The City of Clemson completed a strategic planning process in 2020 to develop recommendations and strategies to help address growth and related issues. A team of consultants from Development Strategies worked with a steering committee to engage the public and complete the plan which we are calling Clemson Next.
Now the challenging work of implementation begins and we would like to ask for your help. An implementation committee has been meeting since the first week of January and is forming working groups to help the city evaluate the plan and make recommendations (policies, programs, etc.) to the Planning Commission, City Council, and city staff as we use the plan to make Clemson an even better place to live, work, and play.
We are looking for residents to serve on these working groups. The time commitment will vary depending upon a range of factors but, in general, we intend to meet at least every two weeks for the first few months and as needed after that. However, we hope to begin advancing some of the initiatives right away. Meetings will be virtual or in some cases be a conference call.
If you are interested in serving, please click here to select the group on which you would like to serve and to provide your contact information. Deadline to respond is Monday, February 22, 2021.
Land Use and Development Working Group:
This group will evaluate recommendations related to how development occurs in the city and how that relates to catalyst areas outlined in the plan and will determine a charrette and redevelopment planning process for the upper part of downtown and Tiger Blvd. While different types of development will be considered, a major focus of this group will be to help determine how we address and manage high density student housing development.
Traffic, Transportation, and Transit Working Group:
This group’s primary tasks will include creating partnerships and moving forward with a regional transportation study; focusing on ways to mitigate traffic on Tiger Blvd (123), Hwy 76, and Hwy 93, access management, thinking about investments, preserving capacity on 123, and partnerships with the university to increase the capacity of our transit system; advocating for university policies that will encourage students to use transit as their primary mode of transportation to and from campus; and making recommendations for the expansion of our bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
Workforce and Non-Student Housing and Neighborhood Planning and Preservation Working Group:
This group will work with existing groups and identify new partnerships, processes, policies, and investments related to the preservation and enhancement of affordable/workforce housing in the city. Additionally, the group will explore possible roles the university can play in the development of workforce housing and create a process for undertaking neighborhood plans throughout the city but beginning with our historic African American neighborhoods.
University Relationship and Partnership Working Group:
While all groups are vitally important, this group will be really vitally important. Most elements of the plan will require university cooperation and support. Therefore, in addition to making connections with decision makers at the university and strengthening partnerships, this group will plug into all other working groups and act as the conduit between the city and the university. Some tasks will include exploring the possibility for the university to develop student and affordable/workforce housing, strengthening communication, and working on potential transit policies and investments.
Economic/Business Development Working Group:
This group will look at business recruitment with an eye towards attracting new and varied types of businesses to town including entrepreneurs, start ups, and other office based companies. An important recommendation to explore is a partnership with the university to develop a downtown business incubator site and program as well as considering policies that will incentivize developers to fill empty retail and commercial spaces.
Thank you for your consideration. We will be in touch with more information in the very near future.