Going with the grain

Residents say naming the western end of Spartanburg's downtown the "grain district" will spur further development

JANUARY 23, 2010 10:36 a.m. (0)

Tony Forest didn’t have to worry much about where his customers were going to park when he opened Carriage House Wines on West Main Street a little more than four years ago.

Except for Sonny’s Brick Oven Pizza, there weren’t any other businesses.  Continue reading...

 

Mauldin gets creative

Budget shortfalls mean new ideas for city

APRIL 4, 2010 8:10 p.m. (0)

Every day, Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research and the neighboring Millennium Campus at the edge of Mauldin’s city limits are bringing new business and an increased potential for generating new revenue for the municipality.

And while the city has weathered its share of store closings during the past year, leaders here say residential building construction is beginning to make a resurgence. In the past month, at least three new commercial establishments have opened up along U.S. 276, one of the main traffic arteries through the center of town.  Continue reading...

 

Note to developers: Leave the trees

City officials shut down building project after heritage trees are chopped down

APRIL 4, 2010 7:07 p.m. (1)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Greenville city officials have issued an indefinite stop work order for a low-income housing project located just off Wade Hampton Avenue because the developer cleared five heritage trees that were supposed to be protected under the site development plan.

Residents of the Brookside neighborhood have vigorously battled plans by Aynor-based Douglas Development for a three-story low income development to be known as Brookside Gardens.  Continue reading...

 

Mayfair has lofty goals

JUNE 14, 2010 9:13 a.m. (0)

The tenants at Mayfair Lofts generally aren’t locals but they have helped make the mill restoration project one of Spartanburg County’s success stories, said Pace Burt of Burt Development.

Perched alongside a major rail line on the edge of the City of Spartanburg, Mayfair Lofts is sandwiched between major shopping, and business opportunities as well as having easy access to colleges and the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg.  Continue reading...

 

The fine print

By Dick Hughes

AUGUST 30, 2010 9:01 a.m. (0)

ScanSource Sets Revenue Record

ScanSource, the Greenville-based international distributor and reseller of technology products, had a good year with higher sales and income, but it could have been even better if it were not for product shortages, the company reported.  Continue reading...

 

Space Case

Some say vacancies downtown are just another sign of the times. Now a group of business leaders has a plan to turn the trend around.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 10:01 a.m. (0)

The signs in the windows of Greenville’s downtown office buildings say it all.

“For Lease.”  Continue reading...

 

The fine print

By Dick Hughes

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 8:53 p.m. (0)

Finding Common Ground in Development

Leaders of several organizations engaged in various ways to promote the Upstate for new businesses met Aug. 19 at the BMW Zentrum with town and county officials to update them on their activities and encourage a united front.

“Our competition is not ourselves; our competition is other regions across the globe,” said Dean Hybol, executive director of Ten at the Top, which is building a consensus for smart land-use.  Continue reading...

 

Piazza Bergamo: Makeover

SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 12:42 p.m. (0)

Development of the former Woolworth site could start early next year and a makeover of Piazza Bergamo designed to make that section of Main Street a vibrant part of Greenville’s downtown could include more space, a lawn or vertical plantings and a focal point such as a water feature or sculpture.

Urban designers from Denver-based Civitas told business owners and downtown residents who attended a public meeting Monday the piazza renovation should be inspired by public squares in Greenville’s Italian sister city, Greenville’s textile roots and geographical characteristics and the yet unannounced private Woolworth development.

Developers hope to begin construction on the Woolworth project by spring 2011 and have construction of its first phase completed by July 2012, said Michael Kerski, city economic development manager.  Continue reading...

 

Brown Street gets a makeover

Business owners, city hope it will bring new life to upper end of downtown

OCTOBER 11, 2010 2:52 p.m. (0)

Brown Street has an identity crisis.

Most Greenville residents don’t know where it is, even though it is just off Main Street in the upper end of Greenville’s downtown, said Gary Selvaggio, one of the co-owners of Brown Street Jazz Club.

An improvement project started last week is designed to give the Brown Street district its own signature look, increase pedestrian traffic and make the area more attractive to new restaurants and retail businesses.  Continue reading...

