The City of Greer is one of the fastest growing communities in South Carolina. In spite of the rising population, Greer has maintained a strong sense of place and community identity. Growth can bring new opportunities, but it can also create challenges. The city’s top notch recreation programs have contributed to Greer’s quality of life for generations, but the city’s current facilities can no longer meet the needs of all of our citizens. Downtown Greer needs more parking in order to support its current merchants and attract new businesses and visitors. Public safety facilities must keep up with the growth in population in order to fulfill the city’s duty to keep its residents safe. Greer’s city leaders have come up with a bold plan to face all of those challenges to meet the immediate public safety and recreation needs of our residents while also building a state-of-the-art facility that will make Greer a destination for sports tourism. 

The ForGreer initiative will come to life over the next four years, and we want you to be a part of the journey. We’ll post important project updates and public information on this site. We hope our efforts will help answer any questions you may have, but if you don’t find what you’re looking for, submit your ForGreer questions here or via the button below.

Greer city leaders announced the future home of the Sports & Events Center on August 15, but city staff and paid consultants did a lot of legwork before purchasing the land on S. Highway 14 between Gibb Shoals and S. Buncombe Rd.

The city hired The Sports Facilities Advisory to take a deep dive into Greer’s current recreational needs and determine whether the region could support a new facility designed to host indoor tournaments for teams from across the country. SFA looked at a lot of factors before making a recommendation on the type and scale of facilities the City of Greer should build. They considered sports participation in Greer and the broader region, demographics and income data, existing sports tourism facilities, and more.

 SFA produced a detailed Feasibility Report and Five-Year Operating Pro Forma for the City of Greer. Those documents outline recommendations for the size, scope, and amenities for a new Sports & Events Center, a breakdown of the construction and operations costs, and the potential economic impact on the City of Greer.

This is a conceptual design and nearby green space was included to show how the sports and events center will complement the current green space in the area. The City of Greer does not currently own the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Ball Field.

A Jurisdictional Waters Assessment was conducted by S&ME as part of the due diligence during acquisition of the property. 0.35 acre was identified as a wetland, and four jurisdictional streams were identified on the property. They are all confined to the very rear portion of the property and are not anticipated to be impacted by construction. If impact becomes necessary, S&ME has provided recommendations in their report. The City is working closely with S&ME to ensure all necessary steps are taken and the required permit is acquired from the USACE and DHEC. 

To go along with the aerial view concept/map, McMillan Pazdan Smith created some new conceptual renders for the City, showcasing what the upcoming sports and events center could look like. Please note that an advisory committee will ultimately help throughout the design process, meaning these renders are not finalized.

The ForGreer projects total about $92 million. That’s a big investment, but the City of Greer has a solid plan to finance the projects. 

Estimated costs:

• Public Safety Training Facility = $17 million

• Parking Garage = $14 million

• Sports & Events Center = $51 million

• New Fire Station = $10 million

Installment Purchase Revenue Bonds (IPRB), Series 2024

• Total of $40 million in proceeds

• Fully funds Public Safety Training Facility

• Fully funds Depot St. Parking Garage

• Leaves $9 million to acquire land, reimbursements, and startup expenses for two remaining projects

IPRB, Series 2025

• Total of $52 million in proceeds

• $42 million to pay balance of Sports & Events Center project

• Fully funds new Fire Station

March 12, 2024

• ForGreer press release distributed

• ForGreer media event

• First Reading of Bonds Ordinance 14-2024 passed with 7-0 vote

  • Council Agenda

  • Meeting Minutes

  • Video of Council Meeting

  • SC Constitution Article X outlining municipal bonds and debt limits

March 26, 2024

• Public Hearing on Bonds Ordinance 14-2024

• Second Reading of Bonds Ordinance 14-2024 passed with 5-2 vote

  • Council Agenda

  • Meeting Minutes (Passed 5-2 vote)

  • Video of Council Meeting

April 9, 2024

• First & final reading of Resolution 13-2024 on the Installment Purchase Agreement and ratifying the 501 (c)3, Corporation for Greer, passed with a 6-1 vote

  • Council Agenda

  • Meeting Minutes

  • Video of Council Meeting

May 28, 2024

• First Reading of Ordinance 25-2024 (COG FY 2024-2025 Budget)

  • Council Agenda

  • Meeting Minutes

  • Video of Council Meeting

June 4, 2024

• Council Workshop on Ordinance 25-2024 (COG FY 2024-2025 Budget)

  • Workshop Agenda

  • Video of workshop

June 11, 2024

• Public Hearing on Ordinance 25-2024 (COG FY 2024-2025 Budget)

• Second Reading of Ordinance 25-2024 (COG FY 2024-2025 Budget) passed with 4-3 vote

  • Public Hearing and Council Agenda 

  • Meeting Minutes

  • Video of Council Meeting

August 15, 2024

• Press release goes out announcing Sports and Events Center location

• Livestream of the Sports and Events Center location reveal on site

• Video recapping the announcement event

Check out additional coverage of ForGreer!

WYFF 4 | GoUpstate | Fox Carolina | Greenville Journal | Post and Courier | WSPA 7

ForGreer Announcement - 3/12/24

ForGreer Sports and Events Center Location Reveal - 8/15/24