FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Florence city leaders are working to update the city’s downtown master plan.
The plan guides future development and redevelopment in the city of Florence
The plan has to be completed every 10 years but must be updated every five years.
Florence City Manager Drew Griffin says the downtown master plan helps drive the city to formulate new goals.
“It sort of designates that the city needs to find a theme to downtown sort of a cultural iconic type of development that brings people from I-95 and I-20 those people that are staying in hotels, get them downtown to enjoy the restaurants and entertainment,” Griffin said.
He says the city’s goals during the past five years were realized because of projects that were happening in the city such as streetscaping and redevelopment projects.
City officials set 20 goals to work towards over the next five years to develop the city’s next phase of downtown Florence.
- Complete the transformation of West Evans Street to complement the restoration of North Dargan Street.
- Extend the urban streetscape along West Evans Street from Dargan to Coit Streets.
- Work wit the Downtown Development Corporation to expand the number of programmed events.
- Implement one or more public-private redevelopment projects. Establish a proper north-downtown gateway.
- Identify location and funding for a new parking structure in/near the Irby Street corridor.
- Identify potential sites for mid-sized Downtown grocery store.
- Implement corridor design guidelines for Downtown segments of Irby and Palmetto Streets.
- Study the potential to relocate the City Center Farmers Market in a permanent facility in the Barody Street corridor.
- Achieve full installation of Downtown way-finding signs.
- Organize business and property owners along North Dargan and West Evans Streets into a formal business association with a view to establishing a Municipal Improvement District.
The city manager says overall the downtown master plan is a part of the city’s vision for growth. He says the goals in the downtown master plan will be incremental over time.