Greer council opens first reading on closing part of Park Avenue; residents seek gate and safeguards

The Greer City Council opened a public hearing and then conducted the first reading of Ordinance 30-2025 on Tuesday, a measure that would close a portion of Park Avenue to allow a developer to install a water line and finish a nearby apartment project.

Kate Devicks, vice president of the Park Avenue townhomes homeowners association and a resident at 134 Park Avenue, told council she and 11 other homeowners were surprised that privatization was being considered and urged elected officials to address safety and traffic impacts. "No language was included about the gate in the resolution," Devicks said, and she asked the city to require clear commitments from the developer and engineering staff about traffic flow and emergency access.

City staff and the developer described alternatives and engineering constraints. The developer's representative, Mike McCarthy, said the water service needed for the new apartments cannot be installed without either an easement or the abandonment/privatization of the roadway; staff said the alternative would require a separate tap off Line Street at an estimated cost of about $600,000. City staff said the privatized segment would be widened on the apartment side, include a sidewalk and parallel parking changes, and that the developer has discussed providing sidewalk continuity.

Council members pressed for clarity about where a gate would be placed, how the gate would operate for residents and emergency responders, and what protections would be required for any private utility placed under the road. The developer and staff said the applicant and city could memorialize gate requirements and related access language between first and second reading; staff offered to provide the final plat and design sketches before the council's next scheduled meeting.

The Park Avenue homeowners' board representative said the HOA favored a gated solution if the city required one. City staff noted that gating would delineate the private section from the public portion and that the city could require measures (for example, a protective casing for the water line) to reduce maintenance and construction risks in the future.

Council took the ordinance up for first reading and asked staff and the developer to return with a more detailed design and the proposed gate language for second reading. The matter will return to council for additional consideration at second reading; no final abandonment or conveyance was recorded at this meeting.