Designing Community Greenway Infrastructure – the Swamp Rabbit Trail Extension in Greenville, SC.

January 20, 2022 11:00 am – 12:30 pm EST | 8:00 am – 9:30am PST | Watch Recording

This session will be moderated by Karen Lutz, Sustainability Director from TRC and ZPH SIAB representative. The session will focus on the planning and design of the Swamp Rabbit Trail Extension, a safe and interconnected trail (4.5 miles) in downtown Greenville that connects and repurposes abandoned railway infrastructure to the existing 22 miles greenway system. Speakers will present about the project design features and development process for community connectivity, mobility, local culture, and economic growth.

Speaker bios

Calin Owens, Mobility Coordinator
City of Greenville, South Carolina

Calin was born and raised in West Virginia and graduated with a degree in Landscape Architecture from West Virginia University. He spent about 6 years in the GIS world, which led to working for one of the top bike/ped firms in the nation, Alta Planning + Design.

Upon leaving Alta, he worked for the City of Greenville’s Planning Department for about 18 months and then accepted the role as the City’s Mobility Coordinator in the Fall of 2019. He has lived in Greenville since 2015, and currently lives in the North Main area of Greenville.

Ty Houck, Director of Greenways, Natural and Historic Resources
Greenville County Parks, Recreation, & Tourism

Ty has been working in the parks and recreation field for over 30 years, including 12 years with the South Carolina State Park Service. Since 2007 Ty has overseen the development and multi-jurisdictional expansion of the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail network. This network is now over 22 miles long, connecting multiple communities, used by over half a million people annually, and providing economic resiliency across Greenville County.

Ty attended Furman University, is a graduate of the ULI South Carolina Center for Sustainable Leadership, and a frequent panelist regarding the impacts of greenways.  Ty continues to work closely with the private sector on creative opportunities to expand the trail network across the county and beyond.

Aaron McHan, P.E., Senior Civil Engineer, TRC

Aaron McHan is a professional engineer with 17 years of experience. He is a graduate of Ga Tech and holds a Bachelors Degree of Science in Civil Engineering as well as a commercial diving certification from the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI). Throughout his career, Aaron has designed bridges, roadways, and has performed over 2500 bridge inspections through the United States, the majority of which were underwater inspections.

Aaron is a certified instructor for the National Highway Institute and has taught the NHI Bridge Inspector Refresher Course and Safety Inspection of Fracture Critical Bridges Course throughout the country.   He is a Project Manager of Roadway Design projects for TRC.   He lives in Greenville South Carolina and enjoys woodworking and spending time with his wife and 4-year-old daughter.

Karen Lutz, Corporate Sustainability Director, TRC

Karen has over 30 years’ experience in environmental and sustainability consulting in both the public and private sector.  Areas of expertise include ESG/sustainability advising, facilitation of strategy development, and reporting.  Utilizing a variety of standards and benchmarking tools, she assists clients in in developing measurable solutions that bridge financial and ESG goals.

As TRC’s Sustainability Director, Karen also leads her company’s corporate sustainability program.  Her responsibilities include integration of sustainability into TRC’s business systems, internal and external communications and reporting, and advancement of market facing services, including sustainable infrastructure, climate-related solutions, and sustainability/ESG advisory services.