Here’s a recap of the Dec. 8 meeting of Greenville City Council.
Action: Councilmembers and commissioner sworn in
Council swore in a new at-large city councilmember and three returning city officials on Monday night.
Councilmember Tina Belge took over the at-large seat left by Russell Stall. Councilmembers Lillian Flemming (District 2) and Wil Brasington (District), along with Public Works Commissioner Debra Sofield, also took the oath of office at the Dec. 8 meeting.
Councilmembers serve four-year terms, and the public works commissioner serves a six-year term.
Final approval: Entertainment district overlay
Council gave final approval to an ordinance establishing an Entertainment District Overlay in downtown Greenville, which will go into effect immediately. New special-use exception permits for businesses seeking to operate between midnight and 5 a.m. within the overlay will not be issued. The overlay would also prohibit new encroachment permits for outdoor cafes between midnight and 5 a.m.
The overlay would apply to businesses within the boundaries of College Street and Beattie Place to the north, Richardson Street to the west, North Spring Street to the east and McBee Avenue to the south. Businesses currently operating under existing special exception, conditional use or cafe encroachment permits would not be impacted.
The city plans to evaluate the safety, compliance and economic performance of the Entertainment District Overlay in one year. Recommended changes would be presented to the city manager and council by the end of 2026.
Final approval: Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood rezoning
Council approved the final reading of a rezoning application for the Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood located south of downtown Greenville. The rezoning of the special emphasis neighborhood’s 91.96 acres of land offers more protection to the neighborhood and aims to guide future development.
Haynie-Sirrine previously had a Planned Development zoning classification tied to the neighborhood’s former master plan established in 2002. Council approved a new master plan for Haynie-Sirrine in September 2024, which was used by city staff to rezone the neighborhood.
The city’s Planning Commission unanimously approved the rezoning application for Haynie-Sirrine Nov. 6.
Approved: Annexation applications
Council gave final approval to five annexation applications. The largest annexed property, 20.14 acres, includes the historic American Spinning Mill at 31 Victor St. and 300 Hammett St. The property will be rezoned to Industrial Flex District (IX) in the city.
The other approved annexations include:
- 2.82 acres of land at 4 and 10 Alexander St., with the proposed city zoning of Industrial Flex District (IX)
- 1.11 acres of land at 214 N. Duvall Drive, with the proposed city zoning of Business Heavy District (BH)
- 0.36 acres of land at 170 Otis St., with the proposed city zoning of House D District (RH-D)
- 0.17 acres of land owned by United Housing Connections at 25 N. Vance St., with the proposed city zoning House D District (RH-D)
Presentation: FY25 financial audit
The city of Greenville continues to be in a healthy financial condition, according to its financial audit for fiscal year 2025. A report of the financial audit was presented by Larry Finney, partner at Greene Finney Cauley LLP, at the meeting on Monday.
The audit showed the city had a total general fund balance of $36.3 million as of June 30, 2025. The city took in $133.5 million in revenue, which was $12.6 million better than budgeted. General fund expenditures for FY25 were $120.9 million, which was $5.6 million under budget.
Finney announced the city received an unmodified opinion in its FY25 financial audit. This opinion assures the city’s financial statements are materially correct.
Presentation: Urban Forest Comprehensive Plan
Council received an update on the city’s tree planting efforts and a new comprehensive plan that will be developed in 2026. The Urban Forest Comprehensive Plan will outline the city’s long-term urban forest vision, complete an inventory of the city’s urban forest, provide recommendations for the city’s tree ordinance, examine a potential tree endowment fund and more.
Will Young, director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, said the planning process for the comprehensive plan will kick off in January. Stakeholder and public feedback will be collected as part of the planning process. The city selected Cincinnati-based Urban Canopy Works to be the consultant for the project.
Recognition: Mayor Knox White and Rance Bryan
Mayor Knox White received a special recognition for his 30 years of service to the city at Monday night’s meeting. White has been the mayor of the city of Greenville since December 1995. He has served on the council since 1983.
The city also recognized Rance Bryan, who concluded his tenure as president of the Downtown Merchants Association. He served as the association’s president for eight years. Bryan works as a senior vice president at the Bank of Travelers Rest.
Additional Items:
- Council approved the final reading of an ordinance appropriating $254,581 in the capital projects fund to close out the renovations of the Public Safety Campus and Municipal Complex on Halton Road.
- Council gave final approval to a rezoning application for 0.38 acres at 706 Hampton Ave. The property will be rezoned from House D District (RH-D) to Neighborhood A District (RN-A)
- Council approved the final reading of a rezoning application for 0.02 acres of land at 514 Arlington Ave. The property will be rezoned from Neighborhood B District (RN-B) to Neighborhood Flex B District (RNX-B)
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source greenvillejournal.com ’
