NotNotSanti

Word on the street is that the reason that the east side Bank of America expanded is to accommodate workers/functions from the Bank of America near the downtown which will be closing, as their lease was not renewed for the sake of construction. This is per an employee, so nothing official, but curious as to what the best and highest use of that lot would be if this is indeed true.

I wonder if Project New Vision has to do with Highland...? Master Plan for that very much has a mixed-income vision for the site.

Wow, great find! Public charter school is also a part of it.

249 and that whole block in general is severely cramped by the fact that the parking in the back area was sold off to SCC some years back. Many potential buyers that I know of and that I showed the property to walked away because of the inability to have sufficient parking for business purposes. Wonder if Broad Street could not be closed off to create more parking. Not sure we really need it...?

Driving through the area, I noticed that the sign for the Liberty Building has been taken down. Anyone know if it's been scrapped?

Very impressive! Per my calculations, it appears they will be about 2,150 SQF. Anyone who attended the meeting know if elevators will be an option?

Tulip Tree, sadly, is closing. Wonder what will take up its place?

Last I checked it looked they had done quite a bit of work inside. They've already also done a "traditional blessing" of the place. With all the residential going up on the East side, having a bit more variety is certainly welcome! Now to put up a proper Mediterranean restaurant anywhere in Spartanburg...!

Arts in Motion moving in to W Square, marquee spot!

On the one hand, ALAS! That is my FAVORITE home-ish structure in Spartanburg. Always day dreamed of owning it, and fantasized of turning it into a coffee shop/wine bar (not sufficient parking, hence the fantasizing part!). At the same time, from talking to fellow realtors who knew more about it, there was EXTENSIVE termite damage in place, sadly, as the property had been not well taken care of these last few years while it was on sale. I've heard it will be used as a headquarters for one of our key players in town in the restaurant sphere. Having said all that, interesting development for that section of the Eastside, or Uptown, as some are starting to call it.

I remember being able to watch the Spartanburg County sessions live online, yet I can no longer find the link to that. Are they no longer streaming it live, or am I being a goofball and completely missing the link? Hard to attend the meeting in person when in Inman Edit - it would help if I attempted to watch the right type of council session. It's City today. Found link for County and presumably it still works. Would have deleted but can't seem I can!

Good news! 15% for total turnout.

The Before and After pictures are SHOCKINGLY amazing! Amazing what strong vision and determination can do. Can't wait for them to open.

So glad that the parking lot has been reconfigured to be what it is now. Not any expert when it comes to the science of parking lot efficiency, but boy did it look messy before. Much more straightforward now.

Not sure what bearing this has or what it might signal, but here is an interesting data point regarding the mall: This is a rare opportunity to purchase the leasehold interest in the WestGate Mall, located in one of the hottest markets in the United States. WestGate is the only enclosed mall in Spartanburg County and serves as the primary retail shopping destination for the growing Spartanburg market. The ±431,306 SF of mall-owned GLA is 82% occupied providing a value-add opportunity through lease up of the remaining vacancy. The mall is anchored by JCPenney (lease), Belk (sub-ground lease), Dillard's (REA) and Costco (REA). The REA expires 10/31/2066, with the owner of the former Sears property also a party to the agreement.High quality in-line tenants include the likes of Rack Room Shoes, Bath & Body Works, H&M and Victoria's Secret. West Gate Mall boasts visibility to Interstate 26 (±64,000 VPD) and is surrounded by national retailers including Target, Hobby Lobby, Sam's Club, Lowe's, Regal Cinemas, Home Depot and many more. https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/205-W-Blackstock-Rd-Spartanburg-SC/29829632/

Demolition has started! The impact of this project will be huge, not just in that it is bringing in new residential units/some retail to help stir up the surrounding area, but that it is also demolishing what had become an eye store smack in the middle of this important corridor. Perhaps I'm exaggerating, but I can't help but feel that this will be Union Street's VCOM as far as catalysts are concerned.

Haha - I wish! However, "freely you have received, freely you shall give" certainly comes to mind.

I was surprised to see it was for the South Church Street corridor, as I would have expected it to be for West Main Street, which I hope happens soon also. For those who have been keeping eyes on things for far longer than I have, is this gateway enhancement a routine procedure, or is it looking like something more substantial? Having been here 25 years, I don't recall South Church Street getting something like this, but, then again, I wasn't as focused on noticing such things during a good portion of that time either...

From speaking to another developer of another project, the three towers are still happening, just with a start date of, well, sometime within the next 12 months. Apart from the domain of rumors, I imagine that the First Reading approval of the agreement with JDA for the baseball stadium (plus all else that it will bring) should provide a strong stimulus for this separate project also. A $400M investment in the downtown will make the area a much more desirable spot to live in, for those who prefer the urban side of things, at least.

Brochure now up!

Just saw this solicitation today - Title: South Church Street Gateway Enhancements Deadline: 10/17/2023 3:00 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) Status: Open Solicitation Number: Proposal No: 2324-10-17-01 Description: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN – The City of Spartanburg is seeking proposals from vendors to provide construction services for Enhancements to the South Church Street Gateway in the City of Spartanburg. Bids are invited upon the several items and quantities of work as follows: Removal of existing plant material, rocks, concrete, debris ect., clearing, grading, and site preparation for the instillation of irrigation and landscaping. This project includes the installation of multi zone irrigation systems, installation of Trees (Approximately 56), Shrubs/grasses (Approximately 3600), Fescue sod, (Approximately 65000 S.F.), and Hardwood mulch (Approximately 328 C.Y.)

Thai Basil is moving along! (W Square Plaza) "Notice is hereby given that Thai Basil Restaurant intents to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license/ permit that will allow the sale and on premises consumption of beer wines and liquor at 2601 E Main suite 2&3 Spartanburg, SC 29307. To object to the Issuance of this permit/ license written protest must be postmarked no later than October 19, 2023."

Coffee talk has it that Deli & Donuts didn't renew their lease because they weren't allowed to. In the article, they mentioned it was because they wanted to focus on catering. Not mutually exclusive categories, but if they weren't allowed to renew, may be that's a sign that work will begin soon. Take all of this with a grain of salt, or sugar, as it were. Coffee and salt might not be the best of pairs.

There are those car dealership lots for sale. Wonder if that wouldn't work for something along those lines.

I was just talking to someone yesterday who knew one of the contractors, and apparently they were ready to tear down last month. "Must have gotten held back." Then today I see the fencing! Good signs. Also, it looks like the building across the street is being remodeled!