Architects show plans for Northside neighborhood

Northside residents, community leaders and architects met Friday to discuss the redevelopment of the Northside at Green Street Baptist Church. A final session is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the church located at 466 Brawley St.

Spartanburg's Northside will transition into an area with plenty of green space, opportunities for recreation with tree-lined streets that border attractive houses and apartments with retail, restaurants and a cafe in the mix, according to architectural sketches.

Architects from Spartanburg-based McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture partnered with the Dallas firm of JHP Architecture to illustrate ideas received during two days of public input sessions designed to educate people on the assets and challenges of the Northside and more importantly, what the new Northside will look like.

Northside residents sat alongside nonprofit leaders, college presidents and planners Thursday and Friday at the Green Street Baptist Church to get a true picture of the 400 acres that largely comprise the area long plagued by high-crime and poverty.

The Northside has plenty of challenges restricted transportation for many residents, low-income and little access to fresh food, but there are already solutions in place to combat those. Construction of a Healthy Food Hub, which will include a cafe, gardens, community meeting space and a culinary program, is underway. Colleges are committed to bringing technology and classes to the neighborhood.

The charrettes were part of the $300,000 federal planning grant in preparation of applying for a $30 million implementation grant this year. The grants will be awarded next year.

Atlanta-based Columbia Residential is a nationally recognized developer of attractive, affordable housing across the country. Its founder and chief executive officer, Noel Khalil, praised the city for its vision and acquisition of 160 parcels during the past two years.

Property acquisition is oftentimes cumbersome and complicated, but the work of the city and Northside Development Corp., the nonprofit formed by the city and led by former mayor Bill Barnet, will streamline and simplify future construction and planning, Khalil said.

"My opinion is that Spartanburg is an extremely unique community," Khalil said after an afternoon charrette Friday. "The vision, and more importantly, the work that has already been done, is a very bold initiative."

Khalil said in his years of work in community development in more than 20 cities across the nation, Spartanburg's effort is the most "well-planned and orchestrated."

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Architects show plans for Northside neighborhood