Resident speakers at council meeting decry gentrification and urge more action on affordable housing

Several members of the public used the council's public-comment period to urge Greenville officials to address housing affordability and neighborhood displacement.

Minister Clarence Thornton told the council that low-income and long-term residents are being pushed out by higher-end development and that the number of people seeking food assistance his group hands out rose from about 100–120 bags per day to more than 200. "We still have to beg for equality in our neighborhood," he said, adding that longtime residents on low wages risk being forced from their homes as housing costs rise.

Earlier in the public-comment period Angela Aiken raised concerns specific to a proposed annexation around the Greenlink facility (see separate coverage), saying neighborhood land and a recreation center had been affected by boundary changes in 2017 and asking the council to ensure residents are included in planning decisions.

Why it matters: public comment highlighted concerns that rapid development and new, higher-end housing threaten longtime, lower-income residents and increase reliance on food assistance. Speakers called for policies and outreach that preserve affordable housing and include neighborhood voices in land-use decisions.

Discussion and responses

- Discussion points: Speakers described gentrification pressures, loss of ownership opportunities and increased food insecurity among local residents.

- Council response: Council acknowledged the public comments; no specific new actions or votes were recorded on housing policy at the meeting.

Ending

Speakers left the concerns on the public record and asked the council and staff to consider inclusive approaches to development and neighborhood preservation; the council did not adopt new housing policy during the meeting.