CLEMSON, SC AMBITIOUS PLANS IN MOTION WWW.CLEMSONCITY.ORG
CLEMSON, SC AT A GLANCE CITY OF CLEMSON WHAT: A thriving university town with 17,000 permanent residents and 28,000 students, driving regional economic development through tourism, education, and strategic infrastructure investments WHERE: Clemson, South Carolina WEBSITE: www.clemsoncity.org WITH A $6.4 BILLION UNIVERSITY IMPACT, SUB-10% COM DEVELOPMENTS, THIS SMALL SOUTHERN TOWN LOOKS AMBITIOUS PLA 1 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
There is a youthful energy in Clemson, South Carolina. With 17,000 permanent residents sharing their streets with 28,000 university students, this small town is palpably dynamic and taking a bite out of its exciting future. “I feel like the overall theme in Clemson is that we’re forever young,” says Andy Blondeau, the city administrator who oversees this unique municipality. “We have constant turnover and influx and influence of young people. Being a major university town, part of MMERCIAL VACANCY, AND DYNAMIC WATERFRONT S TO THE FUTURE ANS IN MOTION Photo Credit: Ken Scar 2 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
being neighbors with a major research institution is that there’s always forward thinking and new ideas being explored every day.” The numbers tell a compelling story. Clemson University generates $6.4 billion in statewide economic impact, with research expenditures exceeding $334 million annually. Every dollar South Carolina invests in the university returns $35 in economic output. But Blondeau sees beyond the statistics to what makes Clemson distinctive among college towns: its ability to offer metropolitan amenities without sacrificing intimacy. “We hit way above our weight class,” Blondeau explains. “We have amenities that are normally found in much larger cities.” He points to the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts, which brings worldclass entertainment to town, and Memorial Stadium, where Division I football draws crowds that triple the city’s population on game days. Lake Hartwell wraps around the community, providing waterfront access rare among inland college towns. The Blue Ridge Mountains rise just 30 minutes away. “Small town charm with big town amenities,” Blondeau summarizes. “I think it’s in Clemson’s DNA to be outdoors and active.” REVITALIZING COLLEGE AVENUE College Avenue serves as Clemson’s commercial spine, where student life meets local business in a concentrated corridor of restaurants, retail shops, and nightlife venues. “We’re looking to do a lot of upgrades to College Avenue, which is pretty much our main commercial corridor,” Blondeau says. “We are currently looking at plans to widen the sidewalks, enhance lighting, make it so that we can have more sidewalk dining activation and make it more event friendly so that we can have more community events downtown.” Blondeau emphasizes the city’s focus on multimodal transportation, connecting various forms of movement throughout the community. When asked about specifics, he confirms the comprehensive approach: “Yes, all of the above,” referring to trails, buses, and bicycle infrastructure working in harmony. This focus on connectivity follows broader trends 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 CLEMSON, SC
in university town planning, where walkability and alternative transportation reduce traffic congestion and parking demands. The Clemson Area Transit system already provides zero-fare bus service with stops every 30 minutes, eventually increasing to every 15 minutes at peak times. “We also want to use that to enhance public safety in a lot of ways and multimodal transportation,” Blondeau adds. The safety improvements come at a crucial time, as the downtown area prepares to absorb thousands of new residents from developments like the controversial Hub Clemson project, which will add 1,300 beds and include 75 dedicated public parking spaces along with a 10,000-square-foot plaza facing Lake Hartwell. A THRIVING COMMERCIAL CORE Clemson’s commercial landscape presents an unusual problem for economic developers: there’s barely any room left. Despite the low rate, the city continues to welcome all businesses and remains committed to accommodating as many as possible. This success stems from Clemson’s tourism-based economy, which draws visitors year-round for athletic events, university activities, and regional attractions. The city leverages these visitors strategically, using major events to inject outside dollars into local businesses while enhancing