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MICHAEL: OUR JOE RIPLEY IS LIVE AT GREENVILLE COUNTY SQUARE TO BREAK THIS DOWN. JOE? JOE: RIGHT NOW, PLANS ARE IN PLACE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A BILLION DOLLAR PLAN REDEVELOP THE 37 ACRES OF COUNTY-OWNED PROPERTY ALONG UNIVERSITY RIDGE INCLUDING COUNTY SQUARE. THOSE IN FAVOR SAY THE OPPORTUNITY DOESN’T COME AROUND OFTEN, BUT OPPONENTS THINK THERE’S ANOTHER WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THE SAME GOAL AND SAVE MONEY ALONG THE WAY >> A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF SHALL NOT STAND. JOE: COMMUNITY LEADERS STOOD IN SUPPORT FOR THE PLAN TO $1.1 BILLION REDEVELOP COUNTY SQUARE. >> THIS DEBACLE BETWEEN COUNCIL OVER THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN QUITE EMBARRASSING AND HAS GONE LONG ENOUGH. JOE: BUT COUNCIL IS CLASHING OVER THE PROJECT. HALF SUPPORT THE PLAN TO TURN THE CURRENT COUNTY SQUARE SITE INTO A NEW SPACE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES, RETAIL, NEW AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS, AND PUBLIC SPACE. >> I’M HAPPY FOR THE SUPPORT AND I’M HEARING SOMETHING SIMILAR FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE COUNTY WHEN THEY SAID DON’T LET THIS THING GET DERAILED. IT’S GOING TO BE TOO GOOD FOR THE COUNTY. JOE: COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIR BUTCH KIRVEN SAYS THE PROJECT WILL GENERATE THOUSANDS OF JOBS AND INCREASE TAX REVENUE. THE COUNTY HAS ALREADY COMMITTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT HEADED BY $3 MILLION ROCA-POINT PARTNERS. >> THE BEST PLAN IS THE ONE COUNCIL APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY THAT WAS CAREFULLY, METHODICALLY THOUGHT OUT AND DOCUMENTED THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE NOW. THAT’S THE PLAN THAT NEEDS TO GO FORWARD. THAT’S THE PLAN WE KNOW WILL WORK JOE: WILLIS MEADOWS SHOWED ME AN ALTERNATIVE PLAN. IT CALLS FOR MOVING COUNTY AND STATE OFFICES TO HALTON ROAD. MEADOWS SAYS IT WOULD SAVE 100 MILLION DOLLARS AND FREE UP NEARLY 40 ACRES OF LAND ON THE CURRENT SITE OF COUNTY SQUARE. >> IF WE CAN DO THAT AND DO IT AT $100 MILLION LESS THAN WHAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED, IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO DO IT. JOE: KIRVEN BELIEVES THE NUMBERS DON’T ADD UP. AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS SAY THE MONEY FOR THE ORIGINAL ONE POINT -- $1.1 BILLION PLAN WILL BE WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN. >> I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT EVEN THOUGH IT’S NOT THE BEST. IT IS THE MOST BENEFICIA JOE: COUNTY COUNCIL NEEDS 7 VOTES TO APPROVE THE ALTERNATIVE PLAN IF APPROVED, THAT WOULD TERMINATE THE BILLION DOLLAR PLAN PROJECT, COSTING THE COUNTY $10 MILLION AS WELL AS HALT ANY DEVELOPMENT ON THE SITE FOR TEN YEAR IF THE VOTE IS TI

Advertisement Greenville County Council to vote on alternative plan to redevelop County Square The county has tried to update County Square for two years Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The future of a billion dollar development project in Greenville will move forward or make a major turn Tuesday. The Greenville County Council had unanimously approved the development of University Ridge last year, but now several council members are suggesting the contract be broken and a new plan go forward. The county has tried to update County Square, the site where state and county employees work, for two years. RocaPoint Partners has been contracted by the county to redevelop the 37 acres of land at University Ridge into a mix of offices, retail, residential and public space. The project also includes a new and more efficient building for county offices on nearly seven acres of the property. The rest would be sold and developed. Previously, developers said the ten year plan will generate thousands of jobs and increase tax revenue by millions of dollars. Greenville County Council chairman Butch Kirven said the county had already committed $3 million to the project and signed contracts. However, half of the county council recently opposed the billion dollar development since the unanimous vote to approve new changes. “Don’t let this thing get derailed,” Kirven said. “It’s going to be too good for the county.”Councilman Willis Meadows, along with five other county councilmen released an alternative plan calling to move county and state officers to Halton Road. The property is privately owned, and Meadows said council would not inquire about buying the property until knowing more after a vote on the alternative plan Tuesday. Meadows said the alternative plan would save the county $100 million and free up nearly 40 acres of land at County Square. “This is money we can pile back into the community whether it’s GreenLink, affordable housing, roads or what it be,” Meadows said. “If you’ve spent it on the project, you don’t have that money to spend. It will increase our tax base. No matter which project you use, ours or the proposed one, the same thing is going to happen.”However, adopting the alternative plan would mean ending the contract with RocaPoint Partners, which would cost the county $10 million and halt any further development at County Square for ten years per stipulations. “The best plan is the one council approved unanimously that was carefully, methodically thought out and documented that we have in place now,” Kirven said. “That’s the plan that needs to go forward. That’s the plan we know will work.”Community leaders also spoke Monday, calling on the council to stop bickering and move forward with the billion dollar plan. A group of activists and ministers urged the council to look into spending generated revenue on affordable housing, more pay for deputies, more equipment for emergency first responders and increased funding for public transit. “This debacle between council over this project has been quite embarrassing and has gone long enough,” Rev. U.A. Thompson said. “We assemble to call a halt on this petty bickering and these political shenanigans poised for power and prestige. We cannot allow this project to be killed as it will improve the conditions and quality of our community."The president of the Greenville County Chamber of Commerce has pledged its full support in favor of the original billion dollar plan. The Greenville County Council votes Tuesday on the alternative plan. It needs a majority, or seven votes, to pass. If it passes, the current redevelopment plan would be terminated. If the vote is tied or the alternative plan does not win a majority of the votes, the proposal dies.