Planning commission backs mixed‑use redevelopment at 1310 Tiger Boulevard, citing added community benefits

The Clemson Planning Commission voted to send a positive recommendation to City Council on PUD 000506-2025, a planned redevelopment of the Best Western site at 1310 Tiger Boulevard, after hearing a revised proposal from developer Kennedy Wilson and extensive public comment.

Developer Mario Larias told the commission the plan now calls for 225 residential units (presented as 752 beds in the PD proposal), nearly 16,000 square feet of retail—up from a 6,000-square‑foot start—and more than 7,000 square feet of public plaza. The proposal includes a parking deck and surface stalls totaling about 630 parking spaces and off‑site improvements the team said will add roughly 1,500 linear feet of sidewalk, a second bus shelter on 76, and a median/“pork‑chop” at the garage exit to deter left turns through nearby neighborhoods.

“We took the retail from 6,000 sq ft to nearly 16,000 sq ft and we introduced over 7,000 sq ft of new open space via a public plaza,” Larias said during his presentation, and he listed team members and consultants who worked on revised traffic and site plans.

Larias said the applicant has increased its community benefits package from $1.4 million to over $1.8 million. The package described to the commission included $175,000 for Golden View neighborhood improvements (roof, deferred maintenance, parking lot work), $150,000 for the Constellation Area African American Museum, $200,000 for neighborhood repair/rehab grants, $750,000 toward the Gold Route transit capital system, and $500,000 in retail‑leasing incentives. The developer also noted it submitted a by‑right plan to the Board of Architectural Review that would have fewer units (201) and no community benefits.

Multiple residents and neighborhood leaders spoke during the public‑comment period. Lavonia Austin, pastor of Golden View Baptist Church, thanked the developers for meeting with the congregation and said she appreciated that they had listened to concerns while continuing to press traffic and quality‑of‑life worries. “Don’t forget where you come from,” she said in closing. Other commenters voiced concern that added beds would increase congestion on 76 and 123 and asked whether the city could pause approvals until several other large developments in the pipeline are occupied.

Commissioners pressed the team on several technical items before voting. Questions included exact bed counts (the developer clarified a by‑right bed total of 662 versus the PD bed total presented), location and routing for the 1,400 linear feet of off‑site sidewalk, placement and number of trash/loading areas, details of gated access and shared‑parking arrangements, micro‑mobility charging provisions, and a request to add dog‑waste stations on site. Staff and the applicant said many detailed design elements were shown in civil attachments or could be addressed administratively and that specific traffic‑calming elements (including a no‑left‑turn treatment at the garage exit) are shown on the civil sheets or could be added to the ordinance language prior to Council action.

After deliberation the commission took a roll call vote to send a positive recommendation to City Council, with Commissioners Crawley, Franks, Yoder, Wright and Hyatt voting yes and the presiding chair recording a yes vote as well. The motion, as stated in the meeting minutes, directed staff to incorporate administrative clarifications into the written ordinance before forwarding the PD to Council.

Next step: the PUD will be considered by City Council; staff said administrative clarifications will be made to the written ordinance before that hearing.

Note on counts and sources: unit, bed and dollar amounts in this article are taken from the applicant’s presentation and the commission record; where the developer provided two different bed totals (PD vs. by‑right) the presentation numbers were reported and the by‑right count was noted in commissioner discussion.