[Historic Intown Neighborhoods]

Well there's also the distinct possiblity that I'm wrong

Jael is correct about Carver. The new Carver JR High is where Old Carver High School used to be. ( Jessie Jackson used to come over from Greenville to play football there in the 50's. Carver had a great marching band too and were always a hit in the Christmas Parade) but I digress. Carver merged with Spartanburg High in 1971 thus becoming the Vikings ( Go Vikings). Jenkins Jr High was located where the Horace C Smith building is now just south of the Skylar Building on S Church Street. The stone wall by the sidewalk is all that is left. Cleveland was a Jr High but is now Cleveland Elementary. I thnk the Building in question for the Charter School was always an Elementary School up til the Arts Partnership bought it, but I can't remember the name.

[Sparkle City Eateries]

I haven't heard about that one. I look forward to hearing what its like.

In other news, the GSA Business Journal has an article about the restaurant scene in Spartanburg. Generally its about the Westside and the various closures over there including Hops, DQ, Italian Pie, and Symposium. More importantly its addresses the difficult nature of the restaurant business. I won't go into details, but generally the outlook is favorable. The closures have generally not been because of lack of demand. Hops and DQ each closed because of corporate issues. The article says there is a new operator for DQ that is in the works, so that will reopen (hopefully). So, yay for crappy fast food.

The best quote of the article is this:

"...a lot of Spartanburg residents are in the habit of driving to Greenville for high-end dining options. That is changing, he says, citing the popularity of eight-month-old Justin's Steakhouse in downtown Spartanburg."

Now, I think one guy's quote isn't enough to suggest anything major, but I like hearing that the mentality of going to Greenville is changing. Obviously due to the proximity it won't completely disappear. It does sound like Justin's has been a replacement for Abbey's Grill though.

Has anyone heard about Brasserie Ecosse lately? I hear its good food, and it certainly fits in the high-end dining spectrum.

The Brasserie Ecosse is great. Definately high-end, but worth every penny. They have done a great job with the renovations and the look and feel of the place is great. It makes for a nice evening with a two hour meal. Finest meal I have had in a long time. Good wine selection. Wait staff was excelent as was the food and presentation. Convenient valet parking is avaliable too. I'd give it five stars for sure and look forward to going back soon.

[Greater Spartanburg Projects & Developments]

No worries Sparkleman. I always enjoy a spirited debate If we all agreed on everything then there would be no purpose for UrbanPlanet! Feel free to start a new thread for your idea. Like hub-city said, all are welcome. I suspect many of the GoUpstate crows would not last long, as we like to encourage actual conversation/debate/discussion here, rather than name calling and finger pointing that goes on on the GoUpstate forums. We all welcome newcomers, especially those with a different opinion than ours!

As to my response:

A "tax" is typically based on a per-dollar amount, so the amount you pay varies. A fee is a unit cost, essentially.

Also, I work in the planning industry, and I can tell you that you just don't go and build a bridge. You have to come up with a design for each one, and civil engineers have to do a lot of detailed work takes a long time to do, and you have to get it approved by licensed people, and presumably DHEC, and probably other people too so that you can be sure it meets environmental and structural standards. All of this takes a lot more time than most people think it does. And on top of that, you can't replace them all at once. There are several bridges that are being funded now, according to the county budget, that I know are being targeted for replacement by the road fee. For example, the bridge Dairy Ridge Rd (near Croft State Park) is being replaced from when it was washed out by a flood several years ago. It won't be complete until 2011. Its not due to delay in anything other than getting the road fee in place. If not for that, then it could have been 10-20 years before it was replaced.

Resurfacing on the other hand is done much quicker, I know of many roads around the county that have been resurfaced- though I admittedly don't know where the funding comes from for them.

There is a difference in city vs county hospitality taxes, but I don't know what it is. I do know that the City has had one for a while, and the County just passed one a few months ago to finance the County Parks & Rec Master Plan that I mentioned earlier. What I don't know is if the County's tax is in addition to the City's or if the jurisdictions have separate taxation authority when it comes to hospitality taxes. If anyone can shed some light on this, please share!

