At Monday's meeting, Spartanburg City Council voted 5-0 to approve the creation of a committee to make recommendations on physical enhancements to Morgan Square. Council members Jamie Fulmer and Erica Brown were absent from the meeting. The committee comprises a diverse selection of city residents and stakeholders including downtown restaurant and retail business owners, City planning board members, experts in local development and architecture, and community activists. In presenting the recommended list of committee members to Council, City Manager Chris Story said that in addition to a diversity of experience and background, the committee also includes a diversity of opinions about what should come next for Spartanburg's most prominent piece of public land.
Story said that the committee's work will take 6-12 months and will involve a robust public engagement process. After their work is complete, the new committee will make final recommendations to City Council regarding changes to the square.
The move comes after City Council voted 4-3 last August to continue the closure of W Main Street in front of Morgan Square for 12 months to establish a planning process to consider a permanent reconfiguration of the space. Council members Jamie Fulmer, Rob Rain, and Erica Brown voted against, favoring a proposal that would’ve opened the street during the winter months and closed it again in the spring. Separate from the square redesign discussion, Council will take up extending the street closure at their next meeting on August 8.
Members of the Morgan Square Redevelopment Committee are:
• Committee Chair: Halsey Cook, CEO Milliken & Co.
• Raj Patel, Co-owner Cribbs Restaurant & Main St. Pub
• Betsy Teter, Founder Hub City Press
• Tori James LeRoy, Co-owner Two Doors Down
clothing store
• Lauren Rogers, City Design Review Board Member
• Jamar Brown, City Planning Commissioner
• Brenda Lee Pryce
• Alex Powell, Johnson Development
• John Bauknight
• William Gray, McMillan Pazdan Smith Architects
• Jack McBride, Founder and Chairman, Contec, Inc.
• Ex Officio: Jerome Rice, Jr., Mayor
• Ex Officio: Manning Lynch, County Council Chair
For more from Monday's City Council meeting, see the full video below.
https://vimeo.com/733606192?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=13959403
Original source can be found here.
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