The City of Greenville has received a Municipal Achievement Award for Unity Park. The city won in the public service category. Forty cities and towns submitted their projects and initiatives for consideration in the annual awards.
The Reedy River above Greenville’s downtown faced a legacy of pollutants from textile and other manufacturing, as well as a historical river straightening project that created flash flooding. The area was also the site of a long-unfulfilled promise — that Rev. Elias Brown Holloway secured a commitment from the city in the 1930s for a park development to serve the Black residents.
The city ultimately fulfilled that pledge many decades later. Development of the park began by carefully gathering input from surrounding neighborhoods, businesses and stakeholder groups on the park’s development. A $25 million project moved the city’s public works campus off the site, and the city built an innovative drainage upgrade for the park’s wetlands that percolates stormwater through natural channels before it enters the river, mitigating flash floods. It also replaced invasive plants with native species.
The 60-acre Unity Park ultimately opened in 2022. It offers a connection to the 23-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail, a boardwalk, pedestrian bridges across the river, playgrounds, a splash pad, a 10,000 square-foot welcome center and two expansive green spaces, among other features. Entrepreneurs have opened businesses, including a food and beverage hall, in existing warehouses along the park.
Unity Park’s next phase will restore a historic baseball field and build the Honor Tower, celebrating first responders and offering views of Greenville’s skyline and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Unity Park not only offers a vibrant space for the current residents of Greenville to explore and enjoy, but it also preserves greenspace for generations to come,” said Todd Glover, executive director for the Municipal Association.
These winning entries represent innovative projects undertaken by Municipal Association member cities and towns. Information and a video about the project are available on the Association’s website www.masc.sc (keyword: Achievement Awards).
The Municipal Association of SC initiated the Achievement Awards in 1987 to recognize and encourage innovations and excellence in local government.
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