Terence Roberts

Photo by Ken Ruinard

Lanes of Murray Avenue, Main Street, McDuffie Street, and Fant Street run parallel with each other through downtown Anderson.

ANDERSON — 2007 was a fantastic year for the city of Anderson. Nowhere is the progress and excitement more evident than in our downtown. From restaurants to residences to retail, projects are coming to fruition and more are on the way. There are still many challenges to overcome, but we are on the path to a vibrant downtown.

The momentum of downtown is a testament to the investment this community made in the last decade. Everywhere you look there is evidence of private business taking the lead in its further development. Project after project is being proposed by private developers in an area reborn due to the staunch commitment and public investment of the City Council, city staff and taxpayers. The city took the lead in providing infrastructure and encouragement, and it seems to have reached a tipping point.

As we identify the next challenges to creating a better community, it is clear we must shift this vision to our neighborhoods. The City Council identified our neighborhoods as our top priority during the Fall 2007 retreat. We believe the city of Anderson should have affordable housing for all of its residents in safe, aesthetically pleasing neighborhoods with access to jobs, education, recreation, health care, commercial goods and services.

To reach this goal, we will have to apply the same methods currently showing results downtown. This is not to say we should ignore our downtown and other commercial zones as they continue to take off. Instead this is a shift that seeks to maintain our current growth and make the necessary investments to keep its momentum. While we continue to sustain our lead in the commercial game, it is time for the full court press in our neighborhoods. In a way, improving our neighborhoods is also about improving the business climate, because we will bring customers and employees closer with improved communities.

We must have the vision and the resolve to create affordable and accessible housing across the limits of our city. Affordable does not mean low rents created by undesirability in areas plagued with poor economic conditions and high crime. Affordable means a home in a safe and welcoming neighborhood with a rent low enough to leave families with money to pursue other needs such as health care, transportation and education. Accessibility to quality jobs, educational opportunities, health care and recreational services are just a few of the other secondary factors on which we must focus to improve the quality of life for all of our residents.

We must also protect our neighborhoods from commercial encroachment and traffic congestion. As development continues in downtown and along corridors like Main Street, Clemson Boulevard or Greenville Street, we must have the vision to provide the proper planning and programs to protect the values and accessibility of some of our most successful neighborhoods.

We must also work to maintain the character of our historic neighborhoods. That character attracts residents and adds value to our city. We must not lose the essential character that is so vital to each unique neighborhood. A residential plan that includes zoning, traffic solution and development planning must be enacted now to maintain the quality of life for the residents of these neighborhoods.

It is also going to require more than the effort of the City Council and staff. It will take a commitment from the citizens of Anderson to make a positive and lasting change. Critics said we could never do it downtown, and we proved them wrong. Let’s put our creativity, energy and money to work to do the same for our neighborhoods. Now is the time for all of us to take action, to ensure the quality of our community for years to come.

Terence Roberts is the mayor of Anderson.