Scott Towers highrise to be demolished?

[apaladin]

That rendering looks way too long for the ST site. This is a narrow lot.

[RiverWalker]

Implosion scheduled for 9:30 in the morning on Sunday, January 19. There's a neighborhood information meeting scheduled at 6:00 p.m. this Wednesday (January 8) at the Garden Apartments to go over the safety plan, street closings etc. Detailed schedule at http://www.wspa.com/story/24358316/crews-prepare-to-implode-scott-towers-in-greenville

[Greenville]

Implosion scheduled for 9:30 in the morning on Sunday, January 19. There's a neighborhood information meeting scheduled at 6:00 p.m. this Wednesday (January 8) at the Garden Apartments to go over the safety plan, street closings etc. Detailed schedule at http://www.wspa.com/story/24358316/crews-prepare-to-implode-scott-towers-in-greenville

 

Although not as significant a building as Greenville Memorial Auditorium was, the implosion of this will be more dramatic due to the height of the building.  I hope this gets captured on camera by someone because I'd love to see it.

[gman430]

Although not as significant a building as Greenville Memorial Auditorium was, the implosion of this will be more dramatic due to the height of the building. I hope this gets captured on camera by someone because I'd love to see it.

If nothing comes up, I am planning to film the implosion with my GoPro.

[RiverWalker]

All local news media will be there, at a minimum, though I'm pretty sure there will be a lot more than those cameras capturing the event, with results appearing on YouTube just a few moments later.

[RiverWalker]

"...the city is setting up a viewing area on Dunbar Street by Greenville High School." [source: http://www.wspa.com/story/24399607/greenville-officials-spread-word-on-scott-towers-implosion-safety-plan]

[apaladin]

^{Personally I see this site going undeveloped for many years like the Gateway site. The story I heard is they might start preliminary site construction the end of 2015. That is 2 years! Then the always dreaded phrase "depending on financing". How many projects that used that phrase was ever built??}

[vicupstate]

I doubt HUD would allow that. I would expect penalties and other provisions to prevent that. Plus Gateway had horrible access, not the case here.

[Galley]

The implosion was quite the spectacle!

[btoy]

Here is a video that was posted to r/Greenville on reddit.

[Galley]

Here are my own videos:

https://cloud.real.com/s/WFWSgP

https://cloud.real.com/s/XxzsXP

[apaladin]

Hope I am wrong but I could see the "developers" sitting on this lot for 5-10 years then selling it for a nice profit. Anytime someone is talking about a development 3-5 years down the road I am very skeptical. How much will the cost to build increase in 5 years?

[vicupstate]

HUD had several offers to choose from, this type of project is typical for this developer. There are multiple phases to this project. If 3-5 years id the completion date, that is pretty standard.

[vicupstate]

http://www.greenvillejournal.com/local/2864-redevelopment-of-scott-towers-could-take-a-while.html

[gman430]

[GvilleSC]

I understand that things are in motion for this site again.

[ausrutherford]

I understand that things are in motion for this site again.

 

A new plan, or the old plan?

[MAJIKMAN]

Yeah. Inquiring minds want to know.

[GvilleSC]

The original developer backed out, as we know. All I know is that they're currently looking for an architect. How a new developer affects things remains to be seen, but they must have a new developer lined up to pursue to the project, or serious interest.

[vicupstate]

From the Greenville News

 

 

 What’s going on at the former Scott Tower site?

Amy in short: If the original redevelopment plans had panned out, you’d be seeing the first signs of construction at the Augusta Street site by now. But, alas, the Greenville Housing Authority, which owns the site, is back at square one.

A bit more: The 44-year-old Scott Tower was brought crashing to the ground in a matter of seconds in January 2014.

The implosion came a few years after a report found significant defects that posed safety hazards for the building’s nearly 200 elderly residents and would cost millions to repair.

The plan at the time of the implosion was for St. Louis-based developer McCormack Baron Salazar to construct a multi-building development with 150 low-income senior apartments and 200 other housing units for mixed-income families. Construction was predicted to start in early 2015.

And then it didn’t.

“The developer at that time and the Housing Authority were not able to come to a mutual agreement on the final plan,” said Ivory Mathews, executive director of Greenville Housing Authority.

Mathews assumed leadership of the organization in August 2014, after the deal had fallen apart, and did not have details about the disagreement. A representative for McCormack Baron Salazar could not be reached for comment.

