Tuesday, October 4th, New Washington Heights held a special election for a referendum to create a special purpose tax district to fund street lighting across the neighborhood. This was a community-led effort, with the support of Duke Energy, Furman University, the Greenville County Attorney's Office, the Greenville County Voter Registration Department, and Greenville County planner, Andrew Ratchford. We are grateful for everyone's support and extremely proud of New Washington Heights' achievement. The certification of the results is expected to be processed by the end of business day on October 7th.

Following a community-wide petition by the members of the New Washington Heights Community Association, a special election will be held on Tuesday, October 4th, 2016, from 7am to 7pm at the Happy Hearts Community Center. This referendum will be held to determine whether a special purpose tax district will be created for the neighborhood that will be utilized to fund street lights. For more information, contact the Greenville County Voter Registration office.

On May 31st, students from Furman's Maymester Experience Course, led by Professors Mike Winiski and Matt Cohen of Furman Universtiy, presented the preliminary results of a month-long inventory, analysis, and data collection process. This process was designed to compile feedback from local stakeholders regarding the former Washington High School site and produce a catalogue of general themes and objectives to influence Greenville County Staff in the future design and redevelopment of this space.

Furman University's Maymester Experience Course professors and students worked with leaders of the New Washington Heights Community Association to host a kick-off event last Saturday, May 14th. This event included a barbeque, fish fry, and recreational activities; however, the ultimate goal of this time was to gather valuable feedback from neighborhood residents regarding the potential of the recently cleared Washington High School site. Students will continue to work with area stakeholders and conduct forthcoming workshops. The final vision report is currently scheduled to be revealed to the community on May 31st.

In fulfillment of a grant that was initiated and carried out by the help and support of Greenville County Planning intern Brennan Hansley, New Washington Heights' Happy Hearts Community Center has now acquired two new swings as part of their public open space. Planning Staff is grateful to the assistance and support of Rodney Cox and the maintenance division of Greenville County Recreation & Tourism for installing the swings that were purchased with grant funding. The community is excited to see their open space expanding and extend their heartfelt thanks to all the County staff and volunteers who came together to make this happen.

Greenville County Planning Staff is proud to report that New Washington Heights' Third Annual MLK Day of Service was a resounding success! This regularly scheduled neighborhood-wide clean-up event has become an important part of the community's annual efforts to start the new year off with a clean slate and renew the spirits of an action-oriented community. We are once again supremely indebted to the help and support of Furman University and its volunteers. Special thanks should go to Nancy Cooper with Furman's Volunteer Services as well as Furman's volunteers who represented several fraternities. The community was also instrumental in making ...

Please join us on Monday, January 18th (Martin Luther King Day), at 9am as we hold a clean up event for the neighborhood of New Washington Heights. We are meeting at Happy Hearts Community Center (315 Loop St) and working until noon. Any volunteers are welcome to join us. For more information, please contact Jonathan Hanna at (864) 467-7291.

In an extremely generous move, Furman professor Mike Winiski presented the New Washington Heights Community Association with an incredible community map/white board that will be of great assistance to the neighborhood in their regular meetings and special projects. The free-standing white board itself was constructed by a compassionate team from Furman Facilities Services while the map (which included unique neighborhood lighting data) was provided by Furman’s GIS mapping students: Savannah Jennings, Billy Tutt, Steve Nelson, and Connor Chatterton. The Furman GIS class is offered through the university’s Earth and Environmental Sc ...

It was a successful HOG Day (Hands on Greenville) here at New Washington Heights on May 2^nd!  We are extremely grateful for the hard work offered by 63 volunteers from Hartness International, White Horse Academy, and local residents!  Their time and effort was spent improving a trail that connects the community garden with Happy Hearts Community Center, clearing overgrowth from New Washington Height’s entrance on Loop Street, and removing litter and debris throughout the community.  Those working on the trail spread pea gravel and worked to place stones at the trail’s base to serve as a sturdy entrance in ...

On Saturday, April 18^th, New Washington Heights held a community service event to complete the installation of a trail that connects the community garden to Happy Hearts Community Center.  The site was cleared of underbrush, prepped for trail installation, and planted with multiple trees during a past volunteer event.  Individuals from Greenville Christian Fellowship helped lay weed resistant landscaping fabric and spread pea gravel in the prepped area, establishing the pathway for easier connectivity.  The neighborhood of New Washington Heights is extremely grateful for the help from this volunteer group who di ...

Furman professor Mike Winiski and his students have been significantly involved in the New Washington Heights community over the last year. Professor Winiski’s class has conducted significant inventory and analysis of street lighting conditions in the area, including an award-winning drone fly-over project that surveyed conditions at night. In addition, these students have put together an effort to assist the New Washington Heights Community Association in paying for energy costs for seven new street lights that were installed in 2014. This ongoing fundraiser has already raised over six hundred dollars on behalf of the community associa ...

Saturday, January 24th, New Washington Heights held their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in the community to proceed work on a grant project that connects Happy Hearts Community Center with the community garden. Beyond providing mere connectivity for residents, the aim of this project was also to beautify vacant parcels that couldn't be otherwise developed and create a potential trail node for future projects. This day of service was made possible by a generous team of volunteers including a team from Greenville Christian Fellowship, among others. We are immensely grateful for the incredible work that these volunteers provided a ...

