There are two details that are important to keep in mind when talking about the Piedmont community: The area was never incorporated into a municipality, and it straddles the line between Greenville and Anderson counties.
These unique characteristics are underpinned by both a rich history and a strong sense of community, and all of this is reflected in the Piedmont Area Plan being considered by Greenville County Council in the coming months.
Community priorities
The 342-page plan was inspired by months of public input from community members earlier this year and reflects the priorities that input revealed, according to Austin Lovelace, the project manager with Greenville County’s planning department.
Beyond his role as a planner, Lovelace is also a Piedmont resident who lives with his wife in the community’s historic mill village overlooking the Saluda River.
He says that although Piedmont was never incorporated, it has a distinct riverfront downtown that was once the seat of the Piedmont Manufacturing Co. — at one time the largest textile plant in a region considered to be the textile manufacturing capital of the world.
This is important because preserving that heritage is one of the top priorities the community identified in developing the plan.
“Greenville County really does have a gem of a mostly preserved historic textile mill town that was once the largest in the state of South Carolina,” Lovelace said.
Preserving that legacy was the top priority for the community, he said, followed closely by a desire to preserve the area’s natural resources and increase outdoor recreation opportunities.
All of that essentially comes together in Piedmont’s downtown, which has commanding views and easy access to the Saluda River, Lovelace said.
Like other area plans that fall under the Greenville County Comprehensive Plan, the Piedmont Area Plan is aspirational and meant to guide policy decisions for future development. It is not legally binding, nor does it impose specific land-use requirements.
Charting a path forward
The plan is designed to provide a framework to guide Piedmont’s revitalization and development.
Because of the community’s unique circumstances, the plan also involves cooperation and collaboration between Greenville and Anderson counties in fitting the plan into their respective comprehensive plans.
Anderson County Council approved the plan in June, and Greenville County Council introduced first reading of the plan at its Sept. 17 meeting.
Besides preserving the area’s history and natural resources and expanding outdoor recreation, the plan prioritizes a number of other goals, including:
- Revitalizing downtown
- Promoting the local economy, including support for locally owned businesses
- Promoting smart growth that balances economic opportunity, social equity and environmental sustainability
- Improving active mobility options and community connectivity through things such as bike lanes, crosswalks, sidewalks and trails
- Building community connection through local gatherings like farmers markets, festivals, small-business pop-ups and block parties
- Repurposing old buildings and promoting infill development
To view the Piedmont Area Plan or other planning documents, visit the Greenville County Planning Department’s website at greenvillecounty.org/planning.
Piedmont community fast facts
- Modern Piedmont got its start in 1873 with the establishment of the Piedmont Manufacturing Co. to produce textiles.
- The company’s Mill No. 1 opened in 1876 at Garrison Shoals on the Greenville County side of the Saluda River. The community grew up around the mill on both sides of the river.
- Despite Piedmont being — for all intents and purposes — a town, it was never incorporated as a municipality.
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