A rezoning application filed in early March seeks to convert nearly three acres along Buncombe Street from Planned Development (PD) to MX-2, a mixed-use zoning designation that could open the door to denser commercial and residential development on a prominent West End corridor.
Project 26-178, filed on March 2, 2026, covers 2.922 acres spread across three parcels: 711 Buncombe St., 615 Buncombe St., and 309 Butler Ave. The application is currently listed as active in the city's planning system. MX-2 zoning generally permits a blend of residential, office, and retail uses at moderate intensity — a notable shift from the more restrictive Planned Development classification that governs the properties today.
The parcels sit in the West End, a neighborhood that has drawn sustained developer interest in recent years as mixed-use projects have reshaped blocks closer to downtown Greenville. Buncombe Street serves as a key connector between the West End and the central business district, making the corridor a logical candidate for the kind of walkable, higher-density development that MX-2 zoning allows.
No specific site plans or building permits have been filed in connection with the rezone request at this stage, and the application does not name a developer or contractor. Should the rezoning win approval from the city's Planning Commission and City Council, the new MX-2 designation would establish the framework for future development proposals on the combined acreage.
The application's scope — spanning three contiguous parcels totaling just under three acres — suggests a coordinated development strategy rather than a single-parcel infill project. At that scale, an eventual project could meaningfully add residential units, ground-floor commercial space, or both to a stretch of Buncombe Street that currently operates under more limited entitlements.
This rezone request matters because it signals growing pressure to bring mixed-use density to the Buncombe Street corridor, potentially extending the pattern of redevelopment that has already transformed portions of the West End closer to downtown.