“The Housing Authority regrouped and is now looking at a different alternative,” Mathews said.

A new conceptual plan has been created by local architecture firm McMillan Pazdan Smith, and the Housing Authority is close to issuing a call for a development partner for the project.

“It’s our hope to at least have a master developer on board by the end of the year,” Mathews said.

The current plan, which will be financed through a mix of public and private funds, calls for 44 low-income senior housing units amid the 165 residences slated for the space. Five buildings, each with four stories, are planned on the 3.8-acre site, along with retail space, pool and a park area, she said.

It’s only a dent in replacing the 195 low-income senior units that were lost when Scott Tower closed in March 2013.

“We’ve made a commitment to replace those units back through the community,” Mathews said.

Construction is expected to begin soon on 55 new units at Brookhaven in West Greenville. A contract is expected to close this summer for 42 new units in Westview. And an additional 60 units in the Heritage community, on the site of the former Jesse Jackson Townhomes, are in the funding application stage.

There is currently no timeline for construction at the Scott Tower site.

The need for low-income housing is overwhelming, Mathews said.

The Housing Authority opened its waiting list for one week in August 2014 — it had not been open at all for the previous five years — and received more than 4,000 applications.

“We also see walking through our doors people that we can’t help,” Mathews said. “There’s a tremendous need for housing for seniors and affording housing period.”

Got a question? Send it to Q&Amy by emailing me at [email protected] or calling 864-298-3822. You can find me on Twitter at @QandAmyNews.

 

[GvilleSC]

Something about the way they describe the new plan sounds less than urban. I hope it's just a poor description and word choice.

[vicupstate]

Five four-story buildings with retail on 3.8 acres, sounds pretty urban. Remember there is already a mid-rise building next to the site.  Considering the architects have their offices essentially across the street, would lead me to believe they would adhere to a solid design.   

[goodbye]

I hate the words, "taxpayer-funded, affordable, low-income housing." Sounds like another ghetto 'hood in Greenville. I do not mind helping people who genuinely need help. Unfortunately many people who actually do not need it, yet do not want to work hard, save money, and increase wealth with dignity, take advantage of a broken social system and ultimately become a burden on society. In many cases, they have never been taught how to maximize their potential to become economically productive citizens in the U.S.A.

[gvegascple]

The two low income sites (Perry and Textile) slated to be demo'd to take up the slack for the loss in low income senior housing have been known for rival gang activity so I am happy to see them go.  I hope that the Scott Towers site doesnt take up the slack for the lost gang activity when those are gone.  Probably not is my guess, just concerned.  I think the less customers that gangs have for selling drugs to, the less their presence, and that Greenville's downtown and surrounding areas do "seem" to be improving in that regard.

 

I think this thread could easily go off the rails into a Baltimore/Fergusson type discussion, there are a lot of things that have to change and putting the blame solely on the people in those situations is a really broad generalization and is not very fair.  Low income areas are targeted or profiled (arguably rightly so) by police which puts the citizens there (inlcuding kids) at much higher odds of being arrested ( I get it, stay out of trouble if you dont want to be arrested) and once you are in the system, its hard to get out.  The odds of a stupid decision ruining your life is much higher in low income areas IMHO.

 

The challenge of housing low income vs housing criminals must be very complicated and above my head, my best to Greenville's planners with regard to doing what is best for all of its citizens (affluent, low income and everyone in between).

Edited May 11, 2015 by gvegascple

[MAJIKMAN]

I hate the words, "taxpayer-funded, affordable, low-income housing." Sounds like another ghetto 'hood in Greenville. I do not mind helping people who genuinely need help. Unfortunately many people who actually do not need it, yet do not want to work hard, save money, and increase wealth with dignity, take advantage of a broken social system and ultimately become a burden on society. In many cases, they have never been taught how to maximize their potential to become economically productive citizens in the U.S.A.

What a shame. What a shame. I thought those days were over and done with. Your whole statement was asinine. To put people down because you know don't know why they behave the way they do is beyond me.

Look I do know what you are trying to say. As a society there's got to be a way of making these areas less prominent. With more integration of the classes. West Greenville is a start as well as a few others in the city. But the kinds of comments like yours do not help.

Edited May 12, 2015 by MAJIKMAN