Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust
The Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust announced the completion of a Riverfront Conservation Project along the Saluda River in Piedmont.
Greenville County Trust officials said it marks the completion of one of its smallest, yet most complex and collaborative, conservation projects to date.
The project represents more than two years of work to assemble 12 acres of Saluda River frontage in the historic Piedmont mill village through a combination of land acquisition, conservation tools, and layered public-private funding partnerships.
The project brings together two former FEMA flood buyout parcels located within the floodway; a donated easement provided by the former textile mill property owners; and the acquisition of approximately 6 acres from a private family.
Equally significant is the financing structure.
Funding for the six-acre acquisition reflects a true “layer cake” of conservation investment, including a Grant from the Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust; Matching funds from the South Carolina Conservation Bank; Private support through the Community Foundation of Greenville and additional matching support from the New Leaf Fund, established by Greenville native and longtime New York City parks planner Lea Rohrbaugh.
“These investments demonstrate how local leadership, public and private investment can stretch dollars and unlock projects that no single funding source could accomplish alone” a representative of the Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust said.
The project shows what can happen when public agencies, private landowners, and philanthropic partners work together. What began as disconnected parcels, flood-prone land, and a complicated ownership structure will become a community riverfront asset, protecting history, expanding public access, and creating new opportunities for generations to come in a revitalizing Piedmont stewarded by the Piedmont Public Service District.