quality of life for residents. “We’d like to do what we can to support our businesses by using quality of life events, like hosting major events that bring in outside visitors,” Blondeau explains. “These people come and spend money at our businesses and then they spend hospitality accommodations tax, which is reinvested into our community through quality-of-life projects.” The business mix varies by location. “When you have Downtown College Avenue, it’s particularly entrepreneurial, independently owned businesses,” Blondeau notes. “But if you get on Tiger Boulevard, you have your more franchise type businesses that you’ll find commonly in most communities.” Beyond downtown, Patrick Square represents the city’s other commercial hub.“That’s a master planned Photo Credit: Ken Scar 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
The exhibit showcases remarkable athletic achievement from this tri-community area. “If you have a town or an area the size of Clemson, Central and Six Mile, I will gamble that the percentage of professional athletes that come out of this demographic far exceeds what should statistically,” Blondeau observes. “The school has enjoyed over the years a lot of athletic success in a lot of sports.” Beyond athletics, the school district excels in preparing students for the modern workforce. Blondeau particularly praises their Career Technical Center, which creates a direct pipeline between education and employment.“The school district does a great job, especially with training and preparing students for what comes after high school.” This vocational excellence benefits the entire region’s economic development efforts. “Those people go directly into the workforce , and that also helps the county attract industry because that training program is so good that those people walk right into those doors and they have a pipeline for modern neighborhood development concept,” Blondeau says. “There is a mixture of medical, professional retail and hospitality there. We even have assisted living over there.” Built over the past 10 to 15 years, Patrick Square is now almost completely occupied. THE DANIEL LEGACY AND EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE A unique exhibit celebrating athletic excellence reveals deeper truths about Clemson’s regional identity.The Sincerely Daniel exhibit honors African American athletes from Daniel High School, an institution that is a unifying force across multiple communities. “The school itself I think is unique in that it’s not within city limits,” Blondeau explains. “I think a lot of people consider Daniel home when they speak of their hometown.” The school draws students from Clemson, Central, and Six Mile, creating a shared identity that transcends municipal boundaries. 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 CLEMSON, SC
These are just a few examples of our commitment to elevating the standard of healthcare in the Upstate area—one procedure, one initiative and one patient at a time. ...and we’re only getting started. A cutting-edge pulmonary procedure Robotic joint replacement Partnership with MUSC Health for enhanced access to leading medical treatments ANMED SERVES REGION WITH EXCEPTIONAL CARE Exceptional care from AnMed is within reach in Clemson and throughout the region. Seamlessly connected to the health system’s expansive network, the AnMed Clemson campus at 885 Tiger Boulevard is home to urgent care, family medicine and pediatrics practices. It also provides access to a wide range of specialty rotations such as arrhythmia, cardiology, ENT, general surgery, OB-GYN, and pulmonary and sleep medicine. From routine checkups to lifesaving surgery, care that’s compassionate, skilled and equipped with state-of-the-art advancements has never been more convenient.The entire broad spectrum of services offered by AnMed is at hand. The system includes a heart and vascular center, a comprehensive cancer center, a maternity center, a behavioral health hospital, a rehabilitation hospital and therapy locations. More than 60 physician practices are also among service sites spread throughout the region. The growing system plans further expansion very soon to meet the Upstate’s growing needs. Guided by values of compassion, innovation, integrity, accountability and collaboration, AnMed was named one of the nation’s “Great Community Hospitals” by Becker’s Hospital Review. It’s one of three systems nationwide to earn the 2024 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award from the AHA. Visit AnMed.org.
