Greenville Mall

[upstate29650]

There is an article in this morning's Greenville News stating that the Greenville Mall is under contract to be purchased by Gulfside Development of Miami. They will likely raze the mall, but not the theatre. They may wait and see what the best thing to do is, but will not likely operate the mall as it has been operated in the past.

The GN's web site does not seem to have the story up yet. I'll link it when I find it, or someone else can link it later.

Here you go: Link

[RestedTraveler]

These are the developers that created Downtown Dadeland (near Miami). It's a pretty large-scale mixed-use development and has that "Main Street" feel. There are some photos, etc. on the "Miami/South Florida" U.P. forum.

You can check out more here, too.

I suspect they may just sit on the property for a while though, as a speculative investment, rather than undertake any major changes right away. The article hints at that, too.

[csedwards72]

These are the developers that created Downtown Dadeland (near Miami). It's a pretty large-scale mixed-use development and has that "Main Street" feel. There are some photos, etc. on the "Miami/South Florida" U.P. forum.

You can check out more here, too.

I suspect they may just sit on the property for a while though, as a speculative investment, rather than undertake any major changes right away. The article hints at that, too.

Agreed. With Greenridge opening and Haywood nearby, there aren't that many destination anchors available for a redevelopment of Greenville Mall now.

I wish Parisian would return, but I think it would go to Haywood rather than another retail development.

[greenvilleguy]

I wish developers could create something similar to Atlantic Station in Atlanta. It is a great mixed use development with an urban city feel...retail and a 16 screen cinema on street level and hotel and condo space above. Here is the website:

http://www.atlanticstation.com/

I definately think Greenville could support something like this...There is so much retail that is not here and Haywood cannot take anything else unless it loses something and that kind of defeats the purpose.

[GvilleSC]

Great news.

I'd still like to see this happen: Raze the mall, build multiple midrise residential structures- possibly something even along the lines of Pendelton West, but without the shopping. And then let all of the Retail space head to Verdae's little "downtown". There's no way in my mind that the Verdae Marketfair, Woodruff's abundance of shopping, the Greenville Mall site AND Verdae can all exist...

[csedwards72]

Great news.

I'd still like to see this happen: Raze the mall, build multiple midrise residential structures- possibly something even along the lines of Pendelton West, but without the shopping. And then let all of the Retail space head to Verdae's little "downtown". There's no way in my mind that the Verdae Marketfair, Woodruff's abundance of shopping, the Greenville Mall site AND Verdae can all exist...

Agreed. Maybe something along these lines could be done:

http://www.citycentrehouston.com

Town & Country Mall was an upscale mall in Houston that was killed by a larger mid-market mall nearby, just as Greenville Mall lost out to Haywood Mall.

[RestedTraveler]

Downtown Dadeland

Atlantic Station

City Centre Houston

They're all great mixed-use re-development projects.

I'd like to say that I agree with GvilleSC with respect to the Greenville Mall being replaced with mid-rise residential units (no retail); however, I don't see that happening. One of the reasons that Gulfside is purchasing the Greenville Mall is it's location in proximity to several demographic segments that they find attractive for retail opportunities.

I suspect they'll do essentially the same thing with the Greenville Mall site that they did with the old Dadeland Mall (Downtown Dadeland) when all is said and done.

[csedwards72]

In case you want to re-live Greenville Mall's past:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000118080254/...nvillemall.com/

This is a directory of the mall before it went under, although after Parisian was converted into Proffitt's.

Hopefully Greenville Mall's redevelopment will be followed by Bell Tower Mall's demolition- leaving only one dead mall, McAlister Square.

[RestedTraveler]

Talk about a place where some mid-rise residential units should be built...that's it! I think it would be a great idea if the University Ridge / Bell Tower Mall were developed and the county offices were moved to a new "County Square" high rise (the high rise doesn't have to be square though), perhaps near the new Federal Court House. I'd love to be able to live in a mid-rise up on University Ridge overlooking downtown greenville and the parks. That'd be very cool!

