A Community-Based Opportunity Zone Report
PERRY HILL & UTICA MILL HILL VILLAGES
OPPORTUNITY ZONE (307.1)
THE PROJECT
The Opportunity Zone comprises neighborhoods bounded by census tract 307.01 and is colloquially referred to as Perry Hill, Utica Mill Hill, and other local terms. This historic, diverse community was once centered by the former J.P. Stevens Mill and Oconee County Training School with thriving businesses, education and cultural identities. For decades, the area has been deeply impacted by a disinvestment of industry, a dearth of support organizations, and complications of municipal jurisdictions. Further, the area has struggled from a lack of infrastructure in terms of sewer, street maintenance, street lighting, sidewalks, food and healthcare access, and other concerns.
The goal of the project is to develop a community-led assessment of current conditions and prioritize community perspectives for attracting socially conscious investment to various areas. The assessment will be vetted by county officials and the Opportunity Zone leadership and facilitated by a team from Clemson University.
South Carolina Opportunity Zones
WHAT IS AN OPPORTUNITY ZONE?
Opportunity Zones (OZ) are census tracts designated by a federal program created by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to encourage economic development and job creation in low-income urban and rural communities.
HOW DID THE PROJECT GET STARTED?
Community leaders became aware of the county’s successful application for the Opportunity Zone designation and have taken an active role to identify, examine and plan for community-wide surveys and discussions that lead to the production of a well-informed prospectus identifying areas of focus across housing, infrastructure, industry and public space.
Despite barriers to investment and funding, area residents have formed resilient nonprofit and faith-based interventions to tackle the challenges of food insecurity, education, food access, and other quality-of-life elements. These leaders are recruiting residents across the spectrum of race, language, age, employment, homeownership, tenants, business owners, and communities of faith. With their input, the Clemson team is facilitating the development of tools with which to attract community investment in the form of jobs, infrastructure and policy to guide development to serve this multi-generational community.
