About the ClemsonNEXT Strategic Plan

In 2020, the City of Clemson undertook a citywide strategic plan for development. This process, ClemsonNEXT, focused on three key issues that relate directly to growth in Clemson:

  • Inclusivity, or who gets to live and participate in a community;

  • Resiliency, or how adaptive a community’s economy is to changing circumstances; and

  • Place, which is about whether the built places and spaces in a community support a high quality of life.

The process asked why growth is occurring, how it is impacting Clemson, what the community wants to be in the future, and what land use and development policies are needed to make that happen. The answers to these questions informed recommendations in the White Paper about how and where development could be allowed in the future.

 

Citizen Participation

Citizen input was sought via informational videos and follow-up surveys.

Initially, six videos and five surveys were made available. After compiling and analyzing these results, an additional video and survey were produced to seek additional, more specific input. All of the data from these surveys informed the Strategic Plan White Paper.

The Final White Paper

The result of the initial surveys and information gathering was a White Paper summarizing the
issues that led to the moratorium and recommending actions for moving forward.

Implementation Working Groups

Following completion of the Strategic Plan, City Council created a ClemsonNext Implementation Committee to oversee a citizen review and implementation process.

The Implementation Committee created five workgroups (one for each major topic in the strategic plan), and invited interested parties to sign up for their preferred group. These groups then developed recommendations for their topic area and presented them to Council in July and August 2021.