Residents of the Poinsett Corridor area invited to join the first Poinsett Corridor 50+ Club event this December 13th, from 2pm to 6pm. This is an opportunity for mature residents from New Washington Heights, Brutontown, Poe Mill, Sans Souci, Boulder Creek, Piney Mountain, and other communities of the Poinsett Corridor to come together and simply enjoy a good time. There will be food, games, dancing, and more. So put your dancing shoes on and join us at the Happy Hearts Community Center (315 Loop St, Greenville, 29609) on December 13th.

The New Washington Heights Community Association held a successful fundraiser last Saturday just off of Poinsett Highway. The community association managed to raise $1002.25 in gross profits, with a net profit of $376.52. The proceeds will begin to go towards paying for new lighting that was recently installed in the New Washington Heights Neighborhood. Hilda Velasquez, a resident of New Washington Heights, walked away with the raffle's grand prize of a 40' LED HD TV. We are grateful to everyone who came out to support the community and contributed to the raffle. Thank you!

Congratulations to the New Washington Heights Community Association for recently being awarded non-profit status! This new status will allow the community association and the residents of New Washington Heights the opportunity to avail themselves of additional resources (such as grants) and take advantage of new local partnerships (through tax-deductible donations). The New Washington Heights Community Association began the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status last year when they were awarded funding through the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority's GAP Grant to assist them in application fees. Since that time there have been s ...

On Saturday, October 25th, the New Washington Heights Community Association will be hosting a neighborhood yard sale fundraiser. In addition to items for sale, the community association will also be providing food for sale, so bring family and friends and enjoy yourself with us at the Harbin Property, located on Poinsett Hwy next to O'Reilly Auto Parts (612 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville, 29609). Click Here for the flyer!

The third and final reading of the New Washington Heights Community Plan was conducted before County Council on July 8th, after which it was unanimously passed for adoption into the Greenville County Comprehensive Plan. Special thanks for this momentous occasion goes out to Councilwoman Xanthene Norris and all of her support, along with the New Washington Heights Community Association, the community steering committee, and all the residents who came out to neighborhood meetings to offer their insight and feedback along the way. Thanks should also go out to Greenville County Rec, Codes Enforcement, the Sheriff's Office, Greenville County Redev ...

The New Washington Heights Community Plan was presented to Greenville County Council on Monday, May 19th for a public hearing. Local residents Charity Jones and Julianna Battenfield added their support for the plan before Council, who proceeded to push the community plan through the next stage of the adoption process. The next steps include presenting the plan to the Planning Commission on May 28th, followed by the Planning & Development Committee on June 2nd, and the second reading before County Council on May 17th (with a final vote at County Council on July 15th).

Past and present residents of New Washington Heights and anyone with a connection to Happy Hearts park gathered together on May 17th to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Happy Hearts Park. The Reverend Dr. Ronald Barton presided the event with special appearances by such dignitaries as Councilwoman Xanthene Norris, Representative Chandra Dillard, and GCRA Executive Director Martin Livingston. With around two hundred residents in attendance, the event was a huge success. Special thanks goes to the organizers of this event, including Greenville County Rec, the Presidential Queens, and all the individuals and local businesses who suppo ...

The New Washington Heights Community Association, with Greenville County Rec, are hosting the 65th Anniversary celebration of the Happy Hearts Park on May 17th at 2pm. All residents of New Washington Heights - past and present - are encouraged to come out and enjoy free food, good company, and entertainment (with prizes!) for all ages. We look forward to having a great turn-out as we strive to create another memorable event for the entire community.

Check out the flyer here:
"Looking Back, Moving Forward" Happ ...

On the evening of May 31st, 2014, the Greenville County Planning & Development Committee unanimously motioned to initiate the public hearing and adoption process for the New Washington Heights Community Plan. The proposed amendment to include the community plan in the Imagine Greenville Comprehensive Plan will be advertised for 30 days in local papers before coming to County Council for approval or denial on May 19th, 2014. All residents of New Washington Heights are encouraged to come out and make their voices heard to Council.

On the night of the March 13th, 2014 New Washington Heights Community Meeting, the community association unanimously voted to approve the final draft of the community plan for the adoption process. The adoption process involves appending the community plan into the existing Greenville County Comprehensive Plan, thereby providing local leaders with an expression of the residents goals and objectives that may inform and guide potential development. The next steps include presenting the plan to the Greenville County Planning Commission, the Planning & Development Committee, and finally County Council for public readings. The res ...

Due to inclement weather, the February meeting for the New Washington Heights Community Association was postponed. However, for the next meeting, we will be revealing the final draft of the community plan for the entire community to approve before initiating the adoption process. We encourage everyone in the community to make a concerted effort to join us and invite their neighbors for this important meeting.

This week, the Greenville County Leadership Class joined with local Lowe’s Heroes to provide New Washington Heights’ community center, Happy Hearts, with a much needed fresh coat of paint. Spencer Brown, the manager of the Poinsett Hwy Lowe’s store, and his team elected earlier this Fall to participate in the County Leadership Class’ class project.

Students from Furman University also contributed to the work that began on Tuesday, but continued through Thursday. The result has been a major stride toward renewing Happy Hearts as a cultural center for the area and a more flexible space for the community.

The mills ran around the clock cranking out the fabric that clothed America.  Hard working men and women lived, work, played and prayed in the Poinsett Highway area.  It was once the economic hub of Greenville, but time has taken its tool on this proud community.

"Neighborhood have a life cycle to them," says Council Chairman Butch Kirven.  "This area has an old life cycle, so the time is now for some renovation and renewal."

The mills no longer function, but the Poinsett Highway Corridor is poised to play a new role.  It is the gateway between downtown Greenville, Furman Un ...