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Newberry looks to add pocket parks and reconfigure MLK site to boost downtown foot traffic
Summary
Staff proposed pocket parks at downtown locations including 250 Second Street and near the Martin Luther King Community Center; the MLK site could be reconfigured for more parking, a covered court and flexible rental spaces.
At the Sept. 2 recreational visioning workshop, City of Newberry staff presented concepts for additional pocket parks in downtown business districts and a reconfiguration of the Martin Luther King Community Center site to improve parking, rental flexibility and foot traffic. Parks and recreation director Rod Clark pointed to Berry Park as an example of a small downtown green that spurred community programming and business activity.
Clark described a potential pocket park near 250 Second Street, noting that much of the adjacent property is privately owned or owned by CSX railroad and that the city would need to negotiate rights or partnerships for any public enhancements. He said the city's earlier decision to leave a small downtown lot as an informal pocket park led the community to organize festivals and seasonal programming there.
Regarding the Martin Luther King Community Center, staff presented two layout concepts that would close or reduce roadway through-traffic, reorganize parking for greater efficiency, expand rentable indoor space by enclosing existing overhangs and add a covered basketball court as a phased option. Commissioners discussed operational benefits: enclosed meeting rooms and additional storage could increase rental revenue and make the site more functional for simultaneous events.
Staff will prepare renderings and cost estimates for specific pocket-park locations and for MLK reconfiguration and will return to the commission for more detailed direction. No binding decisions were made at the workshop.
