Downtown Overlay Standards
City of Travelers Rest
Travelers Rest, SC
City of Travelers Rest, South Carolina
Project Scope of Work
Introduction
The City of Travelers Rest is requesting qualified planning and urban design firms to provide consultant services to assist with the development of development standards and a downtown overlay district for its central business district.
Background
Travelers Rest, South Carolina is a small city of 5,000 in northern Greenville County at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The city gained its name as a popular resting point for travelers before passing into the mountains. Spurred by an 18.7 mile shared-use trail connecting the city with Greenville called the Swamp Rabbit Trail, downtown Travelers Rest experienced a revitalization. Downtown Travelers Rest continues to grow and flourish with renovation and adaptation of buildings, new infill housing development, and proposals for additional downtown revitalization.
In 2018 and 2019, the City's comprehensive plan and downtown master plan recommended the establishment of a central business district overlay. The city intends to strengthen downtown as a place for people to gather and act as the city's business, residential, and visitor center. The City's comprehensive plan and downtown master plan is available at https://travelersrestsc.com/businesses/plans-projects/.
Purpose and Goals
The project will focus on the preparation of a downtown overlay district and development standards that will guide future development within the central business district and along the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Downtown Overlay District
The downtown overlay will be a tool in the City of Travelers Rest Zoning Ordinance to supplement the zoning standards throughout the central business district without affecting the entire city. The overlay will modify the development standards in the Zoning Ordinance for the central business district only.
Development Standards
The development standards will ensure designers know what is expected while encouraging creativity. The standard will convey to property owners, developers, and architects the expectation for the high quality of overall design, mass, scale and proportions, and details. Successful standards will be tailored to the more urban nature of the downtown, providing appropriate signage, the public realm, building context, and scale to maintain the character of downtown.
Summary of Scope of Work
Background Review & Goals
Meet with City staff to establish project goals and objectives and confirm the project schedule. Review relevant plans and policies to include: 2018 City of Travelers Rest Master Plan, 2019 Downtown Master Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and relevant design guidelines and zoning provisions from other cities.
Existing Conditions Analysis
Review the central business district to get an understanding of key elements of the downtown context.
Identify & Prioritize Options
Identify and analyze the Zoning Ordinance options to address specific characteristics of the downtown.
Major Deliverables
- City staff review
- Final product includes Downtown Overlay District ordinance changes and Development Standards