flotown

By the way, great pics Firefox. The Florence board has been dead for awhile. Not unlike our downtown.

Well, everyone's entitled to an opinion. I hope yours is the minority, but I fear not. Florence county is being given a chance for much of the funding to be "not" at the taxpayers expense. Do you think the need for these projects will just go away? They will have to get done and taxes will be raised somewhere to pay for them. The penny tax provides the least burden on the taxpayers in the long run. The most important project, in my opinion, is the 301 bypass, which would connect Pamplico Hwy and south Florence to 327 and I-95. This would transform that entire side of town. New businesses would open up, providing more jobs and growing the tax base. Personally, the gas savings alone from the shorter route would save me more than the cost of the tax over the course of a year. By voting against the penny tax, you will be in effect voting for a future, larger tax somewhere else. It will be unavoidable. The projects need to get done.

I'm hoping an upscale restaurant/bar will open up along Dargan street once the performing arts center opens. My concern is that the patrons will park close, see the event, and drive home. The historic part of downtown, with the cool older buildings, is still one block up, and the area is not considered a safe part of town. There will need to be parking along the street with good lighting and good security, along with a reason to walk up the block. The only after-dark foot traffic in that area for the past 30 years has been winos, drug dealers, gangs and prostitutes. I don't know if there will ever be nightlife along that strip. As it is, nobody wants to go down there during the day, either. Perhaps a start would be a coffee shop or a decent place for lunch to get McLeod employees into the area. Or maybe Donald Trump will build new casino tower on the corner of Dargan and Cheves:)

This is the strip along the 100 block of Evans Street. It will take a lot of work (and money) to fix this area up. A year into the "revitalization" effort, and this blighted area has gotten worse. What is the city waiting on? Are property owners being pressured to fix up their land? Perhaps I'm being impatient, but like many Florentines, we're tired of this filthy slum that passes as our "downtown". Let's clean it up, already. On a brighter note, here's the new Sexton's Dental Clinic on Palmetto Street, and the FDTC parking garage behind it. (if the pics don't load, I'll find a new hosting site)

These have been in my hard drive for a while; I've been too busy to post here much lately. This is the new library that most seem to love, though some do not. It is certainly impressive for a city the size of Florence. Unfortunately, it alone will not revitalize downtown, as it does not generate the needed foot traffic on the street. Not that there is anything else in the area yet to walk to. Personally, I think the large lawn at the back(facing Irby Street) could be put to better use i.e. a downtown market, outside book fairs, concerts etc.

I always wondered why the city never tried to make a park out of the vacant McLeod Infirmary property. It's been a huge vacant lot for 15 years. I'm not sure who owns the land. That lot is a perfect site for a ballpark, by the way. The RedWolves drew almost 3,000 a few weeks ago to the run down Legion Field out past the airport. Imagine the crowd they'd get in a nice new park downtown. The pre game tailgating, the restaurants that may open up nearby........it's just a pipe dream, I know. But DT needs something like that to bring the entire community to the area. The theatre and arts center are great, but I fear they will be places that people will drive to, walk in and out, get back in their cars and go back home (just as it is with the library now). DT needs something to bring foot traffic thru the streets (other than drug dealers and prostitutes).

Welcome to all the new posters and lurkers of this site. Many areas of Florence need to be cleaned up, particularly the Evans/Dargan St. area. But I'd like to list a few other specific locations that are eyesores and need to be spruced up. This is in no way intended to humiliate any individuals or property owners, but to highlight glaringly run down/unmaintained properties in high traffic areas of town that have been so for years. 1. "Ruby's house" on the corner of Second Loop and Cashua. There have been rumors flying around for years why this high traffic corner lot has been allowed to go unmaintained. I actually know some people who applaud the owner for not giving in to the city/county and cleaning up her property. 2. The House of Louie on the corner of Irby and Palmetto is filthy and decrepit. The fact that it is on one of the busiest corners in the city and passed by many tourists makes it even worse. 3. The corner of E Pine and Galliard Streets. There are houses on all 4 corners, and three of them are abandoned, boarded up and havens for criminal activity. A few of these distinctive old homes were some of the nicest in town at one time. 4. The former Downtowner Motor Inn on the corner of Irby and Palmetto has been vacant for years and needs to be razed. There are other motels that are eyesores as well, including The Palmetto Inn on East Palmetto (abandoned) and the Magnolia Manor next to the Super Wal-Mart on Irby Street (trashy). Motel guests with no shirts/shoes can often be seen walking toward the latter with newly purchased six packs in hand. The Hilton it ain't. 5. The appliance shack on S. Cashua, which was mentioned in a previous posts. 6. Several unmaintained/abandoned homes on Marsh Avenue, a well travelled gateway street on the south side. True overgrown eyesores that help to bring down an otherwise nice neighborhood. 7. The unkept 2 story brick structure on the corner of Church and Palmetto streets, near the underpass. This rotting old home looks like it should be condemned before it falls down. 8. Several businesses on the tracts of islands near Coles Crossroads (Irby and Second Loop). These just look.....seedy. Hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. Feel free to add any others that I may have missed, and there are many. Hopefully highlighting them in a public forum (which is now being read by some people with power to make a difference..i.e. Thom Anderson and the new Urban P & D Manager) will spur the owners to spruce up their properties.

