Downtown Projects & Developments

[tdreamweaver]

I'm curious as to some of your thoughts on what Downtown could handle...some friends and I were talking about a Whole Foods at the Kress Office Supply Bldg on Main.

Could we handle that? (More info here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/realestate/index.html)

Or maybe an Earth Fare? http://www.earthfare.com/

Of course...the person that actually owns that building would have to want to do that...but just dreaming, I guess.

t

[hub-city]

I would love to see a Mast general come to the kress building.

[Spartan]

I think we could handle those places, TD, but not downtown. Whole Foods, at least the one in Greenville, is a huge suburban box store. If they put one out on Reidville Road somewhere, it would probably do well.

Earthfare on the other hand may do better closer to town. Maybe on E Main at the old Harris Teeter....

I haven't heard that Mast General ISNT looking... I hope that something moves with that this year.

[lynturner99]

We did a story about all of the stuff going on downtown last week and in the process of my research I found out that the condo building at liberty and broad with be at least 6 stories high and be mixed use. I say at least because I was told that there would be 40 condos and looking at the size of the lot, it would take more than 6 floors to hold 40 condos of any decent size. I am excited about the "mixed use" aspect though and the Kiddie Korner building is also going to be mixed use with condos; buisnesses, and retail. The contractor for that building said that there was a lot of interest in the property and they were working as quickly as possible because of that. When the reflecting pool shown in the master plan for downtown comes in the area around Denny's plaza will be one of the most beautiful in the upstate, it already is quite attractive. All in all several developers said that this is just the tip of the iceberg for Spartanburg.

[Spartan]

Wow I about fell out of my chair when I read that. That is phenominal news! MIXED USE is the #1 key to that site. I am very excited to hear about that.

40 condos!? There is no way that thing will be less than 6 floors if thats the case. Its such a small lot. I would guess at least 7 or 8. It all depends on the floor layout and how many units wil go on each level. Mixed-use is key, and I am very excited to see that Johnson is doing something great (like he always does) but doing it to the next level that wil be beneficial for the city.

Is the Kiddie Korner building the one accross the street from that? The one that they are rennovating that runs the length of Liberty between Main and Broad?

I agree with you though, this new reflecting pool, if they decide to do that, combines with relocated city and county offices will really give a major boost to that end of downtown. It should create a second anchor point around which development can occur.

I really wish I had seen that article. Is it still online?

Tip of the iceberg.....

[lynturner99]

That is the Kiddie Korner building, they are calling it something different now but Im not sure what that is. A lot of this information came from the economic development office in the Palmetto Building, Julie Franklin the director was really helpful and accessible. Since it came from her its not concrete, but she said she got it from the developers and we did report it. I was really excited too.

[krazeeboi]

Sounds great! I'm getting excited about Spartanburg's future with all of the progressive things that have been coming from the city lately.

[spartanburgh]

Wow I about fell out of my chair when I read that. That is phenominal news! MIXED USE is the #1 key to that site. I am very excited to hear about that.

40 condos!? There is no way that thing will be less than 6 floors if thats the case. Its such a small lot. I would guess at least 7 or 8. It all depends on the floor layout and how many units wil go on each level. Mixed-use is key, and I am very excited to see that Johnson is doing something great (like he always does) but doing it to the next level that wil be beneficial for the city.

Is the Kiddie Korner building the one accross the street from that? The one that they are rennovating that runs the length of Liberty between Main and Broad?

I agree with you though, this new reflecting pool, if they decide to do that, combines with relocated city and county offices will really give a major boost to that end of downtown. It should create a second anchor point around which development can occur.

I really wish I had seen that article. Is it still online?

Tip of the iceberg.....

Thats great news about mixed use in the condo building at Liberty and Broad St. I would love to see the rendering and know when the ground breaking will be. I am less optimistic about the height of the building though. I remember when the plans were origionally anounced and they were going to have 48 condos and the building was only going to be 4 stories including ground level parking underneath. The units were going to be very small (around 750 square feet). I hope the height would be at least 6-8 stories, but it looks like we'll get a great project either way.

I also think Spartanburg needs a Mast General Store, A limited service hotel downtown, an ice cream shop, an Ice rink, putt putt behind the Marriott, so that there's something to do other than look at fountains, more condo's and more class A office space, and as a special bonus another high rise that would rival the Denny's tower.

[goodbye]

...

