Unity Park News

Unity Park, Greenville’s largest civic project in decades, prepped for its biggest steps

Greenville donates land worth $8 million for affordable housing near Unity Park

The city of Greenville has donated land valued at $8 million near Unity Park to be dedicated to affordable, workforce and senior-citizen housing.

Greenville city leaders donate nearly 6 acres of land near Unity Park for affordable housing

The City of Greenville will soon have more affordable housing options near Unity Park after city council voted to donate nearly six acres of property to the Greenville Housing Fund.

Greenville's Unity Park project moves forward with construction, fundraising efforts

As the end of 2020 approaches, progress continues on Unity Park, Greenville's 60-acre, $61 million project that is steadily taking shape west of downtown.

Greenville city officials unveil new design for bridge in Unity Park

Unity Park officials say construction on the bridge foundation will begin in February 2021.

Unity Park plans move forward

COVID 19 brought budget-cuts, but had not stopped construction.

Greenville’s new $61M Unity Park aims to heal old wounds. Could it create new ones?

Through the years, the area on the western edge of Greenville was an all but forgotten zone, but now the tract is being transformed into a 60-acre, $61 million recreation area, the newest of a string of parks along the Reedy River envisioned by planners more than 100 years ago.

Unity park to honor legacy of Greenville hero

At the entrance, the park will feature a statue of Lila Mae Brock, a Greenville hero.

Businesses surrounding future Unity Park navigate through construction and pandemic

The idea of a thriving park with promising business opportunities attracted many contractors to transform warehouses into a hubs for small business owners to set up shop.

Unity Park construction continues as Southernside prepares for transformation

Construction of Greenville’s 60-acre, $61 million Unity Park is underway.

Downtown Greenville keeps growing despite COVID-19

While most of Greenville was quarantined, the downtown area was undergoing some changes.

River Restoration Work, including Comprehensive Tree Management, Gets Underway in July

A critical component of the Unity Park Master Plan is the Tree Management Plan, which addresses how the river restoration project and construction of the park will impact the trees located on the site and outlines the City’s plan to mitigate that impact.

Unity Park, Project Unity Gateway plans leap forward

Greenville City Council members expect the city’s investment in the 60-acre Unity Park and mixed-use development Project Unity Gateway to pay off as the local economy reclaims lost territory after the pandemic.

Swamp Rabbit Trail, Unity Park move ahead in Greenville's budget amid coronavirus cutbacks

High on the list is the construction of Unity Park west of downtown and three bridges that will connect a four-mile extension of the Swamp Rabbit Trail along Laurens Road from Cleveland Park

Unity Park Budget Approved

Council members approved the Unity Park budget and sale of hospitality tax bonds for the 60-acre project on Greenville’s West Side. The bond transaction must be closed by April 16 to capitalize on extraordinarily good interest rates, twenty-year fixed at 1.71 percent. The bonds have no pre-payment penalty, allowing the City a measure of flexibility to terminate the project if conditions require such an action.

Greenville City Council OKs $38 million construction budget for Unity Park

Greenville City Council has given initial approval to a $38.2 million construction budget for Unity Park.

Greenville unveils Unity Park Neighborhood District

The city of Greenville is taking another big step in the development of Unity Park along the Reedy River in downtown. The Unity Park Neighborhood District has grown a whole lot bigger.

"It's a wonderful response to growth": Phase one plans for Unity park complete

Plans for the first phase of the $40 million, 60-acre public-private park project are complete.

Unity Park is progressing: Here are 10 things to know going into 2020

Greenville's vision for Unity Park is progressing with dirt moving, businesses opening and millions of dollars raised to transform 65 acres of a flood-prone former dumping ground into a civic crown jewel. As the year comes to a close that saw public works finally demolished to clear the way for the park, the city has provided a comprehensive update on what has been accomplished so far and what to expect in the coming weeks and months. (The Greenville News)

Private fundraising commitments at $6 million for Unity Park

The city of Greenville has raised $6 million in cash contributions from private entities for the first phase of Unity Park, with another $4 million in contributions pending. (The Greenville Journal)

Duke Energy contributes $500,000 to protect wetlands in Unity Park

Project will provide a healthier habitat, greater access and educational opportunities for the community

Meet the 2019 Green Day honoree Mary Duckett

On July 9, the Greenville Drive introduced Mary Duckett as the 2019 Green Day honoree in recognition of her decades of work in the community, including being a champion for Unity Park.

Highlights from the July luncheon introducing Mary Duckett as the 2019 Green Day Honoree

On July 9, the Greenville Drive introduced Mary Duckett as the 2019 Green Day honoree in recognition of her decades of work in the community, including being a champion for Unity Park.