 

Spartanburg Marriott changes ownership

Included: plans to expand

DECEMBER 12, 2010 1:15 p.m. (0)

Spartanburg’s troubled Marriott at Renaissance Park will be under new ownership around Jan. 1 if all of the pieces fall together, said Greenville’s Andrew Cajka, president of Southern Hospitality Group, one of three partners seeking to close the deal.

The property is under contract with Bridgewater Capital Solutions of Atlanta, the current owner of the hotel building. The city owns the 4.7 acres the hotel occupies.

Changes to the city-owned lease with Bridgewater cleared City Council at first reading Monday and a final reading is on track for approval at next week’s meeting. The changes to the lease would enable SMR Hospitality LLC, the new potential owner, to finalize the sale.  Continue reading...

 

Now, to the power of two

Longleaf, Coldwell Banker announce partnership

JANUARY 21, 2011 11:37 a.m. (0)

Longleaf Development and Coldwell Banker Commercial Caine are combining forces in Spartanburg in a partnership they see as strengthening both at a time the city is on the cusp of growth.

“This is an opportunity to take basically the 70-plus units Coldwell Banker Caine brings to the table and gives us the back office to accomplish our goal, and that is to be the premier commercial house in Spartanburg,” said John Bauknight, a co-founder of Longleaf.

Brad Halter, president of Coldwell Banker Caine, said the partnership came about as a result of the retirement of Jack Newton, who has headed Caine’s commercial real estate operation in Spartanburg since 1997 and has been “one of the premier agency guys in Spartanburg” for 55 years.  Continue reading...

 

Greer gets its grub on

This city's restaurant owners are doing just fine

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 8:07 a.m. (0)

The City of Greer has experienced a downturn in building permits and other business license revenue, mirroring a national trend over the past three years, but the success of the city’s downtown restaurants has helped offset significant shortfalls in revenue.

”Restaurants in the City of Greer not only held their own during the recession, but they experienced a double-digit increase in customers,” said Reno Deaton, executive director of Greer Development Corporation.  “These businesses may not have been recession proof, but they certainly have proven to be recession resistant.”

Four restaurants have opened in downtown Greer in the past year, another, Mason Jar, is slated to open in the next couple of weeks, said Angela Rutland of Greer Development Corporation.  She said several of the established restaurants are looking to expand as well, but will not comment on which ones.  Continue reading...

 

The Stone Avenue plan

Proposal has some business owners worried about traffic, economic development

FEBRUARY 28, 2011 8:23 a.m. (0)

Some say Stone Avenue could be a lot like the West End – a place where families live and hang out, a place filled with shoppers and unique businesses and a place where people intend to go, not just go through.

“Stone Avenue right now is not an attractive place,” said Mike Cubelo, vice president of the North Main Community Association. “It’s a sad-looking strip of road.”

Some neighborhood residents say a Stone Avenue master plan approved on principle by the city council Monday night will help transform the Stone Avenue area into a dramatically different north end of Greenville.  Continue reading...

 

To save and protect

A historic property, conserved for the future

FEBRUARY 24, 2011 11:19 a.m. (1)

One by one, many of Greenville’s great estates have been subdivided and developed.

A couple of wooded tracts in the North Main area. The Williams-Earle property on Grove Road.

“Year by year, another site is torn down or subdivided,” said Brad Wyche, executive director of Upstate Forever.  Continue reading...

 

The DuPre House

Could give one local school room to grow

MARCH 3, 2011 2:43 p.m. (1)

Spartanburg city officials are negotiating with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) to restore the DuPre House for use by the school’s new campus, possibly as a conference center, Mayor Junie White said last week.

A spokesman for the college would not comment on talks with the city about DuPre.

The home is located on Howard Street and abuts the construction site for the VCOM campus.  Continue reading...

 

Update desk: The Peacock site

MAY 23, 2011 11:45 a.m. (0)

When the construction of a downtown luxury hotel and spa came to a halt in 2008, the city found itself in unfamiliar territory.

