Apply for the Spring 2021 Virtual Citizens Planning Academy

We're pleased to announce our Spring 2021 Citizens Planning Academy! The upcoming Academy is a weekly, virtual lunch-and-learn opportunity packaged into eight bite-size 1-hour sessions beginning on Wednesday, April 14. City of Greenville and/or Greenville County residents who are motivated to become more informed, effective, and influential participants in local land use planning and policy decision-making are encouraged to apply. Click here for more details and here to access the application directly.

The more you know

Knowledgeable local speakers will present this spring on best planning and land policy practices, the history of planning, fundamentals of land planning in the City of Greenville, GVL2040 comp plan implementation, and innovation and trends in planning. Participants with inquiring minds take the learning experience to the next level in follow-up Q & A each week.

Kick-off and wrap-up sessions with class introductions and discussions will bookend the spring series to allow for more interaction among participants.

Understanding local land planning is important — now more than ever

With updated comp plans (GVL2040 is approaching the finish line and Plan Greenville County was adopted last year), both Greenville City and County are poised to manage the considerable challenges of unprecedented growth and reap the benefits of that growth to improve quality of life for all citizens. What will it take to be successful? The answer is change — which is hard for most of us — but easier if we understand it.

GVL2040, the City's new comprehensive plan, is scheduled for second reading and final adoption by Greenville City Council on Monday, February 22. Greenville County is working to draft a Unified Development Ordinance to implement Plan Greenville County, the County's recently adopted comp plan. As critical and promising as these milestones are, they are the easy part. Adopting new land use policies to direct and shape development in the ways envisioned in our "plans" is where the rubber meets the road.

What is your role? How can you influence local land planning decision-making? Taking steps to better understand the processes you want to influence is a good place to start. Upstate Forever’s Citizens Planning Academy is an interactive course designed to help Greenville residents, business owners, and neighborhood leaders become more effective and influential participants in Greenville's planning and land use policy efforts.

Ready, set, apply today!

Our Spring 2021 Virtual Citizens Planning application period is open now. Click here for all the details and to apply. Applications will be accepted through midnight Sunday, March 14.

Sherry Barrett is the Land Policy Manager for Upstate Forever. You can contact her at sbarrett@upstateforever.org.