I also think Spartanburg needs a Mast General Store, A limited service hotel downtown, an ice cream shop, an Ice rink, putt putt behind the Marriott, so that there's something to do other than look at fountains, more condo's and more class A office space, and as a special bonus another high rise that would rival the Denny's tower.

I agree with all of those (except maybe the putt-putt). Spartanburg needs more to do. I know things are changing, but not fast enough, in my opinion.

[krazeeboi]

Ain't nothin' wrong with a lil' putt-putt.

[Spartan]

Thats great news about mixed use in the condo building at Liberty and Broad St. I would love to see the rendering and know when the ground breaking will be. I am less optimistic about the height of the building though. I remember when the plans were origionally anounced and they were going to have 48 condos and the building was only going to be 4 stories including ground level parking underneath. The units were going to be very small (around 750 square feet). I hope the height would be at least 6-8 stories, but it looks like we'll get a great project either way.

I also think Spartanburg needs a Mast General Store, A limited service hotel downtown, an ice cream shop, an Ice rink, putt putt behind the Marriott, so that there's something to do other than look at fountains, more condo's and more class A office space, and as a special bonus another high rise that would rival the Denny's tower.

Great ideas! See, thats the kind of thinking we need in Spartanburg. An ice cream shop would be a good fit, particularly with Baskin Robins closing in the next few months. I want to see a Marble Slab/Coldstone type of operation.

We haven't heard anything about Mast in a while. Can anyone provide any information on that?

With the Liberty & Broad property being mixed use, I would expect that the 4 story minimum would have to be at least 5 now, because with businesses on the bottom floor you have to move everything else up a level, including parking. And with that added expense, I could see making less fewer apartments but having them larger and thus more expensive, which may add another floor. I hope I'm making sense there. That just how I'm going to justify it in my head until I hear something further It doesn't matter how many residential units are going in, so long as SOMETHING is going in. More permanent residents downtown will lead to a more vibrant core.

I'll be honest with you, I am just excited that the "4-floor cap" is finally being broken. We haven't seen any building go up downtown since QS/1 that has been over 4 floors.

[spartanburgh]

I am will also be excited to see the 4 story run come to an end with taller buildings. The problem developers have with this is the IBC (International Building Code) makes it much more expensive to break this 4 story (or 60' finish floor elevation) cap and that is why you will so many 4 story buildings. The next cap is 12 stories, which marks the most difficult and expensive cap to exceed.

Anyway Spartan I agree with you 100%, it will be nice to see whatever Johnson Development does there and SOON!!!!!

I don't want downtown Spartanburg to look like a 4 story restrictive office park. The different heights will give character and distinction to each building making Spartanburg even more interesting.

[Spartan]

This bit of news is on the very edge of downtown. Literally. The former Exxon with a garage at Pine & Glendalyn is going to be turned into a Spinx with a convenience store. It will require the demolition of the site and one house behind it. I think this great. I always liked that location for a gas station. Spinx has nice stores and is a pretty good/progressive company. The article says that they are looking at other locations in Spartanburg and Boiling Springs too.

But the residents of Converse Heights Neighborhood Association is concerned that it will increase traffic in the area, increase trash accumulation, and increase light and noise pollution too. I think that the traffic concerns are unwarranted because I don't think it would be any more traffic than the old gas station. They are also want the new convenience store to have a historic facade that respects the neighborhood's recent designation as a historic place, as well as a brick sign as opposed to the standard kind like you see at the Westgate location. It sounds like this will be a "quality" gas station, if you can imagine such a thing.

Article

[goodbye]

Most of the new Spinx locations around Greenville are nice for gas stations/convenience stores. They typically include a restaurant as well. One new location in Simpsonville has a good-sized space for something else in addition to the restaurant. I am unsure what it may be though. These places usually look better than the average Upstate gas stations, and they have cable news at the pumps. They also include Ethanol additive in their gas, and provide pumps for E85. You can find out more about the company by checking out their official website.

[Spartan]

There is an article in the GSA Business Journal on Spartanburg. Its about how Greenville investors and developers have "discovered" Spartanburg. I take issue with its Greenville centric point of view (since the article is about Spartanburg, after all), but its a good indicator of how our cities are tied together on many levels.

A quote from Bernie Kavo, owner of Justin's Steakhouse:

[go_vertical]

Wow, it's great to hear about all the development in downtown Spartanburg. I haven't been there in quite a while (moved to Orlando a little over five years ago). The most exciting thing is the talk of condos in downtown. Once permanent residents are strolling the sidewalks then businesses will sprout like weeds. One thing I'm curious about is how much these condos will cost. Has anyone heard talks about price/sq.ft. or it is still too early in the planning stage for that. Keep the pictures coming. I definately have to plan a trip back soon.

