Spartanburg City News Podcast

It started as an Instagram account that burst onto the local scene late last year with some stunning aerial photos of Spartanburg. Now that account has spawned a beautiful book by the same name. Above Spartanburg, features photos previously seen in the account as well as dozens of new shots of both local icons and lesser-known corners of our community.

It's the first step in a process that will take at least three years to complete, but at their most recent meeting, Spartanburg City Council took the first steps towards tearing down and replacing Norris Ridge Apartments, a privately owned substandard section 8 apartment complex in the Highland neighborhood that has long been a site targeted for redevelopment by the City and Highland residents.

Walkability. It's one of the keys to future prosperity in every city and has been a crucial lens to help focus downtown development in Spartanburg in recent years, and at a free event next month, area residents will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of walkability from the person who literally wrote the book on the topic. Walkability expert Jeff Speck will share his thoughts on creating a more walkable Spartanburg at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church on November 7 at 5:30 p.m.

It's the most important purchase most of us will ever make, and navigating the home buying process can feel overwhelming for folks taking those first steps towards homeownership. Fortunately, help is out there.

It all started with John Green, a man with a vision and passion for educating children about the wonders of science, and today the Spartanburg Science Center continues that mission and is expanding its presense in the community. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Mary Levens and Kathryn Harvey about that expansion, including a new aviation program the organization has spearheaded in partnership with our Downtown Memorial Airport.

It's been years in the making and still years to go until the 32-mile network linking disconnected trails throughout Spartanburg is completed, but now the vision has a brand, The Dan. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Laura Ringo and Ned Barrett with Partners for Active Living about the newly branded trail network and about their plans to see it completed.

For those experiencing homelessness, even a minor criminal charge can have a major impact, leaving individuals trapped deeper in a cycle of poverty and addiction that becomes even more difficult to break. Spartanburg City Municipal Judge Erika McJimpsey has a plan to offer some of our community's most vulnerable members a different path by starting a homeless court in our city.

What is a Comprehensive Plan? Why does our City need one? How does it shape future City policy? Check out our conversation with City Manager Chris Story and City Planner Natalia Rosario for answers to those questions as well as why it's important for you to be involved in this crucially important process for Spartanburg.

The City of Spartanburg and its partners are inviting the public to  join us at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (502 S Daniel Morgan Ave.) on August 13, from 6-8 p.m. for the first public meeting to help create a new transformation plan for the Highland Neighborhood. The Highland Neighborhood Transformation Plan will create a vision for the growth of the community, and this is the first of multiple public input sessions planned throughout the process.

If you're a longtime City Podcast listener, you've heard us talk for years about the growing momentum in Downtown Spartanburg. Now we've got a couple of useful tools to put some hard numbers to those perceptions. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Jansen Tidmore, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Urban Development with the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, about the data and tools that are changing the way a lot of people think about Downtown Spartanburg.

At their last meeting, Spartanburg City Council voted 6-1 to approve a $4.3 million purchase of the former Integral Solutions property at 450 Wofford Street with an eye towards converting the structure into a new central fire station. Today on the podcast, we lay out the process so far with the City Manager, discussing the newly approved facility and the City's plans for retrofitting the structure.

Pedestrians in Downtown Spartanburg will soon have a safer, more visible walk across some key intersections thanks to some unique crosswalk mural installations planned for the intersections of Main St. and King St., Main St. and Spring St., and Main St. and Magnolia St.

Budget includes largest property tax revenue growth in more than a decade, signaling strong local economy

Today on the podcast, we're helping all y'all out with that question with a rundown of the best ways to spend your summer in Spartanburg. From trails and splash pads to entertainment and events you'd be crazy to miss, we've got all you need to make the absolute most out of the next few months in our city.

It started with a simple question posed in the Spartanburg Herald back in 1919: "Do you suppose it is possible for the world to be different a hundred years from now as our world of today is different from that of a hundred years ago?" A new library exhibit puts some context around that question.