[g-man430]

^^Personally I would like to see the County Office Square stay (old bell tower mall) because you can get all of your county stuff at one place instead of having to go to different places to get it. However though, if they were to build a highrise with all of the county offices in it then i would like to see the old bell tower mall razed and turned into something else.

[csedwards72]

^^Personally I would like to see the County Office Square stay (old bell tower mall) because you can get all of your county stuff at one place instead of having to go to different places to get it. However though, if they were to build a highrise with all of the county offices in it then i would like to see the old bell tower mall razed and turned into something else.

The county offices could easily go back downtown, perhaps in the proposed redevelopment of City Hall. I just don't see that a dead mall used as class B office space is the best use of the land where Bell Tower Mall is; maybe the county could make some money from selling the land and could also help spearhead one of the stillborn towers downtown by moving.

County Square looks better than Bell Tower did when it died but it's still a cheaply-built box surrounded by asphalt.

[NYTransplant]

Talk about a place where some mid-rise residential units should be built...that's it! I think it would be a great idea if the University Ridge / Bell Tower Mall were developed and the county offices were moved to a new "County Square" high rise (the high rise doesn't have to be square though), perhaps near the new Federal Court House. I'd love to be able to live in a mid-rise up on University Ridge overlooking downtown greenville and the parks. That'd be very cool!

Would that mean you'd stay?

[GvilleSC]

AHHHHHHH! I had a vision!!!!

Ok, I've said before the development along Church St. diagonal from County Sq is being developed into multiple midrise buildings. wouldn't it be absolutely AWESOME if County sq was designed the same and the two areas fit together like a hand and a glove? And then the property across from County Sq could be developed like this too. It'd be like this little village overlooking downtown from one of the BEST views there is. It'd be like a little European hill side town. Remember that picture from the Richardson St Garage that someone posted and you could see Montebello among the trees along side the mountain? oh yes, something that would end up looking like that from the Central Business District... And it would be quite a welcoming site as you enter downtown from the south!

Yea it's pretty much what you've all been saying... BUT I've seen the rendering and it's all coming together in my head.

[upstate29650]

The county offices could easily go back downtown, perhaps in the proposed redevelopment of City Hall. I just don't see that a dead mall used as class B office space is the best use of the land where Bell Tower Mall is; maybe the county could make some money from selling the land and could also help spearhead one of the stillborn towers downtown by moving.

County Square looks better than Bell Tower did when it died but it's still a cheaply-built box surrounded by asphalt.

Nah, keep the offices where they are. Move them downtown, and it will be a parking nightmare...one you have to pay for. I like the offices where they are, and all the free parking.

[NYTransplant]

Great news.

I'd still like to see this happen: Raze the mall, build multiple midrise residential structures- possibly something even along the lines of Pendelton West, but without the shopping. And then let all of the Retail space head to Verdae's little "downtown". There's no way in my mind that the Verdae Marketfair, Woodruff's abundance of shopping, the Greenville Mall site AND Verdae can all exist...

If I lived there, I'd hate to have to leave home when Woodruff is really busy. Getting out of that area can be tough. Otherwise, I think its a great idea.

[NYTransplant]

AHHHHHHH! I had a vision!!!!

Ok, I've said before the development along Church St. diagonal from County Sq is being developed into multiple midrise buildings. wouldn't it be absolutely AWESOME if County sq was designed the same and the two areas fit together like a hand and a glove? And then the property across from County Sq could be developed like this too. It'd be like this little village overlooking downtown from one of the BEST views there is. It'd be like a little European hill side town. Remember that picture from the Richardson St Garage that someone posted and you could see Montebello among the trees along side the mountain? oh yes, something that would end up looking like that from the Central Business District... And it would be quite a welcoming site as you enter downtown from the south!

Yea it's pretty much what you've all been saying... BUT I've seen the rendering and it's all coming together in my head.

I like it GvilleSC! I can picture it too.

Nah, keep the offices where they are. Move them downtown, and it will be a parking nightmare...one you have to pay for. I like the offices where they are, and all the free parking.

