By admin 
Greenville City Council will vote on annexing a 138-acre tract on busy Woodruff Road that includes Sam’s Club and the Merovan Business Center at its Aug. 24 meeting.
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The annexation was approved by the city’s Planning Commission Aug. 6. If the council approves, it will be the largest since 2024 when the Cherrydale shopping center was annexed. That involved 126 acres of commercial and retail businesses.
There are 19 parcels proposed for annexation on Woodruff Road near Interstate 385.
“Woodruff Road has long been one of the most important gateways into Greenville, and this annexation gives us an opportunity to work with property owners to help shape the corridor’s future,” Mayor Knox White said.
That means coordinating planning, transportation and public safety while supporting continued economic growth, he said.
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One benefit is the city could be in charge of traffic control, a concern for all of Woodruff Road, one of the most congested roadways in Greenville County. The South Carolina Department of Transportation would have to approve since Woodruff Road is a state highway.
“I think that would be an aspirational goal on our part to improve traffic flow and public safety,” White said.
White told WYFF TV, “We’re trying to make up for really decades of not paying a lot of attention to annexation, like we should.”
White said the improvements will take time.
“We can’t exactly wave a wand and make things change overnight, but the City has a sophisticated traffic control system with synchronized traffic lights, and we’re going to be able to, over time, bring this kind of traffic control into this section of Woodruff Road so the cars will move more smoothly.”
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