Neighborhood Meeting Summary – May 2026

In Memoriam: Felsie Harris

Our long-time neighborhood association president, Felsie Harris, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2026, at the age of 79. She served HSNA for nearly three decades and advocated for both our neighborhood and the City of Greenville at large. She sat on numerous boards, was a tireless liaison and a famously skilled gardener. The meeting opened with a moment of silence in her honor. She will be deeply missed.

County Square Redevelopment Update

Infrastructure & Roadway Network — Nearly Complete

• University Ridge is a newly aligned corridor designed to mirror Main Street and reinforce the project as a true extension of downtown.
• Perimeter improvements along Howe / Fred Garrett and Wakefield will continue over the next few months.
• The new County Square street grid now fully integrates with the city's existing road network.

New West End Parking Garage

• Partnership between the City of Greenville and RocaPoint. RocaPoint will design and build it; the City will own and operate it.
• Located on County Square property bordering the east side of Howe Street.
• 400-vehicle capacity — deliberately kept smaller, in line with the City's preference for parking structures that integrate with their immediate neighborhoods.
• Construction begins this summer, with estimated completion in late spring 2027.
• Will serve the West End, Fluor Field / Greenville Drive, the Children's Theatre, Gather Greenville, and surrounding businesses.

Marketing & Vertical Development

• Copper Builders continues to make progress on its 48-unit townhouse development, with vertical construction expected to begin this summer. Based on market response, they have announced plans for an additional 29 units (currently in design and permitting), adjacent to the original site.

• RocaPoint is actively marketing peripheral pads to prospective buyers and continues to refine the retail tenant mix to shape the project's street-level experience.

Other Nearby Developments

Church Street & Pearl Avenue

Palmetto Alliance Property Group is managing the site development for the new townhouse project at the corner of Church Street and Pearl Avenue. Plans call for 40 townhouses to be built on the 3.3-acre site. The finished building pads will be delivered to Lannar, a national homebuilder, later this year. Lannar will then construct the townhouses.

Biltmore Walk (Biltmore Drive & Pearl Avenue)

Keene Development Group is building 44 luxury townhouses on Biltmore Drive. The project is nearing the final stages of site work, with vertical construction targeted for later this summer. Keene is same developer managing the McDaniel luxury townhouse project, which has been the subject of recent Post and Courier coverage regarding legal and financial issues. A new general contractor, Build, LLC, has been selected by the Keene Group to manage the construction of the Biltmore Walk townhouses. Build LLC is headquartered in Naples, Florida with a local presence in Ashville, North Carolina.

County Council District 23 — Democratic Candidate Forum

At the May 20th Haynie-Sirrine Neigborhood Association meeting, the Association conducted a candidate forum for the three County Council District 23 candidates running in the June 9 Democratic primary. There are no Republican candidates running for the District 23 office. The candidates are Angela Aiken, Alan Mitchell and David Mitchell. With no Republican candidates, the winner of the Democratic primary in June will be unopposed in the November general election. The next County Council District 23 representative will therefore be effectively elected in the June primary. The candidates appeared in alphabetical order, each candidate given 20 minutes to introduce themselves, discuss their policy priorities, and answer questions from the attendees. The Haynie-Sirrine Neighborhood Association does not endorse or support any candidate for elected office.

Angela Aiken

Born in Greenville and raised in the New Washington Heights community. Long-time member of the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association board and administrator of the Happy Hearts Community Center. Healthcare professional specializing in home health. Among the first Greenville County graduates of the Environmental Justice Academy.

Aiken described herself as "a servant, not a politician." She said her recurring priorities are inclusion and accountability.

• Process: Said communities should be involved in planning from the beginning rather than informed after decisions are made.
• Background: Cited her son, born blind 43 years ago, and a decades-long, so far unsuccessful effort to get a speed bump and a blind sign installed in her neighborhood.
• Budget priorities: Named infrastructure and housing, including connecting roads and bridges to address traffic.
• Dunbar Connector: Said she would press the county to fund its share, noting the city has completed its portion.
• Transportation penny sales tax: Said she would not support it at this time, citing economic conditions, and would want accountability measures in place first.
• Fee-in-Lieu-of-Tax (FILOT) agreements: Said she opposes the current process because the public is not informed before deals are finalized.
• Council conduct: Said disagreements among members should be handled outside public meetings.

Alan Mitchell (Incumbent)

Current District 23 representative, elected November 2022. Lifelong Greenville resident in the Nicholtown neighborhood, former president of the Nicholtown Neighborhood Association, formerly with Greenville Health System in construction / purchasing.

Mitchell, the incumbent, said his priorities remain affordable housing and transportation.

• Affordable housing: Cited projects including the Gordon Street Apartments off Pleasantburg, The Alliance at Laurens & Haywood (about 100 units with some commercial space), and a partnership with Homes of Hope on Whitehorse Road.
• Budget: Said he secured $1 million in the affordable housing budget last cycle and is working to maintain the current Greenlink transit allocation; budget workshops are ongoing.
• Transportation tax: Said he worked with the city and the legislative delegation to let counties exclude groceries and gasoline from a transportation penny tax.
• Land preservation: Cited a multi-party deal near Unity Park preserving green space and floodplain, with similar efforts off Worley Road.
• Dunbar Connector: Said he had no specific update but that the county remains committed and that no partner has withdrawn.
• Downtown convention center: Said he had mixed feelings about the proposed site's size but would support the city's decision.
• Budget priorities: Named affordable housing and transportation.

David Mitchell

Lifelong Greenville resident, Overbrook neighborhood. Past president of the Overbrook Neighborhood Association. President of Talent Management Solutions, a professional placement and staffing firm. Currently serves on the board of directors of the Greenville Transit Authority (Greenlink). Former chair of the Greenville Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.

Mitchell said his platform centers on showing up for constituents, managed growth, and housing that is accessible and attainable.

• Affordable housing: Said housing must also be accessible and attainable, noting area median income places many units out of reach for legacy residents, and called for credit-repair, loan-readiness, and homeowner-education programs.
• Managed growth: Said infrastructure has not kept pace with development, cited Woodruff Road, and proposed extending the Woodruff Road bypass farther south.
• Transit: Said he wants the Greenlink Transit Development Plan fully funded, a fully electric or CNG bus fleet, and more reliable service than the current one-hour fixed route schedules.
• Property taxes: Said legacy residents are being displaced and proposed a state-permitted monthly installment option for property tax payments.
• Dunbar Connector: Said the infrastructure should be in place before the redevelopment's growth arrives and should be funded on the original timeline.
• Land banking: Called for the county to fund the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority (GCRA) for land banking for housing and green space.
• Transportation penny sales tax: Said he supports it provided a portion is dedicated to transit rather than all to roads.
• Homestead exemption: Cited low uptake in the Sterling community and proposed county outreach to help residents apply.
• Accessibility: Said the new County Square building is difficult for elderly and disabled visitors and supported adding shuttle service from the parking garage.

What's Next

• Tuesday, June 9, 2026 — Democratic Primary. With no Republican candidate, this election decides the District 23 seat. Please vote.
• HSNA Next Meeting: August 2026 (quarterly). Watch the newsletter for the date.

Thank you to all three candidates for stepping forward — running for office takes real personal time and commitment — and thank you to everyone who came out.