Breaking the 349 foot Cap...

[distortedlogic]

Ahh, well that sounds encouraging, thanx.

Hopefully the goal will be met

[distortedlogic]

Any rumors, hints, pending announcements btoy, anyone?

[GvilleSC]

Any rumors, hints, pending announcements btoy, anyone?

I just would like to know where in the North End and a possible time frame for finding out. But look on the bright side, the longer it stays under the radar, the better the chances of a quick start to construction after we find out. Look at the Peacock, planning to start in September and it was announce in late July...

I'm kind of afraid about the North End project that Btoy says will be the state's tallest. It's most likely past Academy Street (looking at what currently occupies sites). But if that's the case, then it will be very removed from the City Center portion of Main Street. There will be NO street front retail between the Beattie Place/College Street and the project and therefore nothing to keep people walking. The Landmark building, Towers East, the Ogletree Building, the American Legion building, an old house(?) across the street from the AL, then McPhearson Park exist and are all there to stay. This will become yet another destination district of downtown to add to the City Center and the West End, but I don't want people to use their cars to reach the other areas. It will be even more seperate than Heritage Green, I think.

But don't get me wrong, I welcome the project, certainly. I love to watch Greenville's downtown core expand, which is occuring in all directions currectly. Who knows, maybe Main Street will get its THIRD Subway resturant when the North End becomes more established as a place to be. For the record, although all the West End Historic Distric, the City Center District, and the North End District all share atleast one main drag in common, Main Street, the duplicate Subways are testiment to the fact that they are seperate areas. One day other stores and resturants will exist on both sides of the river and into the North End...

[803metlife]

Honestly, I think it will be Columbia . I don't see any city in s.c. that can match the current downtown developments. If we do get another tower that will be 3 towers in a 4 yrs time. When was the last time any s.c. city has developed a tower in the downtown area????? The way things are going it'll probally be Cola

[distortedlogic]

I understand your concern GvilleSC, but I think your last paragraph hit it. If anything, it will help to expand DT, and bring some infill to the areas between academy and the Tower (assuming that is indeed the spot). (Just look at all the infill between Falls park and West End field. I am still pretty doubtful about this project, but I certainly hope it happens (in my lifetime? )

In regards to the poll question, I have yet to place a vote. I initially thought Cola, but now (after going there recently) think it will probably be MB. Still not sure though.

[Spartan]

Honestly, I think it will be Columbia . I don't see any city in s.c. that can match the current downtown developments. If we do get another tower that will be 3 towers in a 4 yrs time. When was the last time any s.c. city has developed a tower in the downtown area????? The way things are going it'll probally be Cola

Myrtel Beach has new resort/hotel/condo towers going up all the time. More towers than every city in SC combined. Myrtle Beach actually has the most highrises in the Carolinas, period. But the tallest? MB has some sort of unofficial height limit for some reason. That wall of hotels doesn't want to get higher, though there have been several projects proposed that would be the highest.

[GvilleSC]

I don't see any city in s.c. that can match the current downtown developments.

Well maybe you should head up 26 to 385... I'm not saying right now that one city is out developing the other, but I'd say they're neck and neck.

[btoy]

You are off on the location.

[GvilleSC]

I understand your concern GvilleSC, but I think your last paragraph hit it. If anything, it will help to expand DT, and bring some infill to the areas between academy and the Tower (assuming that is indeed the spot). (Just look at all the infill between Falls park and West End field. I am still pretty doubtful about this project, but I certainly hope it happens (in my lifetime? )

But the difference with the West End is that it was dead. They were all vacant buildings, unlike the North End that isn't a destination, but does have things currently there. Whether the location is past Academy on Main or not, there are no totally dead streets in the North End. Maybe it will be close enough to the Hyatt.

[distortedlogic]

Good point, but btoy says this isn't the location. I wonder if he is trying to win back his title of biggest tease from you

SO tell me how likely this thing is looking at this point btoy, and when could we expect an announcement?

[Greenville]

I think North Main (closer to Beattie Place) is more likely than the North End (closer to Stone Avenue) for a new tower - especially since 3 of our towers are currently along Beattie Place.

