood Association
A draft master plan was released to the public on Aug. 6. According to the plan, a mix of commercial and residential development is recommended for the purchased property.
“In alignment with GVL2040‘s goals, we want to see housing affordability first and foremost,” Warth said. “This property lends itself to providing green space and connectivity to the over side of Church Street via the Springer Street Tunnel.”
After the land purchase is approved, Greenville City Manager Shannon Lavrin foresees the city hiring a land planner to outline what could be developed on the property in the future. This development plan would be guided by the Haynie-Sirrine Master Plan and the neighborhood’s input.
The city’s Planning Commission is expected to host a public hearing and review the proposed master plan in September. If recommended, the plan will then go before City Council for adoption.