The bulldozing comment was tongue in cheek. Of course I would like to see the existing buildings renovated and well kept storefronts maintained with tenants with broad appeal. Unfortunately racial politics may keep this from happening in the short term. Whites won't be caught dead down there now, and black business owners (and many residents) don't want whites moving in, raising rents and taking over the stores. This is not a generalization, either...I work down there, and that appears to be the way it is. Is there a compromise? The city has to start enforcing some aesthetic guidelines as a start. Is it going to happen? I see a lot of friction ahead. But I'd like to see a diverse downtown without the racial tension that is present now.

The below two images are downtown Florence The below two show part of the McLeod Hospital complex, including the almost completed 12 story addition. The next three are the dilapidated Evans and Dargan Street area. Can we get a bulldozer in there please. Here's the famous hubcap shack on the corner of Coit and Darlington St. It's either a local institution or a filthy eyesore depending on your point of view. Does fit in perfectly in the downtown area, though. This is Ruby's junkyard at the busy Second Loop /Cashua intersection. Finally, here's what's left after a long neglected eyesore was torn down behind the post office on Cashua. All Star lanes and the BB&T building are in the distance. Why I even have some of these images on my hard drive is beyond me:)

While it would be nice to have a local guy in the state house, I don't think he has the name recognition statewide to win the nomination. Though Florence is growing, it's no Charleston or Columbia.

Welcome, Janie. I agree with your assessments. The area around McLeod is indeed a slum, with vacant and boarded up houses on almost every block. It amazes me that the residents of that area have not banded together and said "enough". I certainly don't expect any changes as long as race-baiter Ed Robinson is the councilman for this area, though. The fact that he keeps getting re-elected is a disgrace. The Evans and Dargan Street area is an eyesore that needs to be gutted and redeveloped from scratch, I'm afraid. And once it is cleaned up, there needs to be a strong police presence to keep the loiterers, vagrants and drug dealers away. It has been done in many other revitalized downtowns, and it can be done here with the right leadership. And in order to attract business to the area, it must be done. The importance of a thriving downtown area can not be overstated. As for the stretch of South Cashua from Second Loop to Delmae, I've heard this area referred to a "trashy", "seedy" "Ruby Lane" and "white-trash alley", among others. Seedy works for me. Maybe when Celebration Center opens (hopefully in our lifetime), this filthy stretch will be cleaned up.

Here is the Thom Anderson article, for anyone that did not see it in the paper. Good to see the site get a mention. Hopefully others will register and offer their insights and or photos. Morning News Article

Re: Project Cardinal, I hope Florence County Progress has planned out their city tour route very carefully. One ride down East Palmetto or East Evans streets and I can hear the CEO saying "I've seen enough. Take me back to the airport". Glad to see some action on the Florence board again. It was starting to look like the Scranton board.

That is the Wharton mansion in the Bastso village (spelling?)down near the Pine Barrens. It's on the Bastso River, I believe. I think the town is called Bastso as well. I know it's in Atlantic County. I can't remember the names of the other properties in the village. I've lived in SC a while but I get back up to NJ a lot.

I think I it goes to the amusement pier (Casino pier). I was up there in the summer of '04 and did have a number of imported beers with my brother (but didn't get stone drunk since I was driving). Also never got lucky there.

