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CONSTRUCTION THREAD: Kroc Center

RestedTraveler

By RestedTraveler
in Greenville

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gs3 Metropolitan Area

gs3

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I drove by this site a few days ago, and was surprised to see how far down Academy Street it is. I expected it to be a couple of blocks closer to the heart of downtown than it is. :lol: I think it will be great, though. You definitely notice it while driving on Academy!

Noticed today the walls of the school portion are going up over the steel frame. Also looks like the actual Kroc Center portion may now be underway, and it is much closer in toward DT on Academy.

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GvilleSC Megalopolis

GvilleSC

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i hear they are not going to build the golf training center and now it will be a soccor field..pools will have to downsized, etc...anyone know why the money is short and they have to do that?

The golf thing had to be scrapped because of land use in the flood way. Unlike a flood zone, a flood way, which portions of this site qualify as, are based on the 100-year flood line. The requirements are extremely strict, even preventing some things such as light posts for a parking lot. This aspect of the site conditions played a major role in determining the siting of the buildings, as well as the function of the lower land near the Reedy.

I'm not sure which part of the pool program that you're talking about, but their original plan called for some very ambitious plans. Resultantly, it had to be scaled back, but it's not a funding situation. The money was never going to be there for that kind of plan. If you're simply talking about size, they went with the size that they felt would be most useful for the community. The Tennis facility is the sole part of a phase II.

As far as the elementary school, it will be open enrollment. It's being built foe 600 students, and will be the first engineering-focused elementary school in the state of South Carolina!

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GvilleSC Megalopolis

GvilleSC

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thats exciting about the school...its really coming along fast too, every time i pass by it has more done to it.....when will they start the tennis courts?...they will be on the other side of the reedy, is that right?...

Correct. I'm not sure when, or if, a timeline has been set for the tennis courts...

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gs3 Metropolitan Area

gs3

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I would've preferred to see a golf facility. Golf is not a sport easily played by inner city youth. Soccer can be played on any empty lot.

Agreed.

In addition, I was under the impression that Kroc Center was for all citizens in the city, not just inner city youth. How easy it would be to take in 9 holes after a meeting downtown if Kroc would add golf.

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GvilleSC Megalopolis

GvilleSC

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Agreed.

In addition, I was under the impression that Kroc Center was for all citizens in the city, not just inner city youth. How easy it would be to take in 9 holes after a meeting downtown if Kroc would add golf.

That could indeed be a nice element. I think the problem with golf is this: for a golf course, you're going to need elevation changes of some kind (however slight). And with that, you're disturbing the flood way, displacing that water higher on either side of the river and affecting where you can build other elements of the site. It just didn't turn out to be practical.

I have a few pics from the elementary school construction to post. The lobby of the new school (which is orientated for this reason) is going to have fantastic views of the skyline. :thumbsup:

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breed Hamlet

breed

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I would've preferred to see a golf facility. Golf is not a sport easily played by inner city youth. Soccer can be played on any empty lot.

Agreed.

In addition, I was under the impression that Kroc Center was for all citizens in the city, not just inner city youth. How easy it would be to take in 9 holes after a meeting downtown if Kroc would add golf.

I disagree vehemently. There is no shortage of golf courses in the area, many of which are struggling. There is a huge shortage of athletic fields, especially downtown. A golf course is an incredibly inefficient use of urban land. One of the overarching goals of community schools such as the Kroc Center is to provide as much use as possible to their respective communities. The folks that live near the facility should have "first dibs" on what occurs there. An urban playground for golfers there is, in my opinion, irresponsible.

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gs3 Metropolitan Area

gs3

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I disagree vehemently. There is no shortage of golf courses in the area, many of which are struggling. There is a huge shortage of athletic fields, especially downtown. A golf course is an incredibly inefficient use of urban land. One of the overarching goals of community schools such as the Kroc Center is to provide as much use as possible to their respective communities. The folks that live near the facility should have "first dibs" on what occurs there. An urban playground for golfers there is, in my opinion, irresponsible.

I see your point, but if the land is a flood plain, seems like a good spot for a golf course. It will never be urban land.

But I guess my overall question remains about the entire facility....will the Kroc Center be a place for all citizens to use, or is this a place for low income youth only? :dontknow:

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breed Hamlet

breed

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I see your point, but if the land is a flood plain, seems like a good spot for a golf course. It will never be urban land.

But I guess my overall question remains about the entire facility....will the Kroc Center be a place for all citizens to use, or is this a place for low income youth only? :dontknow:

In terms of recreational use, I think just about any kind of recreational use is better than a golf course. The number of people who can use a golf course is very few in number. It is almost exclusively used by those who drive up to it. By its very nature, its use it weakened by having it serve multiple purposes. A multi-purpose sports field can and does accomodate a large number of people at the same time.

Not that golf courses don't have their place. They just don't belong in a downtown environment when there is no shortage of wide open spaces to accomodate courses elsewhere. And it's not about low-income inner city uses. It's about the needs of the community. There simply aren't many active recreational facilities downtown. It's a need. The Kroc Center is a perfect fit.

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