I hope btoy can shed some more light on this for us!

[GvilleSC]

This map puts the North End starting at Beattie Pl. So, there's a lot possiblities...

Downtown Greenville (PDF)

[monsoon]

But the tallest? MB has some sort of unofficial height limit for some reason. That wall of hotels doesn't want to get higher, though there have been several projects proposed that would be the highest.

In the case of the hotels, the limit in size was caused by the requirement that for every hotel room, the hotel had to also provide a parking spot. Since it is not possible there to dig down to provide underground parking, the hotels were limited in how many rooms they could put up. Several of the newer places have solved the problem by buying the property across the street, tearing it down and building a parking deck. I have been told this restriction has been removed however so taller buildings are going to be in the works.

The value of the land there has gotten so high that economically it makes sense to build tall buildings. People are making a lot of money there by renting places for $350/night or more there a night. Of course the more rooms the more money made and hence the incentive to build taller places. What I think is going to happen is that once you see the pavillion closed, that entire area from there down to the other amusement park is eventually going to be redeveloped. All of those 50s-70s hotelswill be demolished and some really tall towers built.

Of course it is a pretty stupid idea to put so many people right at sea level because if a hurricane comes in, there is simply no way to evacuate the multitudes of these people out of there.

[waccamatt]

Of course it is a pretty stupid idea to put so many people right at sea level because if a hurricane comes in, there is simply no way to evacuate the multitudes of these people out of there.

...and then all the idiots will be on TV crying because they lost everything at their oceanfront condo because of a hurricane. I have no sympathy for people that intentionally build in known flood zones and directly on the ocean and then complain when water destroys their place. I HAVE seen some realistic people interviewed after hurricanes who are very philosophical about their oceanfront homes being damaged, but look at the Mississippi coast - the storm surge came inland about a half mile; why couldn't those people have gotten homes far enough inland that they would be out of the range of the storm surge?

[Greenville]

Of course it is a pretty stupid idea to put so many people right at sea level because if a hurricane comes in, there is simply no way to evacuate the multitudes of these people out of there.

...and then all the idiots will be on TV crying because they lost everything at their oceanfront condo because of a hurricane. I have no sympathy for people that intentionally build in known flood zones and directly on the ocean and then complain when water destroys their place. I HAVE seen some realistic people interviewed after hurricanes who are very philosophical about their oceanfront homes being damaged, but look at the Mississippi coast - the storm surge came inland about a half mile; why couldn't those people have gotten homes far enough inland that they would be out of the range of the storm surge?

I hope your post is a poor attempt at a joke, rather than your true opinion. Many people die in hurricanes, and those who don't often lose their homes. Do you have any idea how heartbreaking that must be? Perhaps those people didn't choose to live there. Maybe their parents lived there, and thus they do too. Maybe they did choose to move there, but for some reason didn't know the risks involved.

[goodbye]

Of course it is a pretty stupid idea to put so many people right at sea level because if a hurricane comes in, there is simply no way to evacuate the multitudes of these people out of there.

...and then all the idiots will be on TV crying because they lost everything at their oceanfront condo because of a hurricane. I have no sympathy for people that intentionally build in known flood zones and directly on the ocean and then complain when water destroys their place. I HAVE seen some realistic people interviewed after hurricanes who are very philosophical about their oceanfront homes being damaged, but look at the Mississippi coast - the storm surge came inland about a half mile; why couldn't those people have gotten homes far enough inland that they would be out of the range of the storm surge?

Waccamatt does make a good point, IMO. It is the anger toward others (government, charitable aid groups, etc...) which upsets me most. The losses have been tremendous, but in the case of the flooding into a city sitting below sea level, common sense should have been considered (and acted upon) prior to the devastation. What occured was not a complete shock to those who had been reading and listening to expert forecasters.

Metro.m has a valid argument as well. Major traffic jams of fleeing tourists and residents have been seen in this state before, and if a powerful hurricane does bear down on Myrtle Beach at peak season, how long will it take to evacuate everyone from that one location, let alone the entire Grand Strand region? I guess it is little different in Florida though. Hopefully SC will get it right, if such a dreadful case happens here again.

