Florence Developments

[Charles Pearson]

...good to hear about Starbucks! coming to Florence. I hope it's just one of many more to come to significant points of town. Starbucks is always reliable when you're searching for good coffee and not familiar with a town's coffeehouses...I used to hate the "diner-tasting" coffee in Las Vegas...but now that VEGAS has many Starbucks, the coffee is good...

"Florence Morning News" is not the greatest but a bit more fun to read than Charleston's "Post & Courier" that has really gone downhill since I left SC back in the 1980s.

[jjoshjl]

It seems to me that florence is growing much faster (albeit very quietly than many are realizing...

Looks like things are fundamentally changing here for the better...

as can be shown by this...

Florence experiences retail growth explosion

FLORENCE -- Florence has grown a great deal in the past few years,...

http://www.morningnewsonline.com/midatlant...08-06-0003.html

I know some will say great... its all low income type jobs mostly... well... how abotu some serious investments in the university...

FMU to open new facilities

Francis Marion University (FMU) Board of Trustees discussed upcoming board issues...

http://www.morningnewsonline.com/midatlant...08-06-0007.html

Cheers Guys

[Spartan]

I may have said this before, but the growth in Florence is definiately noticable. I recently visited the city having last been there about two years before. There is lots of new stuff on McLeod Blvd. Hotels, shops, the theater, a new Olive Garden, among other restaurants. Florence may slip under the radar here on UP, but growth is certainly happening there.

[flotown]

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.

[vicupstate]

Florence City/County difficulties providing services to areas with disjointed boundaries

Lots of good info. Discusses the problems arising from the annexation laws. Lists the areas of city/county consolidatoin and also discusses the attempted annexaton of FMU.

I assume the FMU annexation is bogged down in getting continuity.

[Charles Pearson]

This is awesome! for Florence. Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to see my hometown county seat in person in 2007 when I return to SC (Greenville in particular) for a vacation...

I was just reading the Florence Morning News online about neighbors being divided over annexation & how one couple was happy to be annexed into the City after a 10-year wait...They were so happy be annexed into city of Florence they popped open champaign and toasted the toilet...

Edited August 16, 2006 by Zahc

[Charles Pearson]

good article. seems a lot of south carolinaians (sp?) think SC's ancient annexation laws need to be changed. It's sad for older people on limited income who have no city services...and have to haul away their own garbage.

also, i never realized that FMU was not yet within the city limits of Florence.

Edited August 16, 2006 by Zahc

[jjoshjl]

Yeh, I saw that. i dont understand why SC has to have such strict annexation laws. if you are effectivly in the city, surrounded by city property, or are so close that you basicly have access to all the city ammenities, you should be incorporated. its a rip off to those that live in the city and have to pay taxes so that YOU can get the same services and not have to pay for them.

Anyway... annezation laws have always frustrated the mess out of me.

Cheers

[Charles Pearson]

Yeh, I saw that. i dont understand why SC has to have such strict annexation laws. if you are effectivly in the city, surrounded by city property, or are so close that you basicly have access to all the city ammenities, you should be incorporated. its a rip off to those that live in the city and have to pay taxes so that YOU can get the same services and not have to pay for them.

Anyway... annezation laws have always frustrated the mess out of me.

Cheers

It is indeed a frustrating issue in SC. I grew up near tiny Johnsonville (lower Eastern Florence county in a beautiful rural area with brick homes that the natives there so love called Kingsburg--40 miles west of Myrtle Beach on Hwy 378; 32 miles east of city of Florence via Hwy 41)...which has a huge African American population but there's hardly any African Americans in the city limits 'cause their very large neighborhoods, which are in Johnsonville's urban core, are not annexed into the city limits of Johnsonville. I have a good AfriA'can friend there whom I went to high school with (Johnsonville High Golden Flashes - Class of 1977) who has tried again and again to get elected to the city council...but he has never been able to get enough votes. He felt if he had the support of black majority neighborhoods that should be apart of the town, he could finally win...But that was years ago. Perhaps J'ville has changed now since I hear the Latino population has exploded down there like it is everywhere else in these United States, making them now the largest minority group in this country...