It was the first time a project had gotten out of the ground – concrete pillars and rebar still stand at the corner of McBee Avenue and Spring Street – and stopped, said Nancy Whitworth, the city’s economic development director.

“We’ve had sites cleared and projects stopped, but nothing where this kind of investment has been made,” Whitworth said. “There’s a lot of money in the ground. It doesn’t look like much, but there are millions of dollars invested.”  Continue reading...

 

Billion dollar project completed

Superintendent: "The promises made to our community have been fulfilled"

MAY 23, 2011 8:29 a.m. (0)

Ten years after Greenville County Schools signed an agreement with Institutional Resources to manage a construction program so large it touched every area of the county, it celebrated its conclusion.

With the opening of A.J. Whittenberg Elementary in August, the district’s unprecedented $1.06 billion construction program officially came to an end.

“The promises made to our community have been fulfilled,” said Superintendent Phinnize Fisher.  Continue reading...

 

The Washington Square Project

'Two years ago, (Greenville) asked me to make it happen.'

MAY 26, 2011 8:59 a.m. (0)

For three years, the city sought advice from developer Bob Hughes on ways to pull off a tough but critically important development at the site of the demolished Woolworth, a Main Street Greenville focal point rich in history.

Nothing had higher priority than to create a destination with retail, office and public space that would serve as a catalyst for a resurgent North Main from Piazza Bergamo to the Hyatt Hotel, itself undergoing improvements.

No envisioned project held more promise.  None posed more financial challenge.  Continue reading...

 

City zoo consultant worked on Disney park

Zoo looks to overcome challenges of its location

JUNE 30, 2011 11:25 a.m. (0)

Consultants hired to work on a master plan for the Greenville Zoo led the design of the animal exhibits and holding areas for Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and have worked on master plans for zoos in Columbus, China and Singapore.

Seattle-based PJA Architects + Landscape Architects will analyze the zoo’s site at Cleveland Park and an undetermined site of as much as 50 acres within the city limits as well as the zoo’s facilities and animal collections, said Dana Souza, the city’s director of parks and recreation.

“Our visitors say there’s a real charm to the Greenville Zoo,” Souza said.  Continue reading...

 

Chow town

When it comes to dining out, more folks are going downtown

JULY 7, 2011 1:00 p.m. (0)

Cribb’s Kitchen wrapped its last dinner service on Saturday.

The restaurant will open in a new location at 226 W. Main St. July 14.

For three years William Cribb ran a catering company from 121 N. Spring St. After expanding to offer lunch and dinner service a year ago he quickly outgrew the 34-four seat space.  Continue reading...

 

Hyatt plaza plans cause pause

Architects told to bring back plans with a ‘softer human scale’

AUGUST 1, 2011 10:14 a.m. (0)

Architects for the Hyatt’s multi-million dollar renovation were told by members of the city’s Design and Review Board’s Urban Panel to come back with a revised plan for the Main Street plaza that’s “less harsh.”

Architects with McMillan Pazden Smith presented a plan that would remove the fountain and replace it with a smaller water feature that would separate the outdoor dining area for a restaurant fronting the plaza and the plaza itself.

The removal of the existing fountain would allow for better use of the plaza space during events, architects said.  Continue reading...

 

Parkins Mill residents say "No"

Mayor says Swamp Rabbit route in front yards ‘not an option’ as far as he’s concerned

JULY 27, 2011 1:48 p.m. (2)

Parkins Mill Road resident Elizabeth Botzis says she and her neighbors support the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

What they don’t support is the bike and walking trail running in front of their houses.

They said they will fight any proposal to run the Swamp Rabbit down their street to link it to the county recreation department’s trail at Lake Conestee.  Continue reading...

 

Travelers Rest keeps on growing

Swamp Rabbit Trail, Main Street revitalization leads to new developments

AUGUST 18, 2011 11:03 a.m. (1)

When the economy tanked in 2008, Kem Theisen decided to close her multi-merchant mall in Travelers Rest because it was costing her money to keep the doors open.

The building sat empty for a year as she tried to sell it.

