greenvilleARC

When I was trying to develop it the city expressed no interest in me giving them half of the property so I am not really sure what if any designs the city would have with that property.

I appreciate the help and yes there are plenty of examples in that area that go toward making the point. Unfortuantly, common sense and resonable discussion has been thrown out of the window. LIke I said, I cannot see how someone who looks at this objectivly does not think that a solid multifamily use is perfect for that area. I can understand if someone has issues with the design and really nothing is set in stone at this point, but the limitations and challanges of the property also limit design options. I will be very impressed if the Staff and Planning Commission will be able to make a decision that is not heavily influenced by the amount of pressure that will coming down on them.

I know there are some members on this site who are proponents of this project and I would like to extend the invitation to anyone who would like to join me in stepping in front of the firing squad next Thursday and make an argument for well thought out urban development versus decisions based on fear and a NIMBY attitude. I think the neighboorhood has all the right in the world to let their feelings be known and their opinions considered. Likewise, if the planning commission truly believes that this project is not good for the area I have no problem with them rejecting the project. I do have a problem with those elected to be the cities forward thinking and future planning vangaurd caving to public opinion. I know I am so vested in this deal at this point that it is hard for me to have a objective view point but I do not see how anyone could look at this property with an impartial eye and say that it should only be residential single family. Anyway, if anyone is interested in getting together and talking about some possible arguments that could be put forth in favor of a higher density use on this unique property, I would love to get together somewhere downtown next tuesday evening to discuss. Also if anyone besides me is dumb enough...errr I mean feels so pationatly about this issue that they would like to speak out in favor of it at the public hearing then that would be welcomed as well. Feel free to IM me if interested. Thanks

I appreciate the postive comments guys and yes I know and have always known that I would be fighting a serious uphill battle concerning this project. I have had several meetings with the local community over the last several months and most of those I have met with I have felt walked away feeling better about the project. I understand the communities concern and I also understand the sensitive and important nature this location and have worked very hard to try to put together a project that not only had the mass to hold anchor at such a vital point in this neighborhood but also remained as understated as possible. What that letter fails to say is that per code I am allowed to do 40 units. THE ONLY reason that the number is less than that is to keep this project from seeming to big or dense. Ask any developer what I am giving up in those five units and they will tell you what a difference it makes on a spreadsheet. As far as traffice is concerned I have had several meetings with the cities Traffic Engineer and he was just short of rolling his eyes at the idea that there is to much traffic in this area. Yes, the dog park creates parking issues, but per the city they have plans to relocate the dog park soon. Also, if this property is not rezoned from its current zoning of r9/r6 then this property will remain in a state of Limbo as the current zoning simply is unreasonable due to the floodplain issue. I understand that many residents who live in this area are very reluctant to see change in what is pretty much an ideal situation but I do not think they are looking at the long term ramifications of what they are fighting. The current stables are in need of a serious infusion of money and horses to make this a viable and attractive future use. As it stands now they will continue to fall into disrepair till you have vacant and delapidated buildings that are the only buffer from a heavily used public park and the adjacent high dollar neighborhood. Without a substantial residential development of some kind on this property to ensure an attractive and populated long term buffer I think the neighborhood as a whole would suffer. In teeth and real estate decay always spreads until it is dealt with. The Public Hearing will be Feb 9th. Due to the fact that the city will not allow me to submitt this project as a PD because it is not mixed use I am having to try and have it rezoned as RM 1.5. Basically this means that the council should make a decision based on "THE BEST" possible zoning use for this property and not the project itself. In actuallity my project should not come into play but I am sure it will and I am happy to present it as it is as something that is good for the entire community. I am sure I will be making lots of new friends at the public hearing but I do not have a problem defending what I believe is a good thing. I do hope that misinformation concerning this project is not what is driving the opposition. Anyway I am always open for comments, critiques or suggestions regarding the project.

I really liked the term Livery and gave that some thought but I think you just kind of think of Liver. I really appreciate all the suggestions so far.

Yes, I have considered some light retail element for this project, and I agree that I it would be a great success. However I think if I proposed something like that it would never make it through rezoning as the current residents already feel intruded on by all the pedestrian, bike and car traffic that area generates. That area is really a very delicate balancing act and it is hard to determine what will tip the scales. Personally I would love to see a small coffee, bakery, restaurant on that site as well, but with my relatively small footprint I have to work with because of the flood way, flood zone, and sewer easement make for a tight squeeze already. It is still obvious that this project will have some changes but I think what we have is a solid foundation and we will see what branches out from that.

Yeah I had the same concerns about the term Stables but I thought everything that had the term of residential unit sounded kinda off. Also the current trend for higher end properties is having it named as a destination as apposed to a complex which I tend to like. Well reserving Park Stables only cost me fifteen dollars so I am still open, and I do like the Paddocks name. However I would really like to keep some nod to the history of the spot which has always revolved around horses.

Rooms With A Zoo is an awesome advertising idea. right now I am leaning heavily toward. " ParkStables " Mainly because parkstables.com is available, but nothing is set in stone yet.

The unit size is still a moving target but it appears that the 1 bedroom will but a little over 900sqft. The two bedrooms will about 1250-1300sqft and the 3 bedrooms will be from 1350 to maybe one that is 1500. About the highest price point for units in a complex of any kind is $1.25 per foot up to $1.30. You will find some condo units and top floor space on main st going for higher. I will be looking at $1.55 to a $1.60 per sqft so this is raising the bar significantly. I am not sure what the asking price will be for the 100 East Development, but I know he got a pretty good deal on the land and I also know that them being able to go vertical will make the construction process cheaper. He might be balancing some of that out putting a pool on the roof but I am not sure. I am working on a very basic website at the moment that should be up in about a week and hopefully I will be able to judge what kind of response people have to this price point with this location. By the way, I would happily take any suggestions regarding names. I was going to use Cleveland Park Stables but that kind of rolls off the tongue like a bag of bricks.

The plan is for a long term hold as rentals.

I had a feeling this project might show up on here. I am the developer for this project and we still have a lot of hurdles to get over before this thing becomes a reality. I held a meeting last Thursday night at the Cain Halter YMCA to gauge the attitude toward this project from those living in a three block radius. We had a turn out of about 43 concerned people but for the most part it was received much better than I could have hoped. There will still be some opposition but I am hoping to keep it to a minimum with information and some open communication between me and the residents. The project still has to get through the rezoning and I really do believe it is not only good for the neighborhood but the city as a whole, but without that rezoning this project cannot move forward. I hope to have a website up in the next couple of weeks which will hopefully help me market the project as well as gauge the interest from potential tenants. For this project to work I will be looking at the highest rental rates in Greenville. The high rental rates are due to the flood plain issues, Extremely high land cost, and intentionally keeping the number of units low so that the project would fit into the neighborhood without overloading it. A two bedroom unit will most likely be in the $1,700 a month range but these will be designed to look and feel as little like apartments as possible. I do not think this would work with 80 to a 100 units but I am gambling a lot that there are 30 people willing/able/ and excited about being in a unique development in that location. I would love to hear some opinions on if the price point works, as well as any other ideas that might could work.