Sterling Community Master Plan - Greenville County

Sterling Neighborhood Master Plan July 2010
The final focus area and perhaps most important in the life of the center of Sterling is the Jenkins
Street corridor near its intersection with Calhoun Street. This area was once home to a number
of African-American owned businesses and was the symbolic heart of the community due to its
adjacency to Sterling High School. The potential for pure “market driven” retail in this location
will be limited because it now serves a much smaller population, the population it does serve is
not longer segregated from using traditional retail in other locations, and much of the
commercial infrastructure here is gone. However, this area could serve as a creative “nerve
center” for future economic activity in the neighborhood.
6.2 Business Development Recommendations
6.2.1 Redevelop “The Huddle”
Outside of Sterling High School itself, the Huddle is perhaps the most widely identified site in
the community. Once serving as the community’s “dining spot,” the Huddle was a gathering
place for students and adults in Sterling. The Huddle building itself should be reused for office
and gathering space in the community. The offices located here could be a regional housing
ombudsman (mentioned later in this report), job training or small business coaching, and much
needed meeting space for Sterling to relieve pressure from the always busy Sterling Community
Center.
6.2.2 Arlington/Pendleton Corridor
The City of Greenville is currently re-assessing all of its commercial corridors to determine
whether the existing zoning classification along the corridor is consistent with the current and
desired future uses. Pendleton Street is one of the targeted corridors. The City should encourage
mixed-use development along the corridor to include small-scale retail, service, office, and even
upper floor residential use.
A particular effort may be to target a small grocery store for the Pendleton Street corridor.
Neighborhood groceries were mentioned many times by residents. Traditionally small grocers
were located in virtually every neighborhood in Greenville including Sterling. Over the years as
the grocery industry changed and stores got larger, accessibility to a neighborhood grocery store
got further and further away from Sterling. The City of Greenville should consider recruiting a
small format grocer such as Aldi to the Pendleton Street corridor.
The City might also consider the RDV Redevelopment zoning classification for this corridor.
The master plan element below is an example of how some of the properties along the
Arlington/Pendleton Corridor might develop.
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Continuing the community legacy and leadership