Edited August 17, 2006 by Zahc

[Spartan]

The annexation laws are set up the way they are, ironically, to protect farmers and the rural way of life from being consumed by the cities and higher taxes, and other presumed expenses associated with city living. The irony is that it now prevents cities from controlling the growth that the annexation laws were trying to prevent.

[Charles Pearson]

The annexation laws are set up the way they are, ironically, to protect farmers and the rural way of life from being consumed by the cities and higher taxes, and other presumed expenses associated with city living. The irony is that it now prevents cities from controlling the growth that the annexation laws were trying to prevent.

Ironic indeed...I think they'll going to have revise their annexation laws very soon & move SC cities into 21st century...And not to be putting any city down, but I do resent the fact city propers of cities like Sioux Falls in tiny South Dakota, have a bigger population than our State capital, Columbia...Of course, I know Columbia is bigger but majority don't know that...Florence is definitely much bigger than 32,000 people.

[krazeeboi]

The annexation laws are set up the way they are, ironically, to protect farmers and the rural way of life from being consumed by the cities and higher taxes, and other presumed expenses associated with city living. The irony is that it now prevents cities from controlling the growth that the annexation laws were trying to prevent.

It certainly is ironic. Sprawl, which has a greater propensity to reign unchecked outside of municipal boundaries due to less stringent land use policies, is consuming rural areas and farmland at a significant rate in this state.

[scoop]

It is indeed a frustrating issue in SC. I grew up near tiny Johnsonville (lower Eastern Florence county in a beautiful rural area with brick homes that the natives there so love called Kingsburg--40 miles west of Myrtle Beach on Hwy 378; 32 miles east of city of Florence via Hwy 41)...which has a huge African American population but there's hardly any African Americans in the city limits 'cause their very large neighborhoods, which are in Johnsonville's urban core, are not annexed into the city limits of Johnsonville. I have a good AfriA'can friend there whom I went to high school with (Johnsonville High Golden Flashes - Class of 1977) who has tried again and again to get elected to the city council...but he has never been able to get enough votes. He felt if he had the support of black majority neighborhoods that should be apart of the town, he could finally win...But that was years ago. Perhaps J'ville has changed now since I hear the Latino population has exploded down there like it is everywhere else in these United States, making them now the largest minority group in this country...

This is interesting because Lake City, west J'ville and south of Florence is the opposite. Lake City's core is over 70% black and most of the population is outside of the city. If these areas were annexed, the city's population could be more than doubled. I thought J'ville was pretty balanced.

Edited August 18, 2006 by scoop

[jjoshjl]

Dont quote me on this, but i think i heard that if you include all of the developed area right around florence, the population would jump from 32,000 to about 65,000. I know thta may not sound like much to someone that lives in a city with 500,000, but if i city is trying to atract businesses, which looks more atractive, a large town of 32,000 or a small city of 65,000. These whole annexation laws are hurting all of SC because fo this. and as mentioned. it is actually causing more problems in rural areas than if they would jsut be allowed to annex in a normal fashion.

Cheers

[Charles Pearson]

This is interesting because Lake City, west J'ville and south of Florence is the opposite. Lake City's core is over 70% black and most of the population is outside of the city. If these areas were annexed, the city's population could be more than doubled. I thought J'ville was pretty balanced.

...possibly by now. but when i was in high school, johnsonville high was 70% white / 30% black. The Johnsonville schools: Johnsonville (the white school) and Stuckey (the black school) integrated peacefully in August 1969 when I was in 5th grade. Being African American, I wasn't very happy with integration because my grades were high and I was separated from all the other African American males & placed in classes where I would be the only African American. Oh well...I soon got over it.

Lake City had or still has far more African Americans than Johnsonville...I no longer hate that I was born in Florence County but when I was a teenager I hated it there, hated anything that was South (save Charleston SC, the City I was named after for some bizarre reason) & I couldn't wait to turn 18 & run far away uncultured/backwards Florence & all that religion...My two younger brothers grew up in SC but was born in New York City & really hated that...but ironically, they are now more Southern than ever & couldn't imagine living anywhere else as that's pretty much where they've stayed all of their lives...

