STEERING COMMITTEE #3September 17, 2019
1. Community Open House
2. Vision Statement/Goals
3. Market Analysis (Residential/Retail)
4. Transportation Summary
5. Next Steps
Agenda
2
1. Kick Off
2. Walking Audit
3. Windshield Survey
4. Stakeholder Interviews
5. Existing Conditions
6. Previous Plans
6. Community Engagement Plan
7. Proposed and Upcoming Projects
8. Goals/Vision
Progress Update
3
Attendance Summary
5
13%
23%
23%
9%
5%
13%
15%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Word of Mouth
Neighborhood Association
Flyers
Church
Other
110 Sign - Ins
6
7
Vision
8
Goals
9
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
Transportation
10
1. Daniel Morgan Avenue and Highland Avenue Intersection
1. Speeding (9)2. Dangerous Pedestrian Crossing (8)
2. Henry Street and Forest Street Intersection
1. Speeding (1)2. Dangerous Intersection (3)
3. Daniel Morgan Avenue and John B. White Sr. Boulevard Intersection
1. Dangerous Pedestrian Crossing (2)4. John B. White Sr. Boulevard and Imperial
Street Intersection1. Speeding (2)2. Dangerous Pedestrian Crossing (1)3. Blindspot (1)
Transportation
11
Land Use
12
14
512 14 12
22
7
19
11
9
8
5
99
6
7
6
8
7
116
52
3
5
3
4
2
5 93
3 11
29
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Total A Total B Total C Total D
Retail Priorities
13
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Grocery Store Fast Food Convenience
Store/ Gas
Station
Coffee Shop Sit-down
Restaurant
Botique Retail Neighborhood
Services
Bank Health Facility Pharmacy
Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Priority 4 Priority 5 Priority 6
Investment
14
• Neighborhood Cleanup• Housing • Transportation • Community Services • Economic Development • Greenspace • Safety
Investment
15
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Greenspace Pedestrian/Biking
Infrastructure
EconomicDevelopment
Safety Job Training Recreation Transit Housing Health K-12
Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Priority 4 Priority 5 Priority 6
Key Takeaways
16
Vision/Goals• Focus on celebrating community assets (people, history and locations)• Desire for community development, economic development, and access to goods, services and jobs
Transportation• Concerns are concentrated along the northern portion of the neighborhoods where there is more
vehicular traffic observed due to a change in land uses. • Improvements requested focused on vehicular safety improvements and improving the character of
the corridors for a better pedestrian and bicycle experience.
Land Use• Preference for the core residential neighborhood to remain low density residential, there were areas
identified for higher density redevelopment close to Downtown Spartanburg, and large vacant parcels to the west.
• Preference for a grocery store, health facility, pharmacy, and neighborhood services. • The least preferred retail uses are convenience stores, coffee shops, and boutique retail.
Investment • Prioritize improving the housing stock within the neighborhood. • Interest in economic development, that attracts new commercial uses.• Construction and improvement of sidewalks to make the neighborhood more walkable, and to
improve pedestrian connections to other neighborhoods. • Supporting neighborhood cleanup.
SWOT
18
Strengths Weaknesses
ThreatsOpportunities
• Community spirit/people• Momentum• Anchor institutions• History, authenticity• Location• Meeting Street Academy• Farmers market
• Poverty• Internal crime• Perception• Limited resident engagement• Fragmentation of neighborhood
identity
• Buy in from stakeholders• Spartanburg growth and new housing• Knowledge building• Stewart Park• Development without displacement• Funding• Surrounding colleges• Opportunity zone• Food programs
• Uniform commercial uses/businesses• Displacement• Inability to gather city-wide support• Norris Ridge ownership• Housing market• Neighborhood competition (funding)• Transient residents
Vision Examples
19
“To increase the health, safety and public welfare of the community. This includes physicalhealth as well as fiscal health with the desire to spark economic development and revitalizethe neighborhood.”
- Highland Neighborhood Clemson Study (2017)
“To stop blight in underserved and neglected neighborhoods and to bring housingredevelopment efforts that will ultimately bring back new investments.”
- Five Year Consolidated Plan (2015)
“This Downtown Master Plan, inspired by visionary leadership and girded by recent investmentand success, serves to weave the basic assets of the City into a tightly-knit tapestry.”
