westsider28

City Council brought up the possible smoking ordinance as just a discussion. I think they're going to do some research and have some meetings about the possibility. Nothing concrete yet; maybe later this year. Here's the article about it from April 13: Herald-Journal article

Spartan, I love the idea of a roof deck on the old Meridian Bank building! That would definitely be noticeable and a big draw for a restaurant. spartanburgh, I know the building you're talking about on Magnolia, and I really like it. However, it may be too narrow for your idea to work well. Not to mention it would cost a ton to alter the building's setup.

^That's just what I was thinking. That building seems like an ideal location.

I was driving through downtown today and saw a construction crew doing some work on Ezell Street behind RJ Rockers. It looks like they're adding a sidewalk (probably for the new parking lot back there). That seems like a good idea, since that section of street currently has no sidewalk. On a related note, I've noticed that section of Ezell Street has cobblestones under the pavement. Since that road gets very little traffic, I've always thought they should scrape up the pavement and reveal the cobblestones. It would add some unique character to the area.

I sent them an e-mail. I've always thought we've needed a good Mexican restaurant downtown. I hope they decide to locate in Spartanburg! Spartan, I think that's a Taco Dog. Confusing, I know.

The Henry Street repaving is essentially done now. There seems to be no change in the striping. I agree that not much striping will change, as most of the roads they're resurfacing are large roads (and state highways). My biggest disappointment was that Kennedy Street was resurfaced with 4 lanes and no median, as it originally was. It would've been nice to make it 2 lanes with a center turn lane and bike lanes (or even 2 lanes, no median, bike lanes, & parallel parking). That could've been accomplished with just striping changes.

I agree. It seems like each road paving project is separate from the next, with no overall plan or guidelines. Another problem I have with Magnolia Street (near the county offices) is that the bike lanes, while nice that they're there, don't have enough clearance between them and parallel parking spaces. In other words, if someone parking opened their car door, a cyclist in the bike lane would hit the door. The newly repaved Broad Street in Greenville has extra room to account for open car doors beside the bike lane. Basically, the problem seems to be that there isn't a comprehensive plan for these paving projects (or at least an our-roads-should-adhere-to-some-logical-standards checklist).

Sheesh. Can we please get some competent and financially stable individuals to open some decent restaurants in downtown Spartanburg that last more than 1-2 years, for a change?

In case anyone is interested, The George will have its ribbon-cutting and building dedication ceremony Thursday, May 13 (tomorrow) at 1:00 pm. Self-guided tours will follow the program until 3:00 pm. USC Upstate article

Southwest Airlines has announced that they are coming to GSP! Service will begin in 2011. Southwest also said its service will not be dependent upon incentives legislation. This is fantastic news for Spartanburg, the Upstate, and South Carolina! Herald-Journal article

I'm not a big fan of that storm water hole. Especially since, as you said, it seems to block Converse Street from extending to Daniel Morgan. The Master Plan had what I assume to be a similar feature (storm water pond), but further east where all the kudzu is (which is more out of the way). I've only seen it on the George webcam, but the stock ticker looks great. (best online viewing is at dusk)

That sounds pretty cool. For $99, it seems like a good value for the experience you get (especially for the car/BMW enthusiast). I agree that it should be an increased tourist draw with this "all-inclusive" package. As a side note, I've been wishing BMW would bring a presence to downtown (similar to Michelin on Main in Greenville).

As someone who lives in Spartanburg, I have also wondered what we're doing to make this happen. I can't find any info about Spartanburg contributing any money (we are kind of cash-strapped, at least compared to Greenville). Several area leaders at least support the state legislation, however State Senator Lee Bright seems to be against incentives in general (perhaps he doesn't realize we wouldn't have to pay unless Southwest loses money?) and argues that Allegiant didn't need any, so why does Southwest? (different situation, I think). Spartanburg Herald-Journal article Getting Southwest to come to GSP could be a huge boost for Spartanburg, if we could get some more businesses to locate here as a result of having a new low-cost carrier. I agree that getting anything progressive done in Spartanburg is like pulling teeth. I am envious of Greenville's strong, forward-thinking leadership.

