Aiken Times

City of Greenwood issued the following announcement on January 25.

Article & photo by DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com

Greenwood must perform a balancing act: move people from three of the city’s wards into the other three while maintaining each ward’s character.

That’s the process of redistricting, and state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Executive Director Frank Rainwater laid out some of the details for city officials at Monday’s City Council meeting.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the ideal population level for each of Greenwood’s six wards is 3,758 people, but wards 1, 2 and 3 have fewer while 4, 5 and 6 have more, Rainwater said. Balancing the districts ensures that each resident has an equal share of representation on council.

“We want to equalize the voices that each one of your council members represents,” Rainwater said.

Courts require a difference of at most 10% between the most and least populous districts, and Greenwood currently has a difference of more than 25%. Complicating matters, Rainwater said wards 1, 2 and 3 are predominately minority districts, with large Black and Hispanic populations. Preserving the racial and ethnic makeup of these districts is important under the Voting Rights Act.

Rainwater laid out some additional guidelines for redistricting, and City Manager Julie Wilkie said the city will accept public comments on the process through noon Feb. 25. Residents are invited to email Ryan.Thomas@gwdcity.com or visit cityofgreenwoodsc.com/government/redistricting-2022 for information. The city will share information with the state, which will help draft a map of the new wards the city can then tweak and approve by April or May, Wilkie said.

Council also voted to let city staff pursue a grant to help renovate the now empty, former PALS building at 104 Main St. in Uptown into a new visitors’ center for Greenwood.

”We’ve done so much revitalization and yet this building that we own sits vacant,” Wilkie said.

The grant, provided through the American Rescue Plan Act, would provide $805,100 for the project assuming a match from the city of $201,275. Wilkie said the majority of this match would likely come from Discover Greenwood’s fund balance, provided for through local accommodations tax revenue.

The now-empty space would be turned into a visitors’ center and space for Greenwood tourism Executive Director Kelly McWhorter and Uptown Manager Lara Hudson to keep more central and accessible office space. Part of the building could be used as a business incubator, Wilkie said, though other options are still on the table.

Wilkie said though the grant’s funds have already been allocated, federal officials urged Greenwood to apply anyway because they are expecting more federal funds for this tourism grant program. Council unanimously approved pursuing the grant and spending accommodation tax dollars for the grant match if Greenwood is approved.

Several members of the Brentwood Hills neighborhood came out to hear council’s discussion on two annexing and rezoning requests in their community. Todd Bailey, the properties’ owner, requested 6.96 acres of undeveloped land at 1610 Durst Ave. E. and 33.597 acres at 1930 Old Laurens Road both be annexed from the county into the city and zoned to R-7.

Bailey told council he has no plans to develop on the nearly 7-acre parcel, but instead to get a conservation easement that will give up developing on the land in exchange for a tax benefit.

Councilman Johnathan Bass made a motion to accept annexing that parcel but zone it differently to require certain conditions on land use, contingent on the conservation easement. Council members Matthew Miller, Niki Hutto, Patricia Partlow, Betty Boles and Bass voted in favor at this first reading, while Ronnie Ables and Mayor Brandon Smith voted against it.

Council also approved first reading on the annexation and rezoning of the more than 33-acre lot, which will be developed with a maximum of 58 lots.

In other business:

Council approved first reading on an ordinance that will allow building accessory dwelling units of no more than 1,000 square feet in any residential zoning district on lots of at least half an acre.

The city approved a mutual aid agreement between the Greenwood Police Department and Piedmont Technical College police, renewing an agreement that had already been in practice.

City council swore in three new members of the Greenwood City/County Planning Commission, Graham Duncan, Toya Davis and Tiffany Goodman-Stevens.

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