Mount Pleasant Officials Turn To Greenville For Ideas

Greenville Mayor Knox White is widely known for being at the helm during the city's renaissance in the 1990's and 2000's, and this week officials from a municipality on the other side of the South Carolina trekked to the Upstate to speak with White about how they could work similar magic in their own town. 

Members of the Mt. Pleasant Town Council toured downtown Greenville on Thursday and met with White to glean some insight into what made the city's downtown area so successful. Mt. Pleasant is currently planning a major redevelopment project for Coleman Boulevard, which runs through the heart of the town. 

"Basically we talked about the ingredients to a successful downtown," White said after the meeting. 

White said he emphasized to Mt. Pleasant officials the need for strong public art, public safety, public-private partnerships and the right balance of retail and residential buildings. 

"We concentrate on walkability and having a pedestrian focus," White said. 

Linda Page, council member for Mt. Pleasant, told Patch that after speaking with White about how Greenville resolved parking issues, the town would certainly look at erecting parking garages in Mt. Pleasant. 

Page praised Greenville's "forward thinking," and said Mt. Pleasant planned on implementing a "more urban, developed" revitalization of Coleman Boulevard. 

Mt. Pleasant Mayor Pro Tem Thomasena Stokes-Marshall said she was impressed with Greenville's signage, outdoor art and the successful collaboration between local businesses and city hall to create a thriving business environment. 

She also reiterated White's point that a successful main thoroughfare in a town should have a concentration on the pedestrian experience. 

"They focused on walkability and personality, and it shows," Stokes-Marshall said.