Safety
Prioritized pedestrian safety and walkability through a woonerf street design
Entertainment
Constructed an underground electrical grid for outdoor community events
Community
Reinvested $120 million back into the community
Founded in 1873, Greer Station in South Carolina has undergone various improvement projects throughout its history—but none have focused on community-centered design or maintained the City’s historic charm quite like this. Kimley-Horn was brought on early in the process to develop the City of Greer’s Community Master Plan (CMP), which then led to the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan (DSMP). Central to the DSMP’s design is Trade Street—Greer’s main street through downtown—which received extensive changes including making the street walkable for pedestrians, better connected for vehicles, and equipping it for large community events through its transformation into a woonerf street.
Kimley-Horn was brought on to provide:
- landscape and hardscape design
- irrigation design
- electrical and lighting design, including an underground electrical grid for outdoor events
- structural engineering
- conversion of Trade Street into a woonerf
The restoration of Greer Station has ultimately provided a safer, more vibrant, walkable and bikeable downtown, already reinvesting more than $120 million back into the community.
"Greer Station is where this great city was founded and it’s a point of great satisfaction to know that our downtown district’s rich history will live on with a distinct new look and feel. We look forward to celebrating with merchants this grand new environment that will attract new visitors to our world-class restaurants and businesses.”
Street Analysis and Woonerf Design
Leading the project through every phase from groundbreaking to ribbon-cutting, our team put the ideas from the CMP into action. Planning and design advanced with a clear focus on bringing the heartbeat of downtown Greer Station to fruition. The scope of the DSMP included the evaluation of nine streets within the eight-city-block urban core of Greer Station to assess street connectivity, pedestrian safety and walkability, parking, urban open space design, and placemaking.
A distinct challenge when developing Trade Street to a mixed-use environment was maintaining daily parking and pedestrian access to local businesses. Subconsultant and local civil engineering firm, CoTranCo, prepared the final roadway design drawings with no curb separation, allowing Kimley-Horn to use trees, bollards, street lighting, and seating elements to shield pedestrians from motorists. To ground the street in its historic beginnings, Kimley-Horn partnered with street furnishings manufacturer Landscape Forms to design custom street lighting that would emulate the gas lanterns that once lined the street. A canopy of modern festival lights crisscrosses the street overhead, structurally supported by tension cable.
Beyond the above-ground amenities, the addition of an underground electrical grid powers music equipment and display elements during live events, enabling street vendors to power their booths. Now, the woonerf street can be closed for festivals, entertainment, and other events throughout the year for a more walkable and accessible environment.
“These improvements are attracting new investments and strengthening the City of Greer’s economy, confirming what we already knew: The City of Greer is a great place to live and do business."
Project Recognition
- 2023 Honorable Mention in the Clay Brick — Commercial Category
- 2021 “Lighting, Landscape, and Paving Bring Life to Streetscape Project; Landscape Architecture and Specifier News
- 2021 “Paving the Way for Success”; Municipal Association of South Carolina