also currently either in construction or have been completed,” Blondeau says of infrastructure projects. He details two major wastewater facilities: “We just finished a $16 million upgrade to the Cochran Road plant, which now has plenty of capacity for the end of town that it serves.” The larger investment involves the PendletonClemson plant, where construction progresses on a $60 million expansion. “We’re going to go from 2 million gallons a day to 5 million gallons a day. Our investment in the expansion is $21.5 million. That’s going to have us prepared to handle growth for years to come.” employees,” Blondeau notes. “My experience with the school district has been very positive. Workforce development is where I think they’re tops.” BALANCING HOUSING GROWTH AND AFFORDABILITY Clemson faces the same housing crisis gripping college towns nationwide, but with prices that would make even Silicon Valley residents pause.“We are absolutely facing those challenges,” Blondeau acknowledges.“I believe the average home price in Clemson is now half a million dollars. The type of housing that is being built is in that market range because there is such a high market for it that the people moving into the area are able to afford those types of homes or even more expensive.” Real estate has become Clemson’s gold rush, with investors capitalizing on demand from affluent newcomers while longtime residents struggle to find affordable options. “We’re excited to announce that we do have Mercy Housing coming in and doing a pretty significant affordable housing development right off of Highway 93,” Blondeau says. “I know it’s going to be a mixture of types of units. One bedroom, two-bedroom, three bedrooms.” Downtown housing follows a distinct pattern.“What we have is our more longer-term housing that was older, more original or historic single-family neighborhoods right adjacent off of College Avenue on both sides of the road,” Blondeau explains.“What you have along College Avenue itself is the highdensity mixed-use student housing.The further away you get from College Avenue, the more residential it becomes. We’re trying to keep that in that downtown area so that it’s very walkable to campus.” INFRASTRUCTURE AND RECREATION RENAISSANCE Clemson’s infrastructure investments reveal a city preparing for significant growth while enhancing current residents’ quality of life. With $76 million committed to wastewater treatment alone, the city demonstrates fiscal discipline rare among municipalities its size. “Not only have we earmarked them, but they are Photo Credit: Ken Scar 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 CLEMSON, SC
importance of infrastructure,” Blondeau reflects.“So, we’ve been ahead of the curve rather than behind it.” THE NEXT CHAPTER: FROM VISION TO REALITY After years of planning and pursuing funding,Clemson is ready to transform blueprints into concrete reality. The lakefront development emerging through Core Spaces partnership represents just one piece of a larger metamorphosis. “There is a large mixed-use student housing development going in right by the lake on Keowee Trail. It’s called the Hub,” Blondeau explains. “They donated an acre of land right there on the lake to Recreation improvements match the infrastructure ambitions. Clemson Park undergoes major upgrades. “I just got back from a construction site at Clemson Park where a new skate park has been installed,” Blondeau reports.“There’s also going to be a splash pad out there and a performance venue.” Additional facilities include eight lighted pickleball courts with shade structures, a new dog park, and plans for an $8 million art center at Nettles Park.The city capitalizes on Lake Hartwell for sports tourism, hosting 1,131 rowers from 14 schools each spring. “We’ve been fortunate here that we’ve always had a city council who values and understands the 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
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PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n AnMed Health www.anmed.org us that joins up to the land that we lease from the Corps of Engineers.They have also provided us with a million dollars in cash to invest in the park that’s already there.” “They’re also going to incentivize a high-end restaurant to be located on the bottom floor facing the lake,” Blondeau continues. “They’re going to provide up to $850,000 or $900,000 to build out the commercial space for a desired business, like a nice lakefront restaurant, and they’re going to comp their lease for the first year, to try to help them be successful.” This waterfront transformation aims to reorient Tiger Boulevard businesses toward the lake, creating a destination that capitalizes on natural assets.“Take the businesses that are on Tiger Boulevard next to the lake who currently face Tiger Boulevard,” Blondeau says. “What we’d like to see over time is have these businesses reorient where they face the lake and take advantage of that.” Looking ahead two years, Blondeau sees execution as the primary mission.“We have spent the last few years going after funding for major projects. We have received that funding. Now it’s realized, so in the next two years, it’s time to make it happen,” he states. “Everyone’s been very patient. We’ve got the funding in place; it’s time to go out and execute.” Photo Credit: Ken Scar 10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
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