I'll be able to re-discover Johnsonville & South Carolina when I return for a vacation in 2007...mainly to though, to see my family that I haven't seen in nearly 10 years. We've had problems because of my choice of lifestyles.

Here's me last Feb. in my lst Kauai rain...

Edited August 19, 2006 by Zahc

[jjoshjl]

Residents outraged over housing development plan

http://www.morningnewsonline.com/midatlant...08-20-0008.html

--------------------------------

While I can understand people being frustrated by changing dynamics of a neighborhood, It frustrates me when individuals automatically assume change is bad. Sadly, this is a very bad case of NIMBY. There are several issues that the 'association' brings up that frustrate me greatly. For starters, their 'concern' about the quality of individuals moving into the area is very telling. Are they implying that anyone that lives in a condo or duplex doesn’t care about their own property as well? If this is true, they should also be outraged when someone buys a house that goes up for sale in the neighborhood. You have just a good (or bad) of a chance to have a slob move into a house as you do a condo (call it what it is please... duplex has bad connotation that isn’t needed.). For this point, I am leery of their logic. Second point. If I were in charge of a neighborhood association, I would welcome this. Work with the developer. Have it so that if people move into the condos, they must be a member of the Neighborhood Association. More income to have more influence on the goings on in area. This also increases density which in turn increase the number of people that CAN be in their NA. Third, This neighborhood is literally 2 miles (if that) from the City Center. The city of Florence is growing and everyone that has lived here longer than a year can tell that. For a neighborhood that close to the core, you should expect changes towards indensification. If you moved into that neighborhood even 5 years ago, you should have known this would happen. Indensification helps cities, and neighborhoods alike over all in the long run. 4th and final, Calling a trend towards a denser core is exactly opposite of suburban sprawl, not a symptom of it. Saying that building denser projects is a sign of suburban sprawl shows these people have no clue what suburban sprawl really is.

I say go developers, hope to see more of your work soon. Keep bringing people downtown. That’s what Florence needs.

Cheers

Edited August 21, 2006 by jjoshjl

[scoop]

...possibly by now. but when i was in high school, johnsonville high was 70% white / 30% black. The Johnsonville schools: Johnsonville (the white school) and Stuckey (the black school) integrated peacefully in August 1969 when I was in 5th grade. Being African American, I wasn't very happy with integration because my grades were high and I was separated from all the other African American males & placed in classes where I would be the only African American. Oh well...I soon got over it.

Lake City had or still has far more African Americans than Johnsonville...I no longer hate that I was born in Florence County but when I was a teenager I hated it there, hated anything that was South (save Charleston SC, the City I was named after for some bizarre reason) & I couldn't wait to turn 18 & run far away uncultured/backwards Florence & all that religion...My two younger brothers grew up in SC but was born in New York City & really hated that...but ironically, they are now more Southern than ever & couldn't imagine living anywhere else as that's pretty much where they've stayed all of their lives...

I'll be able to re-discover Johnsonville & South Carolina when I return for a vacation in 2007...mainly to though, to see my family that I haven't seen in nearly 10 years. We've had problems because of my choice of lifestyles.

Here's me last Feb. in my lst Kauai rain...

I am African American too. My father is from the Vox Commuity near J'ville, I used to spend summers working in tobacco on my uncle's farm in the Vox Community. Most of my family also attends church in Vox. I still attend when I visit.

You're right about Lake City, it is over 70% Black. I wish that Blacks and Whites could unite there and annex the properties outside of the city limit. Most of the white population is just outside of the city. I'm also disappointed that a rich Lake City native, who donated 25 million to USC hasn't stepped up with some major developement in the Lake City area.

I may just ride to J'ville on my next visit, I haven't been into that town in years.

[Charles Pearson]

I am African American too. My father is from the Vox Commuity near J'ville, I used to spend summers working in tobacco on my uncle's farm in the Vox Community. Most of my family also attends church in Vox. I still attend when I visit.

You're right about Lake City, it is over 70% Black. I wish that Blacks and Whites could unite there and annex the properties outside of the city limit. Most of the white population is just outside of the city. I'm also disappointed that a rich Lake City native, who donated 25 million to USC hasn't stepped up with some major developement in the Lake City area.

