8 ideas to improve downtown Anderson including a roundabout, more housing

Update: This article has been edited to include the presentation from Dec. 6, which was sent as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request.

Original story: The city of Anderson has some ideas on how to improve downtown including a roundabout, a bike trail, bike lanes, more housing, murals and more outside seating.

However the general public had not been able to see them unless they were at a public meeting where they were shown in a PowerPoint presentation.

Mayor Terence Roberts said after the meeting he didn't want to release the ideas immediately. The Independent Mail filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the PowerPoint. The city of Anderson responded to that FOIA request on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 11, by sending a copy of the PowerPoint to the Independent Mail.

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The ideas were presented at a meeting that was open to the public last week before Roberts, other city officials and about 70 residents and business owners in the city Economic Development office.

The meeting was the last in a series of workshops and feedback sessions designed to get public input and included a PowerPoint presentation by Aaron Arnett of Arnett Muldrow & Associates and Randy Wilson of Community Design Solutions.

Taylor Smith, attorney for the South Carolina Press Association, said the presentation is indeed public record and subject to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.

The presentation is part of the Shock This Block initiative and is funded by a $25,000 Hometown Economic Development grant from the Municipal Association of South Carolina.

Kimberly Spears, economic development director for the city, said a recording of the meeting will be available online later this week.

At the end of the presentation, attendees were invited to ask questions and give feedback. 

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These were all potential ideas, and the next steps in the process of building out the Master Plan will include further review and then conversations about funding.

Some of the highlights from the presentation:

• Adding a roundabout on Glenn Street
• Adding a welcome mural at the downtown entrance at Greenville Street and Main Street
• Building a bike trail along Whitner Street 
• The data collected indicated downtown could support a smaller grocery store like a Trader Joe's or an urban-style Publix.
• More than 400 housing units will be needed downtown in the future and, according to the data, the market could allow them to be priced at between $850-1,200 per month.
• Based on the feedback the group had received, they emphasized keeping many of the buildings and storefronts as they are and revitalizing with signs and awnings, pointing to Bark as an example.
• They proposed adding bike lanes to many of the streets, which would take them from two lanes in each direction to one in each direction with a turning lane.
• Adding retail and dining to either side of the abandoned building on the corner of Whitner Street and McDuffie Street and opening up the center for outside dining and recreation.