Then work began to convert an old railroad bed than ran behind the Shops at 27 Main into a walking and biking trail and a downtown revitalization project that reduced the four-lane Highway 276 that serves as the town’s Main Street to three lanes and created a mini-park got underway.  Continue reading...

 

Ruling expected soon on One development appeal

Results could come as early as Friday

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 11:47 a.m. (0)

A judge could rule as early as Friday on the appeal filed by the opponents of One, a $100 million downtown development city officials say will help revitalize North Main Street.

Downtown residents Heidi Aiken and Anthony Conway and commercial property owner Mary Dana Lowie filed in circuit court an appeal of the city’s Design Review Board’s decision to approve the project planned for Main and Washington streets.

In their appeal, they claimed the board should not have granted the project a certificate of appropriateness because it did not meet the city’s design guidelines for downtown projects and that the board member who cast the deciding vote should have recused himself because of a conflict of interest.  Continue reading...

 

One will move on

Opponents' appeal against Washington St. development is unsuccessful

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 11:46 a.m. (0)

A judge has upheld the city’s Design Review Board’s decision to approve plans for the $100 million downtown development One.

Downtown residents Heidi Aiken and Anthony Conway and commercial property owner Mary Dana Lowie appealed the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness for the project, saying it did not meet the city’s design guidelines for downtown projects and that a board member who cast the deciding vote had a conflict of interest.  Continue reading...

 

Augusta Road residents, businesses look to the future

Area just outside downtown aims for balance

DECEMBER 21, 2011 5:54 p.m. (0)

If Greenville’s commercial corridors were family members, Augusta Street would be a family’s well-to-do, quirky aunt.

“Augusta Street is unique to the city,” said Tracy Ramseur, the city’s development coordinator for the city’s economic development department who grew up in the area just outside of downtown and the West End. “There’s really no other area quite like it.”

Augusta has been called the city’s “boutique” with locally owned businesses that have been there for generations, such as Pickwick Pharmacy and The Grey Goose, and businesses that have opened recently, such as Zoe’s Kitchen.  Continue reading...

 

Good News

Plans revive Magnolia Park  town square center concept for Woodruff Road development

DECEMBER 1, 2011 6:11 p.m. (0)

If there was any doubt, the recent location of REI, Trader Joe’s and the expansion of The Shops at Greenridge confirm what most Greenville residents already knew – that the Interstate 85, Interstate 385 and Woodruff Road is one of the most sought-after retail locations in the city.

And retailers are starting to look for new locations again, after pulling back for a couple of years in a troubled economy.  Continue reading...

 

The Stone Avenue potential

New shops give glimpse of what could be on its way

JANUARY 5, 2012 1:29 p.m. (0)

Stone Avenue and the West End have a lot of similarities.

Both are near some of Greenville’s historic residential neighborhoods.

Both lead into downtown.  Continue reading...

 

Building Judson from the inside out

Judson pastor wants to help restore sense of community to area

APRIL 26, 2012 11:41 a.m. (0)

Near the Milliken mill in Greenville’s Judson community stands a brick church where Rev. Windell Rogers recently held a Pray for Judson event. Visitors and members could come and pray for the restoration of community identity, freedom from poverty and abundance.

Rogers has a vision for restoring the sense of community to this neighborhood that was once a vibrant mill village. With Greater Mt. Calvary Baptist Church as a neighborhood resource and his home base, Rogers wants to help spark interest in Judson as an affordable and beautiful place to live.

“It’s only two miles from Falls Park. This is one of the few places close to downtown that you can still find a decent structure with yard space,” he said.  Continue reading...

 

Taking chances in tough times

Developer Bo Aughtry looks to the future with Main @ Broad

APRIL 26, 2012 12:26 p.m. (0)

When Windsor Aughtry Co. moves into Main @ Broad, it will nearly complete occupancy of the Greenville hotel, office and retail complex the company planned in good times but started and finished when the economy was in bad shape, costs were high and the future uncertain.

Those were not the times when most developers were willing or able to ride out a $45-million construction project, least of all one in a downtown urban center.  Continue reading...