The deadline is today. Spartanburg residents, business owners, and community members who want a say in the region’s economic future have until midnight Sunday, April 19, to complete the OneSpartanburg Vision Plan 3.0 survey — a planning process that shapes the county’s long-term strategy for job creation, infrastructure investment, and quality-of-life improvements.
The survey, available at onespartanburginc.com/visionplan, takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete and covers topics including workforce development, transportation, housing affordability, downtown vitality, and small business support. It is open to all Spartanburg County residents, not just business leaders or civic insiders.
A Track Record Worth Building On
The urgency to participate stems partly from what the previous vision plans actually delivered. Since OneSpartanburg launched Vision Plan 1.0 in 2017, the organization has tracked the attraction of 14,298 new jobs to the county. Per capita income has increased. Major corporate expansions — anchored by the automotive and advanced manufacturing sectors — have added billions in capital investment.
Vision Plan 3.0 builds on that foundation but faces a more complicated environment. Housing affordability has emerged as a critical constraint. The 2026 ALICE Report data shows that roughly 50 percent of Spartanburg County households fall below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold — meaning they are working but struggling to cover basic household needs even as the county attracts high-wage industry investment. Addressing that gap is expected to be a central theme of the new plan.
What the Survey Shapes
Vision Plan responses directly inform the priorities OneSpartanburg presents to corporate site selectors, state lawmakers, and federal grant programs. When a company evaluating a $500 million manufacturing facility compares Spartanburg to competing sites in Georgia or North Carolina, the Vision Plan is one of the documents that articulates the community’s readiness, ambition, and coherence as a business partner.
The plan also sets local policy agendas. Priorities identified through the survey process have historically influenced decisions about Spartanburg Community College workforce program expansions, Spartanburg Water infrastructure planning, and county transportation investments along major corridors.
OneSpartanburg President and CEO Allen Smith has emphasized that the 3.0 process is intentionally broader in its community engagement than prior versions, with outreach to neighborhoods, faith communities, and non-English-speaking populations that were underrepresented in earlier surveys.
What Comes Next
After the survey closes tonight, OneSpartanburg staff and its research partners will analyze responses and convene working groups through May and June. The final Vision Plan 3.0 document is expected to be published in late summer 2026.
The process will also feed into OneSpartanburg’s Small Business Summit, scheduled for May 7, 2026, at a venue in downtown Spartanburg. The summit will feature sessions on AI adoption for small businesses, access to capital, workforce recruitment, and supply chain resilience — themes that have emerged as priorities in early survey responses.
The window to participate closes at midnight tonight. For Spartanburg County residents who want their priorities reflected in how the region grows over the next decade, this is the moment.
What’s Happening: Q&A
Q: What is the Vision Plan 3.0 survey and who can take it?
It is OneSpartanburg’s community input survey that shapes the region’s long-term economic development strategy. Any Spartanburg County resident can take it. The deadline is midnight tonight, April 19, at onespartanburginc.com/visionplan.
Q: What has the Vision Plan process accomplished before?
Since Vision Plan 1.0 launched in 2017, OneSpartanburg has tracked the attraction of 14,298 new jobs and documented increases in per capita income across the county.
Q: What issues will Vision Plan 3.0 focus on?
Early indications point to housing affordability, workforce development, small business support, and supply chain resilience as key themes. Roughly 50 percent of county households fall below the ALICE income threshold despite the overall job growth.
Q: How long does the survey take?
Approximately 10 to 15 minutes. It is available in English at onespartanburginc.com/visionplan.
Q: What happens after the survey closes?
OneSpartanburg will analyze responses and convene working groups through May and June, with the final Vision Plan 3.0 document expected in late summer 2026. The Small Business Summit on May 7 will incorporate early themes from the process.
