Building nears for $15M growth of Morgan Sq. in downtown Spartanburg, S.C. with plans for a brand new occasion pavilion, efficiency degree, outside eating spaces, inexperienced areas, and extra to strengthen pedestrian-friendly and event-friendly surroundings. Town officers goal to make Morgan Sq. a premier public amassing area within the South.
Emblem courtesy of Town of Spartanburg
After the Spartanburg [S.C.] Design Overview Board unanimously licensed plans for expansions to the Morgan Sq. downtown undertaking in early December, metropolis officers stated the proposed multimillion-dollar redevelopment may just get below manner subsequent spring, WYFF-TV reported Dec. 17.
Town Supervisor Chris Tale up to date Spartanburg Town Council contributors lately in regards to the greater than $15 million undertaking that, he stated, targets to make the realm extra pleasant to pedestrians and host all kinds of occasions.
“We are seeking to get to the purpose the place we have now some of the very best primary streets within the South,” he defined. “We now have were given the components coming in combination … and Morgan Sq. would be the hub of that.”
The growth undertaking features a new occasion pavilion that includes a customer kiosk, restrooms and garage structures, all coated by way of an overhead cover.
Different highlights come with:
- A brand new degree orientation that can permit upwards of 800 target audience contributors to revel in performances and proceed to function the house of longtime metropolis occasions, similar to Tune on Primary.
- An enlarged efficiency garden with further pedestrian zones and terraces on the sq.’s jap finish.
- Devoted spaces for outside eating.
- Including extra inexperienced area.
- Making sections of West Primary and Dunbar streets more straightforward to move for pedestrians.
- Growing pageant streets that can each build up the practical dimension of Morgan Sq. and produce a cohesive really feel throughout all of the area.
Tale famous, on the other hand, {that a} ultimate design tweak to the Morgan Sq. growth may well be incorporated.
“We predict it is sensible to attach it slightly bit additional westward to include the block in an instant to the west of [the venue], and that’ll upload some value,” he stated.
The pavilion is ready to be positioned on the entrance of the sq. alongside North Church Boulevard and Primary Boulevard in Spartanburg.
Morgan Sq. has been central to the hub of downtown Spartanburg since even sooner than the town’s incorporation in 1831. Now, officers are itching for its reconstruction to start after just about 3 years of making plans, seeing it as a possibility to faucet into the town’s unreached features.
“This design for the way forward for Morgan Sq. supplies a chance to maximise the distance’s attainable as Downtown Spartanburg’s premier public amassing area,” consistent with the town of Spartanburg’s on-line undertaking web page.
The town council should now approve the redesign and undertaking price range sooner than the 10-month development can happen, a vote this is anticipated within the subsequent two months, Tale informed WYFF-TV. After its anticipated approval, paintings at the undertaking is prone to get below manner overdue subsequent spring or early summer time.
Native Leaders Helped Steer Morgan Sq.’s Growth
Guided by way of a make a selection steerage committee of native leaders, downtown stakeholders, and house citizens, the Morgan Sq. Enhancement Plan represented the end result of 9 months of sustained public outreach and engagement, the town famous on its web site.
The advert hoc committee used to be established by way of the Spartanburg Town Council in July 2022 to supervise the design and public enter procedure for bodily improvements to Morgan Sq. in an effort to meet the converting wishes of the Upstate South Carolina metropolis’s citizens, industry house owners and guests.
Upon finishing touch of its paintings, the committee licensed an preliminary design which used to be introduced to the town council in August 2023, and a revised model of that plan used to be submitted to the crowd this previous Nov. 7.
“The design for the way forward for Morgan Sq. supplies a chance to maximise the distance’s attainable as Downtown Spartanburg’s premier public amassing area,” the general plan learn. “The renewed Morgan Sq. may also characteristic a 70 % build up in overall inexperienced area.”
Large Attract Bringing Folks Downtown
The Morgan Sq. undertaking comes as development strikes ahead on close by 5th 3rd Park, the stadium the place the Minor League Baseball Hub Town Spartanburgers play their house video games, in addition to the joint city-county complicated and planetarium.
All through the previous few many years, Morgan Sq. has noticed various iterations. Its present structure, with one boulevard blocked off to automotive site visitors, used to be established all the way through the COVID-19 pandemic after regulations governing outside eating went into impact.
Jarvis Steele, who lately moved to Spartanburg, informed WYFF-TV that he’s on board with the redevelopment.
“One of the vital the reason why we picked this house, me and my fiancé, is on account of how a lot alternative to get out and be locally there used to be, so any further alternative to do this, I am tremendous fascinated by,” he stated.
Tale referred to as Morgan Sq. “the center of the town’s downtown” because it prepares for some other iteration in its historical past.
“It is simply evolving to replicate the desires and persona of downtown on the given second,” he stated concerning the sq.. “That is what it will have to do as a form of lounge house for the center of the town.”