I agree with mcashlv on FMU being way too far out in the sticks for it's associated college life to have much effect on the culture of the town. I don't see any merging happening in our lifetime. I also agree that downtown redevelopment will be tough considering that it borders the slums of east and north Florence. I have to ride down Dargan and Evans St often after work, and I can only shake my head, as it's the same every day: rundown storefronts, hip hop blaring from boomboxes, groups hanging out in front of businesses, etc. etc. Who is going pay to clean up the storesfronts? The business owners? The building owners? Is the city going to put pressure on the owners to clean up the filth? Until that happens, no popular retailer/restaurant will locate there, and downtown will continue to close down after 6PM (except for the vagrants, crack addicts, and prostitutes). While I don't agree it's an impossible challenge, it is going to be tough. I hope it does, though, as a city without a vibrant downtown is no city at all, it's just a....place.

I had a day off and had to run to the mall, so I grabbed by camera and took a few videos of the I-20 Spur area (from my car, as you can see). To the right is the recently completed Hilton Garden Inn. At 8 floors, easily the tallest building on the west side of town. The Marriott Spring Hill Suites straight ahead and the Hilton to the right. The Civic Center is to the left, and straight ahead is the beginning construction of the Home Depot/Olive Garden etc. on Radio Dr. The GE building is in the distance. BTW, the noise is by arm rubbing against the leather seat, not a whoopee cushion. I'll post more vids as I get time. On this site, vids become inactive if not viewed at least once in 3 months, so by all means look at them to keep them active!

I believe that's the Katin or Katyn (spelling?) monument in Exchange Place.

This is a test video of construction on Florence's new tallest building. Video shot 2/21/06. Click the link below. McLeod Construction

I'm going to have to disagree on a few points. First the library an ugly monstrosity? Are we looking at the same building. It is one of the nicest buildings in the state. In fact, it is almost TOO nice, or out of scale with it's abysmal surroundings, but hopefully that will change. I do sympathize with those who argue that they could have downsized the building and added more books/video content, though. As for the FMU performing arts center....who the hell wants to drive all the way out to Mars Bluff for anything. An FMU presence in downtown is long overdue. The whole FMU campus should have been built downtown to begin with. Yea, tuitions would be a good bit higher, and there would be less land to expand, but Florence would be a totally different city than it is today. But they took the damn free land. Both the campus and the city have been the worse for it. I don't think Florence is necessarily destined to an "abysmal decline". If city leaders put some pressure on the land owners to clean up their properties or be fined to the hemisphere (Evans St., Dargan St etc.), things will change. The racial politics involved in cleaning up the entire downtown mess is another story, however.

That's great news for Florence and the downtown. I especially like that FMU is making a presence in the downtown area, something I hope will continue.

I'm new to this site and I see that this forum has been dormant for a while, so I thought I'd add to it. I'm from Florence and hope to see downtown redevelopment take shape. I was saddened by the death of LeRoy Adams, who was a progressive thinking African American who was making great inroads to remaking downtown. I'm not going to pull any punches here; racial politics in this town is one of the main stumbling blocks to cleaning up what a crime and filth ridden mess downtown Florence has become. In order for downtown to come alive once again, you've got to get people and their money willing to go down there and spend money. Most whites (and many blacks) are turned off by the rundown store fronts, the groups of young males who hang out in front of the stores, the crime, the gangs etc etc. I dare anyone to ride down the 100 block of West Evans and Dargan Street and tell me you would feel comfortable taking your family down there. Any efforts to clean it up and to bring businesses that will attract consumers of all races is bound portrayed by Councilman Ed Robinson and his ilk as "kicking out the blacks". While I understand wanting to ensure that black business owners are not forced out due to rising rents, there seems to be no efforts from these same business owners to clean up their own stores. The city does need to go after the building owners, which what I believe Mr. Adams was doing by trying to create historical districts as a way for aesthetic integrity to be enforced. I agree that downtown Florence needs a performing art center, a museum or the Little Theatre. I personally would love to see a ballpark built on the site of the old McLeod Infirmary for the RedWolves, and a possible future Single A ball team (it's a pipe dream, I know). I'd love to see a brew pub open up. I'd love to see a major retailer build downtown. Or a first class hotel. Francis Marion Univ needs to build SOMETHING downtown. Their decision to take the free land in Mars Bluff has been a double edged sword; while it doomed downtown Florence to decades of decay, it also kept the college from having any real identity or presence in this town (unlike Coker in Hartsville). Well that's it, just my two cents worth, you're welcome to disagree and comment. I'll add some pictures in the future for those out of towners who haven't been here in a while.