Projects

Applications

This is a summary of all projects of the GCHNRT, including projects whose details can’t be announced yet.

As is vital in any real estate transaction, the Trust is cautious to protect confidential information until the parties have executed their real estate transactions. Until a Project is closed on between a property owner and the Eligible Entity, we will withhold identifying project information.

The Trust’s Grants Committee reviewed and ranked each project against criteria outlined in the Trust’s establishment ordinance and other pertinent measures. This summary has been posted on the Trust website to allow for public input and afford information to members of the County Council. The long-term goal is to identify and fund worthy projects in each Council district.

November 2025 Applications

The Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust received:

• Four (4) applications from four eligible entities.

• The requests total $1,075,000 in funds

Applications represented:

• Three (3) Natural Resources (Districts 17, 20, and 26)

• One (1) Trail (District 17)

Project 043

This property encompasses 126 acres of intact montane forest and 8,443 linear feet of high-quality headwater streams that flow directly into the South Saluda River, an important cold-water trout stream in northern Greenville County. Its protection strengthens a continuous corridor of conserved land (adjoining the protected Asbury Hills Methodist Camp to the north, and to the south the 1,100 acre Saluda Bluffs property recently protected and transferred to SCDNR) that supports wildlife movement, watershed integrity, and north Greenville County’s scenic character.

Grant Request: $500,000
Total Project Value + Additional Real Estate Value: $1,665,000
Leverage Ratio: $2.33 of external money to every $1 the county trust proposes to invest
Type of Project: Natural Resource
Application Type: Fee Simple Purchase
County Council District: 17

Project 044

The Upstate Greenways and Trails Alliance (UGATA), Greenville County, and the City of Travelers Rest have partnered to create a western expansion of a popular recreational trail. This grant will help secure a critical “must have” easement—a ¼-mile segment of a 5.5-mile trail—to extend this important transportation and recreational trail network.

Grant Request: $35,000
Total Project Value + Additional Real Estate Value: $57,418
Leverage Ratio: $0.56 of external money to every $1 the county trust proposes to invest
Type of Project: Trail
Application Type: Conservation Easement
County Council District: 17

Project 045

This project will protect 5.8 acres on the Saluda River in the historic mill community of Piedmont, creating new public greenspace walkable from downtown. The project leverages conservation benefits beyond its acreage; Greenville County is donating an additional 3.7 acres of neighboring floodplain land, and a private landowner is donating a 2.3 acre conservation easement with permanent public access, bringing the total protected greenspace to more than 11 acres. Together these lands secure a continuous block of riparian forest and floodplain, supporting long-term health and resilience of the Saluda River.

Grant Request: $40,000
Total Project Value + Additional Real Estate Value: $116,000
Leverage Ratio: $1.90 of external money to every $1 the county trust proposes to invest
Type of Project: Natural Resource
Application Type: Fee Simple Purchase
County Council District: 26

Project 046

As part of a continued effort to expand protections and public access to one of the most accessible and heavily used parks in South Carolina, these 84-acres are a top acquisition priority for the park. This singular, time-sensitive opportunity builds on recent conservation successes and ensures that the area remains a natural, connected, and publicly accessible landscape for generations to come. By helping secure the project with this grant, we strengthen the park’s ecological resilience, preserve an iconic greenspace at the heart of the Upstate, and protect one of the region’s most treasured and widely used natural resources. 

Grant Request: $500,000
Total Project Value + Additional Real Estate Value: $2,535,000
Leverage Ratio: $4.07 of external money to every $1 the county trust proposes to invest
Type of Project: Natural Resource
Application Type: Fee Simple Purchase
County Council District: 20