Whether it's a tax or a fee, if it's a dollar out of my pocket it's all the same to me. Having said that let's get real and look at the actual cost. The hated road fee amounts to just under .07 cents per day. Surely this is a small price to pay to have safe roads & bridges. Look at your tax bill next time it comes is the mail. Of the entire county budget only 16% can be used for discretionany expenses. Road improvements are a part of this, which is not much to work with. The rest is designated for schools, the Air Port, Library, Jail, etc. Our roads have suffered over the years as a consequence because there was no money to fix them. We are now playing catch up. Be patient.

As for the 2% hospitality tax, I probably spend on average $300 per month eating out or $3600 per year. This amounts to only $72.00 per year/ $6.00 per month or .20 per day in additional tax. I don't think either of these is going to cause any serious financial hardship to anyone plus it is shared by visitors who recieve no benefits. Sounds like a plan to me.

[Greater Spartanburg Projects & Developments]

Interesting. That doesn't make sense though, because that public lot across from QS/1 is closer to the courthouse than Magnolia St Station. why would jurors be asked to park over there and not in the county lot behind the courthouse (which is NEVER full) And who is charging for parking on the QS/1 lot then, now that its a metered, if its not a city lot?

The lift gate operates by a swipe card issued to employees of QS/1 and keeps the public out. It is owned by QS/1 I assue you. As to why jurors would be asked to park @ Magnolia St Station when the county lot is empty. " Ask not what you county asks of you, Just do what they say is good for the county" :-) It does not make since. Remember, this comes from the same people who brought you no zoning or very little if any planning in the county. There is no logic to it.

[Greater Spartanburg Projects & Developments]

Interesting viewpoints. I think that given the approach into town on St John, the QS/1 creates a very well defined gateway into the heart of Spartanburg. What I think is that we should have another complimentary building on the Courthouse parking lot. It does not need to look like QS/1 but it can be similar in style and perhaps a bit taller. A parking deack can be built behind it near the jail or rear of the Courthouse while leaving plenty of room for a nice building there.

If we had a tall building infront of QS/1 adjacent to the tracks (in that city parking lot), it would obstruct the view of the rest of downtown from the St John St approach.

A point of clarification Spartan. The city parking lot you refer to adjacent to the RR tracks is actually owned by QS/1. The county used to own it, but when QS/1 & the County Sheriff's office (out own Howard Street where QS/1 was located) traded properties, the parking lot changed hands too. There was a two year least for county use as parking for Jury duty which has since expired. That lot is now owned and used as private parking for QS/1. QS/1 / J M Smith Corp also owns the old run downbuildings beside the parking lot as well as most of the buildings behind their headquarters where Sonny's Pizza is located. Folks reporting for jury duty are supposed to use the parking area at the Magnolia St train Depot, which is actually closer to the court house entrance, one block. So now you know the rest of the story.

I agree a nice building in the parking area behind the courthouse would be a good idea. Also a multistory structure on the opposite corner would be an improvement and help enhance that entrance to Downtown.

[Spartanburg Area Economic Developments]

I think its time we had one of these threads in the Spartanburg section. There sure are enough job announcements around these days....

Anyone else notice any trends with these jobs?

Johnson Developement has purchased the Bank of America building on East Main St, as well as the Broadwalk building on Broad St. and plans to redevelope both properties with a blend of offices, street retail and resturants. Sounds great to me.

[Sparkle City Eateries]

Lime Leaf is set to open this week: Article

Here is an older picture of the bulidings nearby.

I have had two very good dinners at the Lime Leaf. I highly recomed giving it a try. It is a cozy little resturant, has a nice bar, the service is good, the food great and the prices are very reasonable. Dinner for two with a couple of drinks- $45.00 Let's do all we can to support our resturants Downtown .