Is parking really that bad downtown? I've never had a problem, but I'm never really there during a business day.

[GvilleSC]

Nah, keep the offices where they are. Move them downtown, and it will be a parking nightmare...one you have to pay for. I like the offices where they are, and all the free parking.

I disagree. If you move it downtown then position it next to a parking garage... Businesses can give you little like monopoly dollars issued by the city to pay for your parking fee and IT'S FREE! it's so easy- so there's not a problem with parking!

[upstate29650]

I disagree. If you move it downtown then position it next to a parking garage... Businesses can give you little like monopoly dollars issued by the city to pay for your parking fee and IT'S FREE! it's so easy- so there's not a problem with parking!

Businesses CAN? Shoulda, woulda, coulda? I don't see that happening.

Sorry, a central location with a LARGE & FREE parking lot, and NO downtown traffic headaches, like the current set up, makes more sense to me.

[gs3]

AHHHHHHH! I had a vision!!!!

Ok, I've said before the development along Church St. diagonal from County Sq is being developed into multiple midrise buildings. wouldn't it be absolutely AWESOME if County sq was designed the same and the two areas fit together like a hand and a glove? And then the property across from County Sq could be developed like this too. It'd be like this little village overlooking downtown from one of the BEST views there is. It'd be like a little European hill side town. Remember that picture from the Richardson St Garage that someone posted and you could see Montebello among the trees along side the mountain? oh yes, something that would end up looking like that from the Central Business District... And it would be quite a welcoming site as you enter downtown from the south!

Yea it's pretty much what you've all been saying... BUT I've seen the rendering and it's all coming together in my head.

I like your vision GvilleSC!

[Greenville]

Parking in downtown Greenville is never a problem if you ask me. How often does the average person have to go to county square anyway? A few times a year at most?

I really like the idea of putting the county offices downtown. County Square could be razed and residential/mixed-use could go up there. The views of downtown would be amazing. And parking could be validated for a nearby building and it wouldn't be a problem for people having to pay to park.

This makes so much sense to me.

[GvilleSC]

I know that many people who work downtown use county square. this perhaps could be a draw to the CBD for businesses who would be using County Square's services and such to locate downtown... perhaps?

[vicupstate]

I agree that County Square needs to be converted to mixed use space. Such a unique and prime spot should be put to better use than county offices. Plus I don't like the way it makes the Governor's School practically invisible.

Parking downtown isn't that big a deal to me, but you have to accept that you aren't going to be able to 'see' your destination from your parking space. If the county offices were downtown, most people would pay rather than walk two blocks. I would estimate 99% of the county's residents visit the county offices once a year or less.

I would like to see a mid-to-high rise building go up across from the county courthouse and diagonal from the future Federal Courthouse.

Ideally, there would be a public/private joint venture that would take up 2-3 blocks along E. North. A combination city hall/county office building could consume most of the space with an adjoining office building built for attorneys to lease space.

Here are some pictures of the area I am referring to. It is mostly surface parking now, with two nondescript buildings, Lyons and Palmetto Bank. This would also allow Palmetto Bank to anchor a major new building elsewhere downtown.

The problem is the County Council isn't known for being visionary.

[NYTransplant]

I agree vicupstate. All you need to do is throw a DMV in there and you have one stop shopping.

[RestedTraveler]

I agree 100%, vicupstate. This is the very location I had in mind earlier as well. It would be an ideal for such a use. NYT is right, too. Throw a DMV in there and you've got one-stop-shopping for nearly all needs for which you would interface with local and state government.

[vicupstate]

I agree vicupstate. All you need to do is throw a DMV in there and you have one stop shopping.

I agree 100%, vicupstate. This is the very location I had in mind earlier as well. It would be an ideal for such a use. NYT is right, too. Throw a DMV in there and you've got one-stop-shopping for nearly all needs for which you would interface with local and state government.

Good Idea NYT.

If only the County Council were as progressive as UP.