Unity Park: Greenville unveils new $40 million downtown park with tower, pedestrian bridge

Eric Connor | The Greenville News

Show Caption Hide Caption The new Unity Park in Greenville The new $40 million Unity Park west of downtown Greenville

Its name will be Unity Park, and it will stand as one of the most ambitious undertakings in the city's history.

New: Unity Park could cost near $73 million. Construction is planned to begin October 2019

The $40 million project of turning 60 acres of long-neglected lowland, steeped in a shameful legacy of segregation west of Greenville's prosperous downtown, is now becoming reality.

At its center will be a landmark that will rival the grandeur of Falls Park's Liberty Bridge: a 10-story, lighted observation tower, rising as high as City Hall, that can be seen from countless vantage points across the city.

Another large-scale pedestrian bridge — like the tower, estimated to cost about $5 million to build — will span the Reedy River, where hidden wetlands will be put on display.

A vast playground with water jets. Gathering hall. Vast lawns. Business and recreation inhabiting old warehouses along the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

More: 10 images that give a first look at Greenville's big plans for Unity Park

The city has spent decades preparing for this moment, buying and holding onto land it owns in the area near the Kroc Center that had long been a dumping ground.

Overall, the city has dedicated itself to borrow $20 million using mostly money from its hospitality tax fund, just as it did to pay for Falls Park and the Liberty Bridge almost 15 years ago.

Just this week, the City Council appropriated $3.5 million to buy two aging warehouses on the post-industrial site, at least one of which it will likely turn around and sell in what will be a series of land swaps and public-private deals to make the park happen.

“In a historical sense, if we don’t do it now, we’ll lose the chance forever," Mayor Knox White told The Greenville News as the city rolls out today its plans for the park — including the name Unity Park. "This is going to be a park for everyone."

Work on clearing land is to begin this year. The tower will soon begin to rise as the city tries to make a strong statement of what is to come over the next several years.

Land deals help make the new park possible

Some of the land deals will involve the city using the land it owns — more than 50 acres surrounding the footprint of the park — to incorporate affordable housing as property values in the area skyrocket and longtime residents face more pressure than ever to sell.

A specific number of affordable homes hasn't been identified, but White said the city's plans should result in hundreds of new units. A recent affordable housing study determined that currently the city has a deficit of 2,500 units that would be considered affordable for lower-wage residents.

Mary Duckett, head of the traditionally low-income and African-American Southernside neighborhood association, said that her concern now shifts to how the community protects its residents, particularly those who rent, and maintains its identity.

But, she said, the community has been satisfied that its voice was heard and that the park will be one that is welcoming for all.

“The planning process has been very inclusive from the inception,” she said.

The will of the community takes on special significance considering its history.

The area has long been a hollowed out shell of itself, a place where the city put its junked cars, a city jail and public works facility that offered some of the poorest working conditions and polluted the Reedy River upstream from Falls Park.

"The area has a history — a not-so-good history," White said. "It was a throw-away zone. This is a part of healing in the community."

The name selection, settled through engagement by leaders and the community during the planning process, is meant to reflect that, Duckett said.

"The park's name speaks for itself," she said.

During the era of segregation, two parks were created in the area, Meadowbrook Park and Mayberry Park.

Meadowbrook was bigger and featured a baseball stadium that hosted popular textile leagues. Blacks were barred from Meadowbrook and instead claimed Mayberry and its meager baseball field.

Time and again, the community raised concerns over losing the name Mayberry Park, said City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming, who represents the district.

The names Mayberry and Meadowbrook will remain within the larger context of Unity Park.

"Those names will still be in the park," Flemming said. “We’re looking to bring people together. We don’t want a park that has the same old name it’s had for the past 60, 70 years."

What Unity Park will eventually include

It was only a matter of time before the wave of downtown Greenville's growth reached the west side as investors have flocked to the area in anticipation of the park.

The idea for a park in the area was first raised in a 1907 land-use report created by a Boston urban planning firm, which specifically called for the creation of Cleveland Park and the one currently underway.

Renderings began to emerge a decade ago.

Last year, the city spent $25.6 million to move public works operations from the low-lying floodplain into a new, state-of-the-art facility on the outskirts of the city.

Now, the city is moving on the first phase of park construction.

Two major projects in the early stages of the park will be the observation tower and restoration work along the Reedy River, White said.

The tower will be built by the city off Mayberry Street near Mayberry Park. The mayor said the tower needs to be built sooner than later, likely beginning in the new year, to make a statement and set the course for what will be an extensive fundraising pitch to the private sector to make up the difference.

The staircase will wind through the interior of the tower, which will have openings along the way to offer views of the skyline and distant Blue Ridge mountain range.

An elevator will provide another option to climb to the top, 10 stories high. Atop the tower will be a light meant to serve as a beacon. The city will entertain naming rights for the tower.

The Reedy River, which bisects the park land with the Swamp Rabbit Trail running alongside, currently flows on an unnatural course after it was rerouted by the railroad company.

Off to the side is an extensive wetlands area, hidden by woods, that represents the river's more-natural course. The city will build boardwalks over the wetlands similar to Lake Conestee Nature Park, White said.

The riverbanks will be widened to promote natural flooding and will beautify the river and create a passive recreation area similar to Falls Park. The restoration could help alleviate flooding downstream at Falls and Cleveland parks, he said.

A row of warehouses along the Reedy on Welborn Street, which currently are being renovated by private interests and will include a public market, will provide recreation and commerce.

One end of the warehouse row is owned by the city and will be renovated into a public gathering hall.

Welborn Street will be closed as part of an overall effort to keep the park self-contained and free of cars. The city this week appropriated $3.5 million to buy two warehouses. One will likely be renovated and turned into a recreation use, White said.

A vast expanse of meadow will make for a new children's playground, which he said will feature one of the finest interactive water features in the state. The playground has been designed with consideration for established childhood development behaviors.

On the other side of the river, a not-for-profit group is planning an area devoted to honoring military veterans.

One entrance into the park will be built at the location of the former public works office building, which rests on high ground. The entrance will overlook the park similar to the entrance to Falls Park where a restaurant operates below.

White said the city could lease the entrance and use money to operate the park.

Ringing the park along Mayberry Street is about 10 acres of dilapidated industrial buildings that the city owns and will open up for mixed-use development to further fund park development, he said.

In the end, Flemming said she wants to make sure that the park's development will hold true to the community's vision for it.

"We know it's going to take a while," she said. "We have to stick to the plan as much as possible."

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