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Danner: Greer is ground zero for future growth

BY JIM FAIR
EDITOR

Mayor Rick Danner pinpointed Greer’s position in the mega-region between Charlotte and Atlanta, nicknamed “Charlanta” for its regional growth.
“We are ground zero,” Danner said. “There’s no better example than how regionalism will take place. This is a
curve if we every got behind we would never get caught up.”
Danner and Hal Johnson, president of Upstate Alliance and member of the Upstate Together committee talked about the Upstate Reality Check exercise scheduled for April 8 at the Carolina First Center in Greenville.
Johnson said 400 elected officials and community, environmental, housing and business leaders from the 10 counties of the Upstate region will attend the one-day exercise. It is by invitation only, Johnson said and is diverse in its professional, gender and racial makeup.
The morning session features participants proposing alternative growth scenarios by placing LEGO blocks representing a certain amount of households and jobs on a grid-covered map of the region.
After lunch, the afternoon session will include the results and analysis of the different growth scenarios developed by the morning session.
“This is not hocus-pocus,” Johnson said. “Out of about 40 groups we expect inevitably three to four scenarios
with same kind of thoughts in mind.”
“We will have all the folks around each table come up with a guiding principle,” Johnson said. “There are no boundaries. Part of the problem cities have is they have special purposes and all have legislative authority. We
haven’t done a good job looking at boundaries.”
The board-like exercise will not have any city or county designated boundaries. The only recognizable landmarks
will be rivers, mountains or other natural structures.
Danner said Greer has a distinct advantage. “We have been successful in growing city boundaries and our work
with CPW as our utility provider has been excellent,” Danner said. “We would be extremely short-sighted if we
were only concerned with the city.”
The Urban Land Institute has developed the Reality Check brought to the Upstate. The Upstate region has been recognized as one of the fastest growing in the nation.
“We see this (Reality Check) as a great opportunity, especially in this economy. Whatsoever happens, growth will
happen. We’ve seen it and it allows this region to come together.”
Johnson said the timing couldn’t more applicable.
“Imagine if we had stimulus funds available that we would be able to use with shovelready projects. We would be
way ahead.”

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