I've been thinking about intersection of Liberty Street and St John Street where "The George" is and wanted to throw this out there. Do we need a traffic light at this intersection? I think it would help. St John Street is a large, relatively high-speed thoroughfare that forms almost a pedestrian "barrier" between the Renaissance area and the rest of downtown. Currently, the only two crossings are at Church Street and Converse Street, which leaves a large gap in between. I think that a traffic light would slow down the vehicular traffic on St John Street and provide a good pedestrian crossing for future students, faculty, etc. as well as help cars on Liberty Street (exiting the new parking garage, for instance) navigate the intersection. It seems to me that a traffic light would increase walk-ability in the area as well as increasing pedestrian and vehicular safety. What do you guys think about this idea?

From what I've read about this, it seems that many were surprised their bid was denied. Apparently, the Beaumont residents who commented at the meeting were opposed to the designation. However, they apparently never brought up any issues until the last minute (now), not at any of the community meetings throughout the planning process. Further, there were no residents at the meeting representing those in favor of the designation (not that I've heard of, at least). Those opposed complained about the renovation restrictions (though they are required to renovate...) among other things. It seems like a very short-sighted decision to deny Beaumont the historic designation that would've done nothing but benefit the neighborhood. Check the Spartanburg Spark website. They have been videotaping the council meetings, so you can watch those to see what happened. There is also another article with many user comments upset about Beaumont's request being denied. Spark article w/video Spark article w/comments

I agree that downtown needs a good variety of architectural styles. I would like to see a more modern-style building (glass & steel, maybe some color) sometime. If the city insists on keeping a conservative style, something like the QS/1 building is a good compromise. Regarding "The George", I am looking forward to the LED stock ticker that is going to be on the tower. That will be a unique (& useful) feature that really suits a business school building. USC Upstate website about The George

The Hub City Railroad Museum will have its grand opening Saturday, May 1. This is located at the Magnolia Street Train Depot (298 Magnolia St). They'll evidently be having trolley rides around town discussing the city's railroad history. This sounds pretty cool. I noticed a sign for this last weekend, and just got an email about it from the Spartanburg Convention & Visitor's Bureau. Spartanburg CVB article

Apparently, some (all?) of the grain silos at the former Spartan Grain Mill will be demolished. It's rumored that they're being taken down to make way for the first stage of a redevelopment plan on South Daniel Morgan Ave. I just read about this on the Spartanburg Spark website. This is news to me. I wonder what this "redevelopment" involves. Spartanburg Spark article

That's a shame. Spartanburg has had far too many of its historic old buildings torn down over the years. And it's not like we don't have enough surface parking lots...

Not sure exactly where to post this, but here we go. Ground has been broken for the Tyger River Regional Park near Reidville. This is going to be a huge park with 13 baseball/softball fields for youth tournaments, a playground, walking paths, and a small amphitheater. This could make a big economic impact on the west side of Spartanburg County, and hopefully be a catalyst for development in the area. HJ article Tyger River Park website Very nice, informative website. Apparently there will be live webcams posted on the website eventually, so people can watch the construction progress.

There isn't really a formal entrance to the park currently, so at paid events, like Red White & Boom, they just set up a table in front of the entrance by the statue and interactive fountain (the current "main entrance"). I think the new ticket plaza will allow the park to have a more formal entrance for paid events. Hopefully we can draw some bigger-name performers with these improvements. Of course, the stage itself still needs expansion... Here is a link to some of the plans for the ticket booth and restroom additions. I recommend the "Architecture" and "Civil" sections for a good idea of the project. LDI-Line

If I recall correctly, the spot where Dick's and Bed Bath & Beyond are located was once an Upton's.

I like Greenville Highlanders. That has a lot of potential for fan involvement (kilts and bagpipes, as you mentioned)!

Here are some ideas for names; the last 3 relating to hockey terminology. Greenville Glide (kind of weak) Greenville Tigers (Clemson/ICAR connection?) Greenville Rush (as in odd-man rush to the net for a scoring chance) Greenville Crash (as in crashing the net) Greenville Grinders (grinders being hard workers)

Well, the Grrrowl folded in 2006, right? Unfortunately, that was right as the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. I think the Hurricanes winning the Cup in '06 really got more people in the Carolinas interested in hockey. Also, a recent announcement is that the Carolina Hurricanes are moving their AHL affiliate to Charlotte next year (WBTV Charlotte link). These several factors, I believe, will result in stronger attendence for hockey in Greenville this time around. (Also, the Greenville Grrrowl Wikipedia article says the new team will be a Hurricanes affiliate, but there are no sources to back that up, so take that info with a grain of salt.)