Greenville resident M. Jill Cox paid $875,000 for the roughly 2.5 acre site off Woodland Way, across from the Cleveland Park dog park, and deeded the site to the city. (Photo/Kevin Greene)

By Liz Segrist
lsegrist@scbiznews.com
Published June 11, 2012

One Greenville resident decided to buy the Historic Cleveland Park Stables in an attempt to prevent potential green space from turning into an apartment development.

M. Jill Cox, a nearly 20-year resident of her Greenville home, paid $875,000 for the roughly 2.5 acre site off Woodland Way, across from the Cleveland Park dog park.

Cox then deeded the site to the city, which now owns the land. The city also owns five lots behind the stables. The city anticipates making it an extension of Cleveland Park.

“I certainly didn’t want a load of apartments built there. I felt that it should be a part of the park,” Cox said. “I also thought it was part of my civic duty to give it back to the city. I wouldn’t have wanted it otherwise. I bought it for the city.”

Cox is a community philanthropist who has long supported the performing arts in Greenville and Falls Park, according to a Greenville City Council ordinance.

“What a tremendous gift. I’ve been doing this work for almost 30 years and these don’t happen often,” said the city’s Parks and Recreation Director Dana Souza. “We’re just so grateful to her for buying the property as a gift.”

The city will do a site assessment with the stable’s current buildings to determine if anything can be salvaged and upfitted for future uses, or if the buildings must be demolished. A planning process will then begin for the site’s new use.

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