I may just ride to J'ville on my next visit, I haven't been into that town in years.

Hello son of Vox community,

I remember the area called Vox. It was west of Johnsonville Middle School, formerly Stuckey High (9-12) Blue Jays and Stuckey Elementary (1-8). My auntie got her first teaching job at Stuckey High when I was in first grade. And since she coached the girl's basketball team as well, I got to go to every game for free...missing only a couple when I got sick with a bad cold. I used have a major schoolboy crush on the captain of girls team & I carried her senior pic in my wallet for years before I got over her & became a selfish brat ...Not that anything seriously happened between a 17 year and a little 6 year old boy as I was then; though I was crowned King of May Day and little girlfriend, Phyllis, was my Queen. Still I nothing about life or the world & thought Florence was the big city...though, I knew it wasn't bigger than New York or north, which I thought was all urbanized.

My maternal grandfather grew tobacco, corn, cucumbers, watermelons, field peas, butter beans, and host of other things I can't recall. He sold the melons at the State Market in Columbia; and I got to attend several tobacco auctions in Pamplico and Lake City as a curious teenager...

Lake City probably has the biggest black population of all Florence County towns and second only to probably Georgetown in all of SC. My mother's parents, whom I often stayed with, were members of a church in Lake City on Peach Street called Nettie's Temple. As a kid, I remember attending it and being freightened to death of the church mother, Mrs. Nettie King...'cause Mother King sat in the pulput in a corner with her arms crossed over her breast, always wearing the most flamboyant hat with some kind of feather; her roaming eyes seemed to watch every move I made as I was often bored and restless...I'm not so sure if she really liked children; I believe she had one adopted daughter who was a teenager when I could swing my feet back and forth from the church pew 'cause they didn't touch the floor until was 7 or 8 years old. Ms. King lived in a giant 2-story brick house with imposing white columns and long porch; her family also owned the property that her Temple, Nettie's Temple, was erected. The King house looked like a mansion (and prob. was) compared to the small, one story weathered and wood framed houses that surrounded it on Peach Street...

You should take pictures of Johnsonville. I would love to see the town..I remember a friend writing to tell me years ago how excited they were that they had gotten their first MacDonalds on Georgetown Road...

The last time I was in the area was 1998. I stayed in Columbia at my Auntie's; came down and spent two days and nights in Florence county...The now retired white mailman and his wife (I went to high school with their late son, Win, who was five days older than I...in the Class of 1977) took me to dinner at BBQ place in place called Bronson Crossroads (I think)...It was so far in the woods that got kind of nervous at first...But mailman and wife came to visit me in San Francisco not so long ago; they came in the summer when it can get very cold here, so Billy's wife hated San Francisco & said she'd never return...As for me, 'tis hard to leave San Francisco, which has been very good for me.

Edited August 21, 2006 by Zahc

[Charles Pearson]

http://www.morningnewsonline.com/midatlant...08-20-0008.html

interesting article regarding the Gosses and their neighbors fight; i would think these condos/duplexes will be nice...since the Timrod Park area of Florence is quite a jewel or so I recall.

[jjoshjl]

More Signs of Movement towards Downtown...

I know this was already mostly known, but atleast things are moving on it. whats even better is that it wont be too far from the FMU theater either...

The Florence Little Theatre is singing and dancing its way closer to breaking ground on its new location.

http://www.morningnewsonline.com/midatlant...08-24-0012.html

cheers

[jjoshjl]

Center for Performing Arts slated to open in August 2008

FLORENCE

[krazeeboi]

Great news!

[Spartan]

This is indeed great news for Florence. An arts center downtown will be a major boost the city. Florence's biggest mistake in the past may have been putting the Civic Center out by the interstate. This is a great step to remedy that situation.

[flotown]

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)

Edited September 12, 2006 by flotown

[krazeeboi]

I didn't know Sexton was in a new building. I took my aunt there a few years back in the old location, which wasn't a bad one from my recollection. But Florence definitely needs to take some proactive steps in reviving Evans Street. They'd better take a trip to Greenville ASAP.