For most growing cities and towns, not having a traditional downtown might prove a handicap, but for Mauldin that lack has turned into opportunity.
Through forward-looking zoning and land-use policies, the city’s leaders are reimagining what defines community and are using the generational shift in what people want from where they live, work and play to attract a series of marquee projects that have put Mauldin in the vanguard of the Upstate’s most desirable places to be.
The challenges of growth
Like every municipality in Greenville County, Mauldin is absorbing a historic influx of new residents and the businesses needed to serve them. According to Community Development Director J.R. Charles, this poses both challenges and opportunities.
With the county expected to attract as many as 250,000 new residents in the next decade, Charles says one of the biggest challenges is developing the housing needed to accommodate so many people.
“We’re going to have to have housing for every demographic,” he says.
Developers and homebuilders are bringing new projects online in record numbers to meet demand, according to David Dyrhaug, Mauldin director of business and development services.
“We’re in the midst of seeing more homes being built in Mauldin than probably at any one time ever before,” he says.
“We’re in the midst of seeing more homes being built in Mauldin than probably at any one time ever before.” – David Dyrhaug
To illustrate the jump in activity, Dyrhaug says the city averaged about 2,000 building inspections a year in 2017, while 2022 saw more than 18,000 inspections.
Many of those new projects reflect a generational shift in the types of homes people are looking for, according to Seth Duncan, Mauldin’s city administrator.
Townhomes and small lots are increasingly prevalent as both retirees and young families seek housing with fewer maintenance demands. Duncan says the trend is driving a shift to build “up, not out.”
That trend toward more density and the accompanying shift in where people want to spend their time — not at home but out on trails and in parks or enjoying restaurants, shops and entertainment venues such density supports — is the driving force behind such major Mauldin projects as BridgeWay Station, Maverick Station and City Center Village, Duncan says.
“We’re going to be very quickly a city that didn’t have any downtown to having three specific, unique little communities,” he says.
The urban village
That outcome was no accident.
Recognizing growth patterns and how not having a traditional downtown to act as a development magnet might be a handicap, Mauldin’s leaders created a new zoning district — the urban village.
Duncan says the reality is Mauldin is in a competitive market that is striving to attract residents and businesses that have a range of options when coming to the Upstate.
Recognizing that, the city is using form-based zoning like the urban-village district to attract the kinds of projects people want, and no other project in the city represents that approach better, at least in terms of scale, than BridgeWay Station.
The project is being built by Greenville developer Phil Hughes, founder of Hughes Investments.
The 40-acre development adjacent to Interstate 385 is rapidly taking shape as a purpose-built town center incorporating a range of residential, retail and restaurant, office, and entertainment options meant to be a self-contained community that will be a regional destination.
Hughes says while “vision” is an evocative word to describe the Italianate, old-world design behind the project, the real driving force for BridgeWay Station is practical.
“We just try to give people what we think they want,” he says. “It’s really about that simple.”
But that “simple” aim is based on two extremely pertinent observations: Urban centers offer a concentration of attractions people find appealing, and suburban areas generally offer more space and proximity to a lot more people.
“We’re trying to put the best of downtown with the best of the suburbs,” says Hughes.
In the same vein but on a smaller scale are two other Mauldin projects, City Center Village, and within that, Maverick Station. Both are being developed by The Parker Group and, like BridgeWay Station, are designed to be destinations in and of themselves. The mixed-use projects combine residential, retail and entertainment options that are expected to become popular community hubs.
Drew Parker says the City Center project was a chance to address Mauldin’s lack of a traditional downtown, and he and his team were intrigued by both the opportunities and challenges of placemaking.
“It struck me as the perfect place to build community,” Parker says.
Phase I of the project is complete with the development of Maverick Station, which offers office and restaurant options, including Sully’s Steamers and Bohemian Bull. Phase II will begin later this summer and involve construction of townhomes and a communal space known as Maverick Yards, within which will be a collection of pickleball courts known as The Pickle Yard.
Parker says he envisions the projects will serve as a catalyst for further development that will see City Center Village become a true community hub.
“My goal with this is to kick things off,” he says. “My hope is other developers will see the value of Mauldin and the community we’re creating.”
Here’s a rundown of some of Mauldin’s most recent and significant developments aimed at meeting a mix of needs:
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