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City considering impact fees amid growth [Video]
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Small Business Lifestyle

City considering impact fees amid growth [Video]

The city of Greer is considering adding an impact fee to new developments within its limits due to the city’s continued growth.Greer City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with a study on the potential new fee. “We felt like we were at the point in time where because of our continued growth through the years, that this was our opportunity to go ahead and let some of the new growth, pay for and pave the way for itself,” Mayor Rick Danner said.Danner said, on average, the city is seeing more than 1,000 homes being started over the past several years. “It just doesn’t seem to make sense to our council at this point in time that those folks that have been living in Greer and have been here a while, carry the whole load of water themselves,” Danner said.He said the fee could be collected once a new permit is pulled from the city. Rates are not yet final, but Danner said single-family, multifamily and commercial developments would have different rates.”This is a statement by our council to say that we are investing in smart growth,” Danner said. “We want to be cognizant of the fact that, you know, there is a cost to growth, and this is the way that we want to address it.”Affordable housing, schools and volunteer fire departments are some of the exceptions to the proposed fee. “Greenville area had the climate that I wanted,” said Robert Wiley, who recently moved to the area. “It was less expensive, and I could afford to live here.”Danner said the money collected from the fee could go to support services such as police, fire and recreation. “Anything that can help Greer, being a part of Greer for the last seven years with Barista Alley, I think we’ve seen a lot of changes,” Barista Alley Manager Charlie Carter said. Danner added the proposal is not expected to affect the city’s growth, but it could affect the price of construction. “There is a cost to the person that is developing the project or the homes, and so indirectly, I’m going to assume that they would pass that along in some regard to do the cost of a home,” Danner said.The city’s planning commission is expected to take up the matter next month for a public hearing before it heads back to council for another vote.

Lower 9th Ward survivors remember Hurricane Katrina 19 years later [Video]
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Small Business Lifestyle

Lower 9th Ward survivors remember Hurricane Katrina 19 years later [Video]

On this day nearly two decades ago, people in our area were bracing for one of the biggest hurricanes in the history of our state.Thursday marks 19 years since Hurricane Katrina. Robert Green said, “If you look around, we have Dollar Tree. We have a new grocery store up the street. But the most important thing to me is in the morning I see kids getting on school buses.”Green is a lifelong Lower 9th Ward survivor. He has seen firsthand how his community looked before and after Hurricane Katrina. Nineteen years later, he said he is seeing new homes being built and more people living here. On Aug. 28, 2005, Green, his mom Joyce, and other family attempted to evacuate to Nashville Tennessee. But it was not easy. “We tried to leave. We tried to get out. We tried to get into the Superdome when we couldn’t continue forward because my mother was sick. When we got to the Superdome the lines were long. They weren’t prepared to take a sick person like she was.”Hours later, on Aug. 29, the family was here when there was a 25-foot surge of water. The levees broke.The water uprooted their home from up the street to this tree. Green’s mother Joyce and his granddaughter 3-year-old Shanai Green lost their lives. “Anyone who survived the storm, surviving their rooftops,” said Green.Years later, Green said he is still grieving.His home is currently seen with a picture of him and Brad Pitt. Directly in front, with the words “Make it Right Brad Pitt Fix My House.” Green’s home was one of several rebuilt through the “Make It Right” Foundation organized by the actor. But the home started to show issues shortly after. “We didn’t know we’d be victims of engineering shortcomings. We didn’t know we would be victims of product failure.”The foundation agreed to pay upward of $20 million to people impacted. To this day, residents like Green never got that money.Still Green is hopeful for himself and the residents of the Lower 9. “What is the important thing is that we can determine what our future is. We have the ability to be able to do that,” said Green. Thursday there will be several events across New Orleans to commemorate Hurricane Katrina.A press conference will be held at 10 a.m. at 1239 Baronne St. in recognition of Hurricane Katrina’s anniversary as a state and local holiday.Saturday at noon, there will be a healing ceremony at North Galvez and Jourdan Avenue followed by a rally at Hunter’s Field.