- Downtown Masterplan (2007)
“Dallas Highway will be a safe, pleasant, pedestrian and bike-friendly corridor that seamlesslyconnects the North Side’s parks, schools, churches, businesses, and residents to DowntownDouglasville, serving as a gateway that establishes the community as a unified ‘downtownneighborhood.’”
- Dallas Highway LCI (2019)
Highland Vision
20
“The Highland neighborhood…
…will utilize equitable improvements to housing, infrastructure, education, and park space…
…to build a unified, vital, and valued community within Spartanburg’s historic core that attracts new jobs, goods, and services…
…and to create a safe, healthy, and diverse neighborhood that celebrates and protects its history, people, residential character, and assets like the Bethlehem Center and Stewart Park.
Goals
21
1. Conservation 1. Protection of legacy and low-income residents 2. Preservation of the community’s natural assets (creeks) 3. Promoting investment in community assets 4. Celebrating the Community’s history and culture
2. Accessibility 1. Providing opportunities for goods and services 2. Improving and expanding transportation options 3. Creating economic opportunity4. Building vibrant spaces that attract and serve diverse groups
3. Restoration 1. Providing reinvestment in new and existing housing options2. Encouraging compatible land uses 3. Promoting neighborhood safety and stability
Market Analysis
23
ResidentialSummarizes existing residential market for study area and anticipates future trends which might affect redevelopment potential
RetailExisting retail supply and demand is tabulated and future trends are predicted
Economic Projection(Presented at next steering committee meeting)
Market Analysis
24
Residential Market Analysis Study Area Map
Five neighborhoods near Downtown:
• Highland• Wofford College• Northside• Hampton Heights• Downtown/Converse Heights
Residential Market
25
Spartanburg County Population Projection Study Area Population
Study Area Average Household Size
Residential Market
26
Spartanburg City Residential Permits from 2016 to 2018
Residential Market
27
Percentage of Bachelor Degree or Higher Percentage of Age 25 - 34
Percentage of Income Over $40,000
Residential Market
28
Median Home Value
Highland Building Age Map
Average Sales Price After 2014
Notes: The local construction cost of a single-family home is about $65 per sq. ft. The construction cost of a 1,400-sqft , 3-bedroom
home will be $91,000. Such homes can be sold at $120,000 to $140,000.
Residential Market
29
Study Area Historical Average Sales Price
Highland Sales Price Map For Homes Sold After 2017
Residential Market
30
Source: American Community Survey
Highland and Converse Heights Rent Distribution Units
Source: American Community Survey
Highland Rent Distribution Units
Residential Market
31
Highland Housing Affordability Gap
Source for income limits: Department of Housing and Urban Development
Residential Market
32
Opportunities• Proximity to Downtown• Potential Development
Sites• Potential Home Buyers and
Renters
Challenges• Low Income and Educational
Attainment• Lack of Recent Construction• Older Existing Housing Stock
Residential Takeaways
33
1. The market for new construction for purchase units in or around Downtown is largely unproven
2. Neighborhoods like Hampton Heights and the North Side are seeing some growth, but the wide availability of unimproved stock limits the demand for new construction, limiting spillover effects
3. Highland is unlikely to see a dramatic growth in the demand for new market-rate for-purchase or rental housing over the next five years
4. The demand for the rehabilitation of older units in Highland could begin to reverse over the next five years
5. The need for affordable housing in Highland remains strong
6. Due to Highland’s location near Downtown and Hampton Heights, catalytic redevelopment projects could potentially improve desirability of the neighborhood by improving perception and desirability of the Highland
Retail Analysis
34
Retail Analysis
35
Most Common Retail Types
1. Restaurant
2. Automobile Service / Auto Sales
3. Hair and Beauty Supply
4. Convenience Store
5. Tax Service
Missing Retail
36
1. Health Clinic
2. Grocery Store
3. Pharmacy
4. Laundry
Missing Retail
37
Trends
38
1. Growing Metropolitan Population and Economic Prospects
2. Stabilizing Downtown Population
3. Growing Downtown Businesses
4. Food, Drink, and Thriving Events Scene
5. Closing of Grocery Stores
Challenges/Opportunities
39
Challenges• Low Highland household incomes• Negative perception• Small number of local households
Opportunities• Downtown spillover• Highly trafficked perimeter roads• Larger, assembled undeveloped property• Growing awareness of need for health food access