Unity Park advocate Mary Duckett to be honored by Greenville Drive on 'Green Day'

Each summer, the Greenville Drive baseball organization selects a pioneer in the community to honor for its annual "Green Day" celebration, and this year will be one of the city's ground-level leaders. Mary Duckett, longtime community activist in the traditionally underprivileged Southernside neighborhood, will be honored, joining the likes of former Mayor Max Heller, former S.C. Gov. Dick Riley and environmentalist Tommy Wyche. (The Greenville News)

Greenville Drive’s Unity Park contribution to restore Mayberry Park

Greenville Drive owner Craig Brown and wife, Vicki, recently announced a contribution to Greenville’s Unity Park. The gift will help restore and preserve the Mayberry Park, which was built in 1927 for the African-American residents of the Southernside neighborhood. (Greenville Journal)

Unity Park offers a new vision for public-private partnerships thanks to a focus on affordable housing

What makes Unity Park truly unique, however, is another amenity that’s not usually associated with parks: affordable housing. It’s all part of the vision for Unity Park as a space that is truly and intentionally inclusive—a park that really is for everyone. To pull that off, the city is innovating a brand-new approach to the public-private partnership, and establishing new ways of engineering inclusivity into public projects. (Greenville Business Magazine)

Michelin’s Corporate Foundation Donates $1 Million to Build ‘Michelin Green’ in Greenville’s Unity Park

The Michelin Corporate Foundation today announced a $1 million donation to protect and restore a span of the Reedy River that runs through Greenville’s Unity Park, the largest contribution to the park project to date. As a global company committed to improving mobility for all, this investment supports Michelin’s purpose to provide a better way forward for the communities and employees where it operates.

Unity Park's signature lawn will bear Michelin's name after $1 million donation

The expansive lawn that will be a centerpiece of the new Unity Park west of downtown will have a prominent name after the largest donation to the project to date. The Michelin Corporate Foundation has donated $1 million that will help in restoration of the Reedy River through the park. (The Greenville News)

Michelin donates $1 million for Unity Park’s Reedy restoration

Greenville’s new Unity Park recently received $1 million from the Michelin Corporate Foundation to help protect and restore part of the Reedy River. (Greenville Journal)

Officials break ground on Unity Park in Greenville

City officials and invited guests partook in a groundbreaking celebration for the Unity Park near downtown Greenville on Thursday. (FoxCarolina)

SLIDESHOW: Unity Park Groundbreaking

(FoxCarolina)

Demolition day at Unity Park in Downtown Greenville

It’s demolition day at Unity Park for the 40 million dollar project in downtown Greenville. (WYFF)

Ground breaks on Unity Park: 4 things you should know about Greenville's future landmark

Greenville broke ground Thursday on the 60-acre Unity Park, poised to be a landmark on the west flank of the city's increasingly popular — and valuable — downtown. (The Greenville News)

Community Gathers for Unity Park Demo Day

Rev. Stacey D. Mills of Mountain View Baptist Church speaks about the impact of Unity Park during demo day. (Greenville Journal)

Unity Park groundbreaking brings city closer to 2021 completion date

A new park is finally about to be under construction in downtown Greenville (WSPA)

Unity Park: How history will help shape a Greenville crown jewel and who will benefit

The idea of there being anything resembling "beachfront property" in the area west of downtown Greenville where Unity Park will emerge would have been unthinkable even half a decade ago. (The Greenville News)

Businessman gifts Unity Park 'beachfront' lot to Greenville to create affordable housing

Wayne Trotter's land between Meadow and Oscar streets had long been in his father's hands, where the late William Trotter dutifully maintained a duplex that was priced affordably and kept the tenants housed for 50 years. (The Greenville News)

Auro Hotels Makes Largest Donation to Unity Park to Date

Auro Hotels will contribute $500,000 for the pedestrian bridge in Greenville’s new Unity Park, the largest private contribution to the park to date. (Greenville Journal)

Unity Park's pedestrian bridge will bear Auro Hotels name after $500,000 gift

The vision for a pedestrian bridge that would span the Reedy River in the newly created Unity Park west of downtown Greenville has a big-money donor that marks the largest private contribution to the park to date. (The Greenville News)

TD grant will help formulate affordable-housing plan in Unity Park area

A $50,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation will help the Greenville Housing Fund formulate an affordable-housing plan for the neighborhoods surrounding Greenville’s planned Unity Park. (Greenville Journal)

How a South Carolina Park Plans to Confront Its Racist History

Not only will Unity Park in Greenville, South Carolina, unite two formerly segregated parks; confronting and educating visitors about its history, including a segregated baseball stadium, is part of the design. (CityLab)

SYNNEX Corporation Pledges $250,000 to Build Share the Magic Playground in Unity Park in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina

Marketwatch

Unity Park Anchors Equitable Development in Greenville

New reconciliation parks in the South — like the Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Red Mountain Park in Birmingham, Alabama — are explicitly designed to bring together previously-segregated communities. But the new Unity Park in Greenville, South Carolina, goes a step further: it will not only bridge communities but also actually merge two once-segregated parks. (The Dirt)

South Carolina Park Looks to Uncover and Mend City’s Segregated History

Plans to develop a $40 million park in an abandoned and once segregated part of the city are bringing this history to light. But the story behind Unity Park—planned to open in 2020—is also the story of how Greenville has undergone a radical transformation, all while becoming a national model for intelligent and inclusive urban planning. (Forbes)

City: Building affordable housing on city-owned property around Unity Park way to fight rising property values, housing costs

Arguably the city owns some of the most valuable and developable land in Greenville — 25 acres just a couple of blocks away from the new Unity Park. (Greenville Journal)

Greenville Unveils Unity Park plans

GSA Business

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

The Greenville News

Plans revealed for new $40 million Unity Park in Greenville

WYFF

Greenville leaders release plans for world-class park

WSPA

Greenville’s newest park, once a place of division, will be a place of unity

Greenville Journal

New west Greenville park on deck with public works move

The Greenville News

City looks to define ‘affordable housing’

The Greenville News

New city park plans to be revealed

The Greenville News

Greenville’s West Side park will bring change, creative businesses

Greenville News

Vision for Greenville’s West Side anchored by City Park

The Greenville News