The Upstate Update: April 2023

The Upstate Update is a digital newsletter curated and shared each month that offers insights into Upstate Forever's recent work, highlights upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, and shares other conservation and advocacy news.

We post the Upstate Update here on the Upstate Forever blog each month. If you would like to receive the Upstate Update directly in your email inbox, please sign up for the mailing list.

This just in! Share your Earth Day celebration with us for a chance to win our brand new 25th-anniversary tee

Through April 30, share how you celebrate Earth Day every day by tagging @upstateforever on social media. We'll give away 10 of our 25th-anniversary t-shirts — hot off the presses from Greenville's Dapper Ink — to folks who tag us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn.

No social media? No problem. Share your photos or Earth Day plans with us via email at info@upstateforever.org to be entered to win.

Read more in this month's Upstate Update

Also in this month's digital newsletter: 

• Action alert! Pipeline transparency
  New regulations proposed at the SC Public Service Commission (PSC) would help increase transparency in the construction of natural gas pipelines and use of eminent domain by pipeline companies. The PSC is accepting virtual and in-person testimony from the public on April 25 & 26 at 10:00 am on these regulations. They need to hear from advocates like you to better understand how pipeline projects impact your community! Learn more and sign up to testify

• Thank you for Sharing the Love!
  This month we were honored to receive more than $17,000 in donations from Greenville's Fairway Subaru and Double Stamp Brewery as the result of the 2022 holiday season Subaru Share the Love campaign! We are tremendously grateful for the generosity of Fairway Subaru, Double Stamp Brewery, and the incredible customers and community that chose to support Upstate Forever. These gifts will make a meaningful impact on our team's work across Upstate SC.

• Land policy updates for the Cities of Greenville & Spartanburg
  Greenville Development Code
  Planning commissioners will hear public comments and continue deliberating the city's 3/15 draft Greenville Development Code at 4:00 pm on Monday, May 15 during a Special Called Meeting at the Prisma Health Welcome Center at Unity Park (111 Welborn St).

  Click here to learn more about the city's development code process and to see the Learning Lab schedule for residents. Remember, the new code will help achieve the priority goals laid out in GVL2040 — the city's comprehensive plan — for open space, affordable housing, and transportation/mobility.

  Spartanburg Comprehensive Plan
  Spartanburg City Council voted 6-0 on April 10 to table the final draft of the comprehensive plan, Plan Spartanburg, for 30 days to make revisions.

  While they revise, you can brush up on some topics that may be addressed through an updated zoning ordinance (in accordance with the comprehensive plan) such as preserving open space, permitting accessory dwelling units (ADU's), and increasing opportunities for missing middle housing. You can also read about the principles of smart growth, a strategy to strengthen local economies, promote land and resource conservation, and improve quality of life.

  Are you interested in receiving more information about land use planning and growth issues in Greenville and Spartanburg? Visit upstateforever.org/email to join our dedicated email lists about these and other topics!

Read more in this month's Upstate Update