2 minute read

4.2 Village Coalitions

Whereas the suggested conservation district overlay is designed to serve as the basis for the Village’s careful redevelopment management strategy, a collaborative of three organizations, collectively referred to as the Village Coalition, is recommended to represent each of the local interest groups. The first two groups would need to be created in partnership with the city, while the Village Arts Foundation would simply operate as a traditional nonprofit.

Already discussed, the Conservation District Board (CDB) would be tied to the conservation district overlay, encompassing the parcels of the Village most likely to be redeveloped due to vacancy, large lots, or derelict structures near other recent projects. The CDB, though made up of a board intended to represent a diverse group of stakeholders, doubles as a resident advocacy tool, allowing for more local control and autonomy among neighbors to weigh in on new developments in an institutionalized fashion.

Advertisement

The Business Improvement District (BID), on the other hand, could evolve naturally as an outgrowth of the current Village of West Greenville Business Association (VOWGBA). We heard from stakeholders that the current association has great potential, and helps to organize existing events, but could do more. Therefore, by taking on small annual fees from each business (governed by a linear equation with a base rate and increases for businesses generating above an appropriate threshold of income), the association could transform into a BID. This new arrangement would allow them to finance independent infrastructure upgrades, like wayfinding signage, which is especially needed, and implement the improvements far before the city. It would also allow them to hire dedicated staff, lessening the time required by the busy entrepreneurs themselves. Even better, the city would still supply its typical level of investment and maintenance in the Village -the BID would simply act as a vehicle for additional infrastructure deployment and beautification.

The third proposed organization, the Village Arts Foundation (VAF), would fulfill another desire we heard when interviewing the neighborhood’s artist community: each studio has to market themselves, when a collective effort would be much more impactful. Though the Metropolitan Arts Council is a similar advocacy and support foundation for artists across Greenville, and the Greenville Center for Creative Arts is located in Brandon Mill, there is still no single group to market the Village as a hub of creative studios, despite an artistic reputation. By forming a new foundation, Village arts marketing could be conducted collectively, backing up its intended identity.

Finally, it is worth noting that all of these organizations could theoretically be wrapped into a single force, potentially sharing resources to reduce operation costs. However, we believe each proposed entity is distinct, with separate identities, and they would operate best with the focused missions outlined. For example, the CDB, intended to manage new development within a conservation district overlay, may not be the best group to organize artist marketing and studio events.

The remainder of this section, items 4.2a-4.2c profile each organization in the Village Coalition, while Section 5 offers further recommendations and ideas on how potential city actions could support each group.

This article is from: