Birdbrain

If it is at all possible to take your eyes off the spiffy new Jiffy Lube (I second the yuk, and the motion carries), travelers on Pelham will notice the sudden demolition going across the street. First to go was the empty bank/office building, and now the former China Wok building has been razed. That's a good bit of Real Estate on Pelham Road/I-85 near a Wal-Mart. Looks like a primo place for something new and exciting. (Exciting and Reality are vastly different. Reality: expect a dying strip mall with more places to have your nails done and get that long-wished-for $5 haircut.) Still holding out hope for an 80-story "signature tower" or an NFL stadium.

Citylife - toss me the other barf bag. :-) So I was kidding in previous posts that Magnolia was becoming Cherrydale 2. Well, campers, it looks like Magnolia really IS becoming Cherrydale 2. Just to refresh everyone's memory, here's the Menin site plan for Magnolia. The Zoning plan from Citylife's post only shows Big Boxes and a sea of parking. Where's the "Town Center" going to be now? And the quaint walkways, the outside cafe's, and the retail-residential buildings? The five-story buildings? Even the multiple parking decks are now gone, leaving only one behind Regal. I dunno. I just had my hopes up that this development would be different. Oh well.

Since TD acquired Carolina First, the last line gave me a chuckle. I wonder if it was intentional?

Just give it some time. First the protests. Then the construction. Then the grand opening. Then the "dashing in to pick up a few things" by the very same protestors. It happens everywhere. See my earlier observation about the Pelham Road ho-hum middle class burb Wal-Mart. But no, if TASTE is what you are after, then Wal-Mart has NEVER presented itself to be the Fashionista Hub for all that is avant-garde. That, my friend, is why we have Bass Pro Shops. :-)

Love the result from the Pelham Road Wal-Mart NIMBYs, not naming any Thornblade subdivision at all. I seem to recall their protest and bumper stickers to be a version of "40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from graves, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria!" Fast forward a few years.... And as I do frequent shopping at said Pelham Small-Mart (yeah I'm cheap!), I notice quite a few very high-end luxury vehicles in the parking lot. And when I say "quite a few," I mean a Yacht-LOAD. Hey, it's a nice looking Wallyworld, it's a hella lot cheaper than Bi-Lo, and it's convenient. Message to Augusta Streeters: Get over yourselves and embrace the Wallyworld. They may not offer Valets, but life is full of compromise. (This is all good natured ribbing. If you're offended, then you have my sincerest mockery.)

I really thought the Augusta Roaders would have had a massive NIMBY fit at the Wal-Mart proposal by now. Odd...

QuickTrip? Meh. I was rather hoping for either an 80-story signature tower to compliment Michelin; or a Taco Bell. CT36 - you've got a point about post-Woodruff expansion heading to Pelham Road. However, it seems the only section that can be developed commercially is the land around the I-85 intersection (including the pseudo-"Restaurant Row" section on Beacon behind EarthFare). Highway 14 to Garlington Road is mostly zoned for Industrial, and everything between Boiling Springs Road all the way to East North is residential. Of course, some of that open land is mighty large, and could certainly handle really big enterprises. Hey, if the Signature Tower or Taco Bell won't go in, that big chunk of land at Pelham and Garlington would be PERFECT for an NFL stadium. (Oh, gimme a break, a dude can dream!) :-)

There seems to be a flurry of demolition / construction going on by the Pelham Road Smal-Mart (at I-85). We're also seeing quite a few new "Land For Sale" signs by Garlington, where the infamous Target was planning to go. Does anyone have an idea what all the hubbub is about, bub?

I absolutely LOVE that concept. Unfortunately, Greenville's been there, sorta tried that, it failed miserably so far. We called it "Magnolia Park" at first, but soon it will be better known as "Cherrydale 2." (Frustration not aimed at you Mallguy - love your posts - just at the "what coulda been" over at the old Greenville Mall site.) Sigh.

I think the appropriate local response is "Bout Dang Time!" (picture kids banging forks and knives on the table demanding dinner. Yeah, that's me.)

Agreed - I'm always surprised when something fails in that building. (It was a church, too!) It seems like a great location, if not slightly difficult to get to from that Roper Mtn / I-385 jumble. I wonder if it's big enough property for an IKEA? (Baseless rumor started. I just love getting reactions...)

Both of these sound like great additions to the chains and excellent locations. (Ignoring Woodruff traffic, of course.) Fortunately, I have not heard a single thing about THESE folks getting menus with higher prices and possibly selling out to the Taliban. :-)

Hasn't it been 15 minutes yet for the NIMBYs? I'm starting to get a bad feeling that if this lawsuit blows up, we may have YET ANOTHER grand project getting shelved. Who woulda thunk that the vacant Brown Box hole would be Greenville's "blueprint of the future?"

Those who opposed the design of the ONE project stated that the building(s) did not reflect the architectual look and feel of Greenville. Utilizing some very well-placed spies, I've managed to capture the PROPOSED NEW DESIGN of the project so that it best mirrors recent Greenville construction. See the attached artist's rendering. (Wink, nod, and everything else to indicate this is just a joke...)

Great rant, citylife! Glad that art dealer had his moment of free publicity. Looks like he desperately needs it. He's worried about a set-back? Mission accomplished. Broadcasting his lack of vision is a set-back to Greenville's forward-thinking attitude. Grumble, grumble.

Great to hear about BPS going to Magnolia. As for traffic concerns, has the proposed access from I-385 directly to Magnolia been scrapped? Lemme tell ya, traffic on that Woodruff Road stretch between Roper Mtn./Verdae and I-85 is absolutely nasty on a Saturday. It's not bad all day like around Shops At Gridlock, but any new routes would be very much appreciated! (Yeah, I know. Quit my kvetching and just take Roper Mountain around it all...)

Enough with the Clemson / Carolina garbage. Any state University offering Grad level education in Saucer City is fantastic. (And let's not forget that we already have a well-respected Purple University near Traveler's Rest!) So, can we now get back to bashing each other's opinion about The One, instead of bashing each other's alma maters?

Hey, I represent that! (Why CAN'T we get good Mexi... ah, never mind.) Being a proud nay-sayer, I've had a chance to reflect on The One. After all the hype of the "signature tower" and wild speculation, I was expecting a Burj-Al-Greenville with the Mall of America tucked between the 80th and 100the floors. Imagine my dissapointment! Now I look at The One as being WONDERFUL. Look at what it replaces. Look at what it offers. Look at the jobs. Look at the future possibilities! Yeah, shoot, I'm going to have to pack up the Nays (for now, mind you) on this and risk a momentary smile. Just don't get used to the rosey outlook. The day's still young!

Landmark Schmandmark. It's the Daniel Building. The project is, of course, wornderful for G-Vegas, but the lustre is kind of gone for me now that the "signature tower" is dead! Bonus trivia points - Identify the Movie qoute: "How can you be The One, if your dead?"

Heyyyyy, that has a familiar ring to it!

Stop and fantasize a bit here, folks. Sears is looking to move, South Carolina is on the list, and Greenville is getting a "signature tower." Let the rumors begin! My work here is done.

Well shoot. I found the website about this project, here: http://4240arch.net/ As you'll see, it's VERY CALM before the storm. A little TOO calm, actually. Darned "signature tower" tease!

Shame on me - the word "Funnel" elicited hazy memories of seriously disturbed beer-drinking methodologies. Let's hope neither that nor the hilariously noted "Carnival Food" are the actual offerings.

"Cheesy" - Classic. Odd choices of murals. Not at all related to anything Greenville, which is strange. It's like someone is screaming "Hey, Ya'll, lookie here! We got us some fancy art so that means we got us a whole mess O'CLASS!" But then again, I could be mis-interpreting fine art yet again. sigh.

There seems to be some activity at the old China Garden (formerly Garcia's Mexican) on Orchard Park drive off of Haywood. Someone actually cleaned the old joint up, and I see the "AVAILABLE" sign is gone. Does anyone have any knowledge about a new tenant, or are they just sprucing the old girl up to give her some curb appeal?