York, South Carolina

Charlotte, and what the city was doing to help grow the community. There were lots of empty buildings in our historic downtown that I always wanted to see open and thriving again.” Patterson’s investment philosophy aligns with the city’s expansion, notably the anticipated increase in population. “You can see the growth on the residential side. From an investment standpoint, retail goes along with residential, and we’re looking at Mom and Pop type investments,” he acknowledges. From this perspective, focusing on smaller, locally rooted enterprises fits seamlessly with York’s identity, fostering both economic development and community vibrancy. “We have the agricultural fairs and different things that surround York, which I think does very well for us. The little events we have downtown, we’re kind of catering to the mom and pops, which is intriguing to people moving to York.We’re looking at industrial places that have less than 20 employees working there, which is a good fit for the city,” he depicts. INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES AND RESILIENCE Ongoing infrastructure projects in the city include wastewater treatment plant upgrades and the replacement of aging water and sewer lines. Mayor Fuesser reports, “Currently we have an engineering study which is almost complete, to bring our wastewater treatment plant up to its maximum. That project is in the works. We have a lot of aging 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 02 YORK, SC