Spartanburg City Council Meeting - October 27, 2025: Road Updates, Economic Development, and Public Comment
Spartanburg City Council Meeting - October 27, 2025
The Spartanburg City Council met on October 27, 2025, to receive updates on county road infrastructure projects and downtown economic development, hear public comment, approve a bid for the Mary H. Wright Greenway Trail, and discuss community resource coordination regarding potential SNAP benefit disruptions.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the October 13, 2025 City Council meeting.
- Approved the agenda for the October 27, 2025 meeting.
- Approved the consent agenda (including routine items) after the economic development presentation.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Andy Draw (address: 525 Parent Drive) spoke on behalf of Strong Town Spartanburg, expressing strong support for the car-free zone in Morgan Square. He encouraged the council to consider expanding pedestrian space and re-prioritizing the Morgan Square project, which he felt had been delayed.
Discussion Items
1. Road Infrastructure Update (Travis Brown, Spartanburg County Public Works Director)
- Travis Brown presented an overview of the Capital Penny program (effective May 1, 2024, six-year duration). The city of Spartanburg is estimated to receive over $9.8 million over six years.
- Completed projects: resurfacing of Highway 290 (Reval Road to North Daniel Morgan), West Main Street, and St. John Street.
- Tier 1 projects: Reval Road (awarded to Rogers Group for ~$6.9 million).
- Tier 2 (to be bid in 2026): Highway 29 from Reval Road to Cherokee County line, likely in two sections.
- County municipal paving: $15 million under construction; $5 million under construction for municipal projects including the city of Spartanburg.
- Planned 2026: $20 million for county paving (12 miles subdivision, 11 miles through roads), $5 million pavement preservation, $4 million municipal projects.
- County corridor reconstruction projects: Sea Road (~$6.5 million, finishing), 4 Street (~$3 million, bid awarded), Belcher Road (out for bid), others in design.
- Safety improvements: A $20 million federal grant (Vision Zero goal) for Asheeille Highway and North Pine Street projects, plus educational campaigns and spot safety improvements.
- Workforce development: Partnerships with Spartanburg Community College for CDL training, heavy equipment operator program, and a goal of 100 internships by summer 2026; $32,000 in scholarships planned.
- Council members discussed the need for better striping and pedestrian access on Union Street, traffic calming device maintenance, and coordination with DOT on road ownership and safety concerns. Councilwoman Smith requested better communication with the public about road work disruptions.
2. Economic Development Update (Alan Smith, President/CEO of One Spartanburg Inc.)
- Alan Smith presented a new economic impact report covering downtown Spartanburg.
- County-wide: $7.4 billion in new investment, 152 projects, 8,611 new jobs (2018-2024). In 2025: $3.35 billion investment, 882 new jobs (including one project with nearly 300 jobs averaging $99,000/year).
- Downtown focus: 2016 community survey results showed top desire for downtown improvement. Since then, multifamily units increased from 461 to 4,000-5,000; hotel occupancy rate at 71.5% with RevPAR up 20% year-over-year.
- Economic impact: $1.2 billion in new downtown investment supports 11,389 jobs in the city, 13,706 in the county, and nearly 14,000 statewide; total economic output of $1.4 billion (city), $1.7 billion (county), $1.9 billion (state).
- Council members discussed the need to better communicate the benefits of growth to residents, especially those who feel left behind, and the importance of public-private partnerships.
3. Mary H. Wright Greenway Trail Phase Two (Bid Award)
- Jay Squires (Public Works Director) announced that three bids were received. Community First Developers (Anderson, SC) was the responsive low bid at $365,228.95. The project will connect the South Side Corridor to the existing trail system with pedestrian walkways and protected bike lanes, estimated 45-day completion. Council approved the contract.
4. Staff Update (Mr. Story)
- Mr. Story reported that staff is monitoring potential interruptions in SNAP benefits affecting approximately 38,000 residents countywide (~1 in 10 residents). A community resource fair is scheduled for October 28 at the Dr. T.K. Gregg Center, featuring nonprofit partners and the Fifth Third Bank eBus for financial literacy. Further strategies will be developed if a sustained interruption occurs.
- Clarification: WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) is a separate program; funding status is uncertain.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the consent agenda (including minutes and agenda) unanimously.
- Approved contract award to Community First Developers for the Mary H. Wright Greenway Trail Phase Two ($365,228.95).
- Council directed staff to continue communicating with the public about road projects and economic development benefits.
- Council will receive additional updates at the next meeting on SNAP disruption preparedness.
- Council moved into executive session after public comments and updates.
No other votes or formal decisions were recorded.
Meeting Transcript
We're gonna stand for a moment of silence and that will be a good idea. So remember his wife and uh this moment of South. Hey man. Mayor Pro Tim, would you lead us in, please? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And consider your property for which it stands one nation on your God and Liberty and justice for all of them. Thank you. We have item three, approval of the minutes of the October 13th, 2025 City Council meeting. So move. Second. All in favor? Aye. Any of that opposed? Ayes have it. Item four, we have approval of the agenda for the October 27 2025 City Council meeting. So moved. Second. All in favor? Any that are opposed? Ayes have it. We have a public comment this evening from Andy Draw. Andy, when you come up, you have two minutes, sir. Um it will start after you give us your address. My name is Andy Dry. I live at 525 Parent Drive. And I just want to say again, I love this city. Uh voted today, and it was a reminder of just how grateful I am for each other one of you for your service to our city and all the other public servants that are on the ballot. I wanted to mention just how special I feel like the car-free zone is in Morgan Square. It's one of the things that first kind of caught our attention when we started hanging out in Spartanburg. It's a place that we bring our family and our friends and uh people who talked to us about possibly joining us here in Spartanburg. And I thought since the project has been delayed, I would uh on behalf of Strong Town Spartanburg, which is a people-oriented sort of uh advocacy group that we're a part of. Uh we're just encouraging perhaps the consideration of expanding the car-free nature or going back to uh the plans that that made even more space for pedestrians. I think it's just really special to have that kind of plaza uh you know, pedestrian people-oriented place at the center at the heart of the city. It's just really cool. And it seemed like maybe uh Morgan Square was like getting put on the back burner. So I thought I'd stand up and just like say thumbs up to Morgan Square when the time comes. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Thank you. See it for public comments. Wow. Item six. Item six. Let me let me stop. Item six update on the uh row infrastructure improvement. Presenter tonight, yes, Mr. Travis Brown, Spanbrook County Public Works Director. Thank you. Let's see. So thank you.
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