Greenville Leader

The new Unity Park parallel extension of the Swamp Rabbit Trail North opened to the public Friday along the north edge of the Reedy River in Greenville. 

Though Unity Park — a 60-acre, $18.2 million open space park with trails, a river walk and restoration, an athletic field, a visitors center, and abutting new affordable housing — won't fully open until Spring 2022, the extension is open for foot and bicycle traffic, the project's website said. 

"Coming together! #unitypark," Greenville City Councilor John DeWorken tweeted. 

A 70-foot bridge was placed just upstream of the Reedy River as part of the project June 16, according to the project's website. The bridge arrived in one piece and was put into its spot with a crane.

Both the Swamp Rabbit Trail extension on the north side of the river next to Welborn Commons, as well as the bridge are now accessible the city tweeted.  

According to the Unity Park website, in order to protect existing neighborhoods, the city adopted a character code specific to the area surrounding the park in June of 2020. 

It states that the Unity Park Neighborhood District Code "promotes the character of the area and encourages a walkable urban center that features cohesive design, use, densities and pedestrian amenities to create a vibrant, sustainable and complimentary community, while protecting existing residential areas from inappropriate infill and redevelopment," the project's website said.

In addition, the project is committed to helping those in need with the construction of affordable housing.

The Unity Park project has aimed to create connections across neighborhoods through providing affordable housing opportunities around the park in partnerships with the Greenville Housing Fund, the project's website said.