[krazeeboi]

I'm with Matt on this one. No way you can live so close to the ocean and not know the great risks that come with that. Everytime it's man vs. nature, guess who will win?

[The_sandlapper]

Yeah, it's kinda like building a house in the middle of the highway and then complaining about having to dodge cars while on your way to check the mail.

[monsoon]

The last hurricane to hit Myrtle Beach was Hazel in 1956. Obviously there are very few people there now that were alive when that disaster happened so hurricanes are not really in the minds of people in Myrtle Beach. My Dad remembers it and built a house that can withstand 200mph winds and is not flood prone, but I will say that most of the construction there is no where near this spec level.

A direct hit on MB today would cause a lot of destruction. Probably the most destruction ever seen in the state of SC. If it were to come in on a busy summer weekend I can see the spectre of having to move 500,000 people out of an area that is not served by an interstate, or for that matter any limited access highways.

Aside from that however, I don't think this fact will have any bearing on the constuction in MB.

[803metlife]

There is no doubt that MB will build something to break the 349 cap someday if not the first. But for a tower in the CBD I still have to go with Cola. There's alot city with planned towers but if you check the track record for towers actually going up. Cola wins hand down

[sonofaque86]

^^^...Yeah outside of MB I go with Columbia...But MB probably has the most towers in the entire Carolina's being built outside of Charlotte and I wont be surprised if one of them ends up taller than the capitol center

[waccamatt]

I hope your post is a poor attempt at a joke, rather than your true opinion. Many people die in hurricanes, and those who don't often lose their homes. Do you have any idea how heartbreaking that must be? Perhaps those people didn't choose to live there. Maybe their parents lived there, and thus they do too. Maybe they did choose to move there, but for some reason didn't know the risks involved.

I'm not joking, although I have alot of empathy for people that are hurt or lose their lives. The fact is - the local, state and federal governments shouldn't allow people to continue to build in such flood prone areas. It isn't like we don't know what can happen. If businesses and individuals can afford to insure themselves without assistance and they are prepared to deal with the consequences of a hurricane, then go right ahead and build, but to subsidize insurance for the (mostly) wealthy people that live on the ocean is ridiculous.

To make a comparison, look at the rivers in Columbia. There is a reason that many people don't live right along the rivers and there is a reason that we fought tooth and nail to keep Burroughs and Chapin from building in a flood zone here. Floods are somewhat contained in the city because of Lake Murray. The biggest threats are now south of Olympia down to Congaree Swamp; the dam has almost eliminated the flood threat in downtown Columbia and West Columbia.

[803metlife]

^^^...Yeah outside of MB I go with Columbia...But MB probably has the most towers in the entire Carolina's being built outside of Charlotte and I wont be surprised if one of them ends up taller than the capitol center

I read on a website listing how many towers certain city's have. MB already has more towers than Charlotte. Almost double the amount of towers Charlotte has.

[GvilleSC]

Someone has voted... Greenville has taken the lead in the poll.

[Spartan]

I'm not joking, although I have alot of empathy for people that are hurt or lose their lives. The fact is - the local, state and federal governments shouldn't allow people to continue to build in such flood prone areas. It isn't like we don't know what can happen. If businesses and individuals can afford to insure themselves without assistance and they are prepared to deal with the consequences of a hurricane, then go right ahead and build, but to subsidize insurance for the (mostly) wealthy people that live on the ocean is ridiculous.

To make a comparison, look at the rivers in Columbia. There is a reason that many people don't live right along the rivers and there is a reason that we fought tooth and nail to keep Burroughs and Chapin from building in a flood zone here. Floods are somewhat contained in the city because of Lake Murray. The biggest threats are now south of Olympia down to Congaree Swamp; the dam has almost eliminated the flood threat in downtown Columbia and West Columbia.

Almost is definately the key word. You do have Lake Murray, which controls the Saluda somewhat, but then you have the Broad River, which is one of the largest undamed river systems in the Southeast that messes it up for the Congaree.