Spartanburg County meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Spartanburg City Council to vote on Highland property transfer; boards weigh billboard, historic requests

Spartanburg's City Council is set to vote Monday on an ordinance to transfer scattered-site properties in the Highland neighborhood, the most consequential item on the week's local government agenda. No decisions have been made yet on any of the items listed below—all recent meetings were agenda-only, with minutes not yet published.

City Council

The council will hold a second reading and vote on Ordinance #2026-012, which authorizes the city manager to execute an agreement for the transfer of scattered-site properties in the Highland neighborhood. The item was first read at the council's Aug. 10 meeting, where the council also received an update on the Downtown Transportation Plan from Planning Director Fredalyn Frasier and held an executive session to discuss "Project New Vision," a potential mixed-income residential development near downtown. The Aug. 10 meeting was an agenda-only session; no minutes have been published.

Monday's agenda also includes a presentation from Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg, an appointment to the Design Review Board, and two executive sessions on potential real estate transactions.

Board of Zoning Appeals

On Aug. 11, the Board of Zoning Appeals considered a deferred appeal for a new billboard at 958 E. Main St. in a B-3 General Business District. The applicant is Grace Outdoor Advertising, LLC; the property owner is 958 E. Main LLC; and the agent is Craig D. Justus. The board also approved minutes from its July 14 meeting. This was an agenda-only meeting; no decision has been reported.

Board of Architectural Design and Historic Review

On Aug. 13, the board took up two Certificate of Appropriateness requests. One, COA-26-00400026, seeks approval for window replacement at 396 Kingston St. in the Beaumont Mills Historic District, with applicant Evodia Benitez. The other, COA-26-00400025, is for a front yard fence at 310 S Spring St. in the Hampton Heights Historic District, with applicants Bryon & Melissa Holland. No old business was listed. The meeting was agenda only; no decisions have been published.

Coming up

• **Spartanburg City Council** – Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. Vote on Highland property transfer, Habitat for Humanity presentation, Design Review Board appointment, and two executive sessions.

All meetings are open to the public. Agendas and minutes are available on the city's website.

Spartanburg County boards and council weigh hotel, rezoning, and variance requests

Spartanburg County residents saw a busy stretch of local government meetings in mid-July, with the Design Review Board, Board of Architectural Design and Historic Review, City Council, and Board of Zoning Appeals all taking up land-use and development items. Minutes have not yet been published for any of these meetings, so outcomes are not yet available; the items below reflect what was on each agenda.

Design Review Board: Home2Suites hotel proposal

On July 7, the Design Review Board was scheduled to hear a request for Preliminary Conceptual Approval of the Home2Suites development at 234 N Church Street. The property sits in the D-T6 Downtown Urban Core zoning district. The board's agenda also included the election of officers for 2026-2027 and approval of minutes from the May 5, 2026 meeting.

Board of Architectural Design and Historic Review: New home in Hampton Heights

On July 9, the Board of Architectural Design and Historic Review was set to consider a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA-26-00400020) for a new single-family home at 648 S Irwin Avenue, located within the Hampton Heights Historic District. The application was submitted by Michael Henthorn on behalf of owners Jesse Joiner and Madison Kucensky. The agenda also included roll call, approval of minutes, and staff announcements.

City Council: Rezoning hearing and abandoned building certification

On July 13, City Council was scheduled to hold a public hearing on an ordinance to rezone 154 Ridge Street (TMS: 7-12-01-157.00) from D-T5 Urban Center to D-T4 General Urban to allow a single-family dwelling. The council was also set to consider a resolution certifying the building at 630 Wofford Street (TMS: 7-11-12-165.01) as an abandoned building site under the South Carolina Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act. That designation can affect eligibility for state revitalization incentives.

The agenda included two executive sessions: one to discuss a personnel matter and another to discuss a potential real estate transaction. No details on those closed-door discussions were available in the public agenda.

Board of Zoning Appeals: Two variance requests

On July 14, the Board of Zoning Appeals was scheduled to hear two variance requests. The first (VAR-26-00200002) seeks to reduce the minimum lot area from 8,000 square feet to 6,534 square feet in order to subdivide the property at 207 North Fairview Avenue, which is in the R-8 zone. The second (VAR-26-00200003) asks to reduce a side-yard setback from 15 feet to 8 feet for an addition and deck at 633 Crystal Drive, located in the R-15 zone.

What residents should know

Rezoning decisions, variance approvals, and historic district certificates of appropriateness all directly shape what can be built where in your neighborhood. The 154 Ridge Street rezoning would change what types of uses are allowed on that parcel. The 630 Wofford Street abandoned building certification could open the door to redevelopment incentives. Variance requests like those on North Fairview Avenue and Crystal Drive determine how closely homes and additions can sit to property lines.

Because minutes have not yet been published for any of these four meetings, the county has not confirmed whether any of these items were approved, denied, or postponed. Residents who want to know the outcome should check the official meeting minutes once they are posted.

Coming up

No additional public meetings are listed on the county calendar for the next 14 days. Residents are encouraged to check the county's official website for any newly scheduled meetings or special-called sessions.