Community Invited to Participate in Highway 76 South Master Plan
UPSTATE – Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, Inc., the City of Clemson and the Town of Pendleton are inviting the community to participate in a series of public meetings to gather input on a master development plan for several hundred acres of land that Pacolet Milliken owns along Highway 76. Stantec, an international urban design company that has been contracted to develop the master plan, will be hosting several planning workshops that will open discussion among the community May 11 – 15 in the Education Building at the University Baptist Church (411 Pendleton Rd, Clemson, SC 29631).
Pacolet Milliken’s 354 acres of land is situated on Highway 76, right on the county line between Pickens and Anderson, with nearly half of the property in the City of Clemson, and a portion in the Town of Pendleton.
“It is important for us at Pacolet Milliken to be responsible land owners and good community partners,” said Rick Webel, president of Pacolet Milliken. “Selling the property is not as important to our company as making sure it is developed in a way that is responsible and sustainable to the community.”
The publics meetings will kick off on Monday, May 11 at 6:30 pm in the Education Building at the University Baptist Church with a general session workshop on “What is Your Vision?” The event will feature a “food for thought” presentation on national best practices in traditional urban design, transportation, zoning and preserving community character. It will be followed by a hands-on design session where residents and officials work together to generate a development vision for the site.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be hour-long workshops on different topics including housing design and affordability, environment and natural resources, retail and shopping, jobs and economic development, and more. At the end of each day, Stantec will give a daily project update and post designs from the day’s sessions. Thursday will be open sessions for people in the community to bring discussion topics to the design team individually. Friday is a design day for the development team, but the community is welcome to observe during open studio time that morning.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our community,” said Clemson Mayor J.C. Cook. “It is not often that we have the chance on the front end to have input on how private property will be developed. We appreciate Pacolet Milliken giving us the opportunity to partner with them on a master development plan, and I encourage everyone in the community to get involved in the process.”
“There many ways that this area could be transformed, from planned neighborhoods and new retail developments to greenspaces, parks and trails, or possibly a new manufacturer that could bring hundreds of jobs to our area,” said Pendleton Mayor Frank Crenshaw. “This is our opportunity to work together to determine the best usage for this property and how to bring that vision into a reality.”
Stantec will present the master plan back to the community on May 21 at 6:30 pm at the Madren Center.
“We have put together a great team of land planners, engineers, landscape architects, real estate and economic development consultants that will guide the process, but the most important element in any master plan is the input from the community to help create a collective vision,” said Craig Lewis, principal at Stantec and project leader. “The more ideas and feedback that we get from the public, the better this future development will be for everyone.”
“We are excited to be able to work collaboratively with the City of Clemson and the Town of Pendleton to create a master plan that is a good fit for the community,” said John Montgomery, vice president of real estate at Pacolet Milliken. “One of the most important parts of this process is asking neighbors, business owners, and community leaders what they would like to see, or not see, in their community.”
A full schedule of meetings and topics is listed on the website, www.PME-US76masterplan.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PMEUS76masterplan.
Public Schedule
The design team will work on-site creating the plan and invite the community to offer continual input and monitor the work-in-progress. Members of the community and all those interested in the future of the site are invited to stop by the design studio throughout the week. The design team will be working on-site and will be available to meet with residents, answer questions, and further refine ideas.
Meeting Location:
Education Building at the University Baptist Church
411 Pendleton Rd
Clemson, SC 29631
Monday, May 11th
6:30 pm Public Kickoff Workshop: What is your vision? : The event will feature a “food for thought” presentation to national best practices in traditional urban design, transportation, zoning, and preserving community character. It will be followed by a hands-on design session where community residents, stakeholders, and officials work together to generate a development vision for the site.
Tuesday, May 12th
9:00 am Housing Design & Affordability
10:30 am Healthy Living
1:00 pm Environment and Natural Resources
2:30 pm Eight Mile Creek Greenway/Green Crescent
4:00 pm Pedestrian, Bicycle & Transit Planning
5:30 pm Daily Project Update/Design Pin-Up Session
Wednesday, May 13th
9:00 am Highway 76 Signage and Landscaping
10:30 am Streets & Highways
1:00 pm Retail and Shopping
2:30 pm Jobs and Economic Development
5:30 pm Daily Project Update/Design Pin-Up Session
Thursday, May 14th
9 am – noon Open Session
1 – 5:00 pm Open Session
5:30 pm Daily Project Update/Design Pin-Up Session
Friday, May 15th
9 am – noon Studio open while team prepares drawings
Meeting Location:
Madren Center
Clemson University
230 Madren Center Drive
Clemson, SC 29634
Thursday, May 21st
6:30 pm First Presentation of the Complete Master Plan: The design team will present its set of preliminary recommendations for the development of the site.
