To Be Announced

What's next in the world of business?

by John Boyanoski

Updated: May 21, 12:36 p.m.

May 22

It’s not a Wal-Mart and it’s still going to happen. That is the word on the redevelopment of the so-called “Green Monster” at the corner of Main and River streets in the West End. The owners say the project is waiting on city approval for demolition, but added they won’t seek a permit until they move all of their storage items out of the building…

The Liberty Towers downtown recently announced several new tenants including Brown Mackie College, which is new to Greenville. NAI Earle Furman, which is the main broker for the buildings, said more tenants are on the way for an additional 20,000 square feet… UPDATE: The names Liberty Tower One and Two have been added to the top of the buildings.

Greenville High School has put an application to square off its campus by adding more athletic fields at the corner of Dunbar Street and Green Avenue. The school’s athletic fields project has been an on-going project since the late 1990s…UPDATE: Grading is almost complete.

Some top automotive execs from Detroit were at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research this week…

May 15

The recreation department has put out bids to replace the aging train platforms along the Greenville Hospital System’s Swamp Rabbit Trail with new bridges. Once these bridges are in place, it will allow the trail from Travelers Rest to downtown to officially open…UPDATE: Bridges should be installed by early 2010.

The dedication for the Max Heller statue should come at the end of May. The plaza for the statue on Main Street is ripped up as workers prepare the site… UPDATE: The statue is up and the plaza complete.

A new paint job is in order for the downtown GreenLink transfer station in the short term. The city’s long-term goals for the site could include a coffee shop and more bike racks…

The Hamptons project, the rehab of a former church for condos, should be complete by the end of next month. This project is in the Hampton-Pinckney neighborhood….

Walls are going up at the site for the Whittenberg School on the 18-acre $67-million Kroc Center campus that will open in 2011…UPDATE: The school should be ready to open next year.

The city still wants the developers of the downtown Washington Square project to demolish the old Woolworth’s, but it doesn’t look like that will happen any time soon…UPDATE: A permit has been filed, and demolition should start later this year.

The renovation of the Orient restaurant on Main Street should be completed within two months. The restaurant is still serving its menu, but at a temporary location next door in the Sushi Marasaki…UPDATE: Renovation complete.

The McDonald’s on Rutherford Road right outside of downtown will soon get an overhaul. There had been talk that the fast-food chain might become part of a new shopping center…

 

May 8

Greenville should know later this week if it will host the ACC Baseball tournaments starting in 2011. Greenville hosted the tournament for much of the 1990s and drew strong crowds. However, the tournament would now be held downtown, which could make for an even bigger turnout...

An early version of Reedy Square, which is to be the hub for tourism-related activities, was leaked out this week. However, area officials said the plan, which features a rendering of a building along with specs on the project, isn’t quite official. However, a final plan could be rolled out in the coming weeks…

The “I Was Blown Away” campaign will get a revamping next week as part of the BMW Charity Pro-Am. This was the marketing campaign launched last spring aimed at getting the word out about the Upstate. Ads got heavy rotation on the Golf Channel, and more will appear this year as part of the tournament. In addition, the re-launching of the campaign Web site will occur next week...

May 1

The downtown Dunkin Donuts is slated to open this summer. There had been rumors that this project has stalled, but it is apparently on track. The coffee and doughnut giant is opening up shop at the corner of Main and Coffee streets…UPDATE: The project has stalled.

Housing starts in Greenville bumped up slightly in the first quarter of 2009 over the last quarter of 2008, but were still about 60 percent off the numbers posted at the same time last year. However, many expect those numbers to grow more in the third quarter and for the better…

A panel of economic development leaders will be talking about what growth the region might see in the coming months at the Hilton Greenville in early May …

Look for a State Farm insurance office to move into a vacant store front in the 700 block of Main Street in the West End Historic District…UPDATE: Project is complete.

Speaking of the West End, a new gourmet pastry and coffee shop will be moving into the space next to Go Fish. The site is under renovation right now, but no word as to when it will open…UPDATE: The site has opened.

April 24

Funding for the redesign and redevelopment of the Salters Road bridge could come through later this year. The project has been a high priority for some time. The bridge spans Interstate 85 and is a key connector to the Clemson automotive research campus…

Officials with the Kroc Center are expected to close a deal on the land for the tennis courts in early May. The tennis courts are a key component of the downtown community center…

There are several big office announcements brewing in downtown Greenville that could be unveiled in the coming weeks…

At least three more houses in Rushkin Square, which is part of the much larger Verdae Development, should start construction in the coming weeks along Rocky Slope Road. In addition, the city will soon take over the Hollingsworth Legacy Park in the middle of the development…

Expect to hear some big announcements regarding Clemson’s effort to promote and develop renewable energy resources. The university has a campus in Charleston that is devoted to the work, but some benefits could be seen soon in the Upstate…