[Spartan]

Well, unit prices are already set. Price per square foot.. I'm not sure. I doubt if anyone is thinking about that just yet. Check out the thread for 155 Broad for more on that.

If you haven't been to Sparkle City in 5 years, you will be amazed at the transformation that the city has undergone.

We have new shopping centers in all corners of the city, a very attractive new Morgan Square, tons of new businesses, shops, restaurants, and some in-town neighborhoods that are seeing some re-investment.

How long did you live in Spartanburg?

[go_vertical]

I lived there for about ten years. I remember being a little frustrated because I would see Greenville growing leaps and bounds but Spartanburg had nothing in the works aside from the random shopping center or occasional road improvement. And when something would get announced even snails were sitting around wondering what the hold up was. This always bothered me because I saw the potential in the city and often I felt like the people that had the ability to make changes didn't see what I did. I'm finally glad to see some movin' and shakin' going on.

[Spartan]

Yeah that frustrated pretty much everyone. There were some issues with the leadership in Spartanburg in years past. They were all about maintaining the status quo (which wasn't much to brag about). Plans quite literally sat on shelves and collected dust.

The new leadership, however, is all about change. They seem to be doing things right in order to correct the mistakes in the past for the benfit of all Spartans. I have recently learned that Spartanburg is gaining reputation nationally as a progressive city in part due to its BikeTown program.

[roads-scholar]

I lived there for about ten years. I remember being a little frustrated because I would see Greenville growing leaps and bounds but Spartanburg had nothing in the works aside from the random shopping center or occasional road improvement. And when something would get announced even snails were sitting around wondering what the hold up was. This always bothered me because I saw the potential in the city and often I felt like the people that had the ability to make changes didn't see what I did. I'm finally glad to see some movin' and shakin' going on.

The passing of the "old guard" has had something to do with the huge changes we're now seeing in town. By the old guard I mean the industrialists who ran Spartanburg and who colluded to prevent economic, social, and cultural diversification. Their primary motivation was to keep wages down and labor unions out.

Another reason why Spartanburg is seeing more dramatic changes is that more capital is available for investment. In years past, many ambitious projects were delayed and often cancelled due to a lack of financing. The downtown condo project that was recently announced is an example of a project that would not happened a few years ago because sources of financing could not be obtained.

There is also a new leadership class in Spartanburg that is much more globally oriented and culturally progressive. Moeover, these folks understand all too well the importance how quality of life issues are toward attracting knowledge-based industries and jobs.

I'm in agreement with you now - Spartanburg is now really movin' and shakin'

[Spartan]

I'm not sure if this is a development or not- but the Palmetto Building (the former Belks) is being rennovated into 20 luxury apartments. I thought they were already apartments, so this isnt really "news" to me. But I guess since they were last rennovsted in 1985, the latest round will truely make them "luxury" apts. Either way, its good news for downtown.

Herald-Journal article

Building Timeline

[Spartan]

Books-n-Stuff is closing. That, along with Sandella's makes two businesses on Main St that have closed or will close soon. I have heard that rents are going up, so I suspect that may be the problem. I hate to see any business downtown go, unless its a cash advance operation or a wig store. These two are no exception. But with the demand for downtown property increasing, I expect them to be replaces in short order.

[lynturner99]

I also believe that these buisnesses will be replaced shortly. The article in the Herald had a very optimistic tone about what may be coming where Sandelas used to be. I know LongLeaf recently purchased the building and Sandela's owner was quoted as saying he didn't want to stand in the way of progress. So maybe LongLeaf has some big plans for the spot. On an aside; family from California flew in last week and stayed in the Inn on Main and loved it and just went on about how downtown was looking so great since they last came 6 years ago; they also ate at Justin's and loved it.

[Spartan]

I'm glad to hear that about your family's visit. The Inn on Main is a great spot.

I hope that LimeLeaf's owners do have plans for a restaurant there. I'm sure its going to be something great

[Spartan]

Some good news for downtown today- the Bijou Market building on Main Street has been sold. The new owners are going to keep the apartments upstairs and finally get some business in on the ground floor. The previous owners had struggled with this for quite some time. They say that there will be an announcement soon. Pretty much anything will be good there considering that there is nothing there now.

HJ Article