REIDVILLE, SC (WSPA) – Major changes are being proposed for a small town in Spartanburg County.

Dozens of people came out for a meeting about a new town center in Reidville, where residents could ask questions. 

A big part of the plan involves demolishing a portion of Reidville Elementary School.

Town leaders say the plan would help with all the growth in the area.

Reidville Elementary School means a lot to natives like Lawson Watson. He’s part of a group called Friends of Reidville who are working to save the school. 

“We’ve got emotional ties to this school – this school our parents and grandparents it was a high school at that time,” Watson said. “Downtown Reidville is a beautiful little town – there’s a lot of history here.”

Spartanburg School District 5 is building a new school, and there are big plans proposed for the current property – ideas that town council has endorsed.

“I want to commend the town council,” developer Bill Cureton told the audience at Thursday’s community meeting. “This is an avenue through which the town can get a police department. I think the average response time I was told the other night was one hour.”

He said they also want to use the roughly 55 acres to build more than 200 homes.

He said they want the school district to gift the property to the Town of Reidville to make room for a town center complete with a park, amphitheater, shops, restaurants, and apartments. 

He said the school district plans to auction the property to the highest bidder. A portion of the school would be renovated for a community center and town offices.

“Why in the world do we need a police department? We don’t have shootings or rapes out here. Sure we have misdemeanor crime, it happens everywhere,” said Lawson. “Most people who move here? Why’d you move here?’ Because it’s a nice quiet little town. It’s peaceful.” 

It’s a town that officials say is growing.

The Reidville fire chief told the audience he knows of about 17 new subdivisions since the beginning of the year, and the department is building another fire station to help cover the area. 

The town’s leaders will present the idea for the new town center to Spartanburg School District 5 during its next board meeting on August 27th starting 6:30 p.m. at Duncan Elementary School. 

Click here to read more about the proposed plan.