• Demographic Considerations (US Census)
• Based on Census Tract 208 which covers almost the entire Study Area
Transportation Overview
41
• In Highland, over 45% of households don’t have a vehicle
• Compared to just 7.8% in entire City
• This lack of household vehicles is a critical data point in understanding the transportation needs
DemographicConsiderations
42
45.9% 30.8% 23.4%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0%
Household Vehicles Available
No vehicle available 1 vehicle available 2 or more vehicles available
• Cars are most heavily used, however, over 30% of people in Highland carpool on a daily basis
• Only 10.7% of the City carpools
• Walking/Biking comprises 16% of Highland workers
• Only 5.3% in City
DemographicConsiderations
43
84.1%
7.7% 8.3%0.0%
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%Means of Transportation to Work
Car Public Transit Walk Bike
• Significant number of people leaving outside of typical AM commuting hours (after 9am)
• In Highland, 54.6% of people leave after 9am
• Compared to just 34.6% in entire City
DemographicConsiderations
44
7.0% 8.8%
19.7%
9.9%
54.6%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%Time Leaving for Work
Before 6am 6am to 7am 7am to 8am 8am to 9am Later than 9am
20.4%
42.2%
19.5%
17.9%
Travel Time to Work
Less than 10 minutes
10 to 20 minutes
20 to 30 minutes
More than 30 minutes
• Over 60% of Highland residents work within 20 minutes of the neighborhood
• Distribution consistent with City of Spartanburg
• Longer travel times to work could be a result of distance to job or travel mode
DemographicConsiderations
45
• Daniel Morgan Avenue, Forest Street, and John B White Sr Boulevard provide local connections
• Main Street provides regional connection, specifically to the west
Transportation Assessment
46
Functional Classification
Transportation Assessment
47
• SCDOT traffic count data from 2018
• Shows Average Annual Daily Traffic
• Highest volumes along John B White Sr Boulevard and Main Street
• Daniel Morgan Avenue sees the highest volumes on streets that cut through Highland
Traffic
Transportation Assessment
48
• Decent coverage with bus routes through the neighborhood
• Only one bus shelter (next to Stewart Park)
• Bus stops limited to just a single sign
Transit Facilities
Transportation Assessment
49
• Dedicated bike facilities are fairly limited
• Only Forest Street and Main Street have bike lanes
• No bicycle connections to the east
Bicycle Facilities
Transportation Assessment
50
• City and project team assessed sidewalk conditions
• Adequate coverage of sidewalks
• Lack of ADA compliant crossings
• Sidewalks in interior of neighborhood are unassessed but generally in fair condition, some cracks and patches
Pedestrian Facilities
Transportation Assessment
51
• Floodplain and creek south of Stewart Park offers opportunity for greenway/trail
• Floodplain areas and topography offer challenges for connects south and southwest in the neighborhood
Environmental Considerations
• Spartanburg Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan
• One Spartanburg
• Clemson Study
• Moving Up: Transportation and Economic Mobility
• Spartanburg County Comprehensive Plan
• SPARTA Comprehensive Operational Analysis
Transportation Assessment
52
Planning Efforts
These plans and studies have been reviewed for relevant recommendations and impacts on transportation in the Highland Neighborhood
• SPARTA Transit Study
• Intersection improvements at:
• John B White Sr Boulevard and Daniel Morgan Avenue
• Daniel Morgan Avenue and Forest Street
• Road enhancement design along Daniel Morgan Avenue
• Future Comprehensive Plan Process
Transportation Assessment
53
Planning Efforts, Ongoing
These plans and studies are currently active or ongoing and should be monitored throughout the planning process.
• The population in Highland doesn’t rely solely on automobiles for daily travel. How do we enhance multimodal connectivity?
• Transit should be easy and safe to access, and frequency should consider time of day that residents are going to work.
• Recommendations should support ongoing work to enhance Daniel Morgan Avenue and its intersections.
• What are our low-hanging fruit options for enhancing connectivity and encouraging multimodal travel? Trail south of Fairforest Creek, improved sidewalk conditions, ADA ramps and painted crosswalks.
Key Takeaways
54
Upcoming Dates
56
1. Public Meeting #2 – Late October
2. Steering Committee Meeting #4 – 11/4/19
Next Steps
57
1. Public Meeting #2
2. Economic Analysis Projection
3. Decision Making Matrix
4. Land Use and Master Plan