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New Greenville developments


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At the current rate, I'd be glad to see almost anything go up in that spot. Glad if its more than 10, happy if its more than 15, and damn near estatic if it 20 plus. All that I can say is that please please don't waste that space. In fact, today while driving down North St, I got the crazy idea lets build something behind Ivey Sq, in that parking lot. Lets put more residential units up top, with retail on the first two floors. Sorry for the rant, gotta get my ideas across somehow.

-Mike

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Here is an article from this mournings greenville news. It talks about a few things including the gateway site, the new 13 story tower, the REbuilding of the old Town Hall, and others.

Article

Business expansion to bring 200 new jobs

Posted Monday, December 13, 2004 - 10:18 pm

By John Boyanoski

STAFF WRITER

[email protected]

Greenville residents may see changes coming to the downtown Greenville skyline and an influx of 200 jobs.

City Council gave approval Monday night for a new developer to take a crack at the Gateway site. The Council also approved changes to the front of the Liberty Square towers and discussed plans to begin building a new street-level City Hall.

Council members also authorized the creation of a multi-county industrial park for a parcel of land downtown to entice Alegis Group to add 200 workers here, according to city documents. The designation allows the company to claim state tax credits of $1,000 per new employee.

Alegis Group will expand its work force to 600 employees in its offices inside the Wachovia Building on Main Street, city documents show. Alegis is a national collections firm that specializes in consumer debt recovery.

The added workers will help provide vehicles to fill parking spaces in downtown garages as well as increase the daily downtown population, said Nancy Whitworth, city economic development director. Alegis is one of the largest employers downtown, she said.

Downtown that has become an economic and cultural hub of the Upstate, but has struggled in filling its growing office market. The Gateway and City Hall projects could bring more downtown office space, and they come on top of plans for a 13-story tower to be built on Main Street that also includes more office space.

The new office space doesn't necessarily mean Greenville's downtown will see new jobs immediately, said Otis White, president of the Atlanta-based Civic Strategies.

Many times people build when they get the money not when they have actual tenants.

A lack of tenants has killed three other companies that have tried to build at Gateway, located at the corner of Church and East North streets and once the site of Memorial Auditorium, which was demolished.

Called the "Gateway" because it sits at the foot of Interstate 385, it has been vacant for seven years. Potential developers said a poor nationwide economy and not the site itself doomed their efforts.

The business office market has been slow to rebound since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A lot of companies downsized and haven't returned to former staffing levels, said David Feehan, president of the International Downtowns Association.

Candy Group, LLC has until Feb. 28 to come up with plans for the Gateway site, said City Manager Jim Bourey. City officials would not say who is in the Candy Group and state records did not reveal that, either.

Candy Group wishes to purchase the 1.88-acre property, but city documents do not state a sale price.

Council members also approved spending $611,000 to upgrade the areas in front of a city-owned garage between the two downtown Liberty towers, according to city documents. The property owners will also redo the landscaping around their buildings in order to increase pedestrian traffic.

Council members also discussed in a closed meeting plans for a proposed new City Hall to be built adjacent to the current 10-story structure on Main Street, Bourey said. They wanted to create parameters for potential developers to consider when bringing their plans to the city.

Mayor Knox White announced plans for a new City Hall last December that would resemble the reddish-brown building torn down more than 30 years ago.

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Today the Greenville News reported that the plans for The Camperdown Condo have been revised from 8 floors and 30 units to 12 floors and 71 units, the full article is below.

Downtown condo project revived

Posted Monday, December 20, 2004 - 11:22 pm

By Rudolph Bell

BUSINESS WRITER

[email protected]

An Atlanta developer has revived stalled plans to build a large condominium building along the banks of the Reedy River near the Academy Street Bridge in downtown Greenville.

When Greenville businessman Ben McDaniel first unveiled The Camperdown project in 2003, plans called for 30 residences in an eight-story building.

The new developer, Southcorp Development & Investments LLC of Atlanta, has expanded the project to a 12-story building with 71 residences, private parking and a rooftop pool.

"It looks like it's a definite go this go around," said Gordon Seay, development manager for The Marchant Co. of Greenville, which is handling sales.

Mike Talley, Southcorp president, said construction should begin this summer and be finished in 10 months to a year. The site, just less than two acres, is along Reedy View Drive just east of Academy Street Bridge, across the street from Linky Stone Park.

"So far the reservations we have are primarily people who actually plan to be the owner and the user" as opposed to investors, Talley said.

He said Southcorp develops, invests in and builds beachfront condominiums, subdivisions, golf course communities and commercial buildings on the East Coast and is currently developing in the Florida Panhandle. The company's construction division, DM Constructors, is based in Greenville, although Harper Corp. has been hired to build The Camperdown, Talley said.

Residences in the condominium project will range in size from 900 square feet to 2,500 square feet, and in price from $175,000 to $600,000, Talley said. He said six penthouses will be two stories in height, and the entire building will have about 97,000 square feet.

"We're taking reservations now," Talley said. "And we will be formally announcing in mid-January and kicking off our full marketing campaign."

Talley said he thinks there remains a strong market for condominium residences in downtown Greenville, despite the plethora of such projects in recent years.

"The buzz in the Atlanta area is that Greenville is the next up and coming area," said Talley, former project manager at The Cliffs at Glassy, the golf course community in northern Greenville County.

Talley said an aerial photograph shows that the site where The Camperdown is planned stayed above water during the unusual Reedy River flooding in July. Reedy View Drive was under water, but "our piece of ground was the only piece that was not under water," he said.

McDaniel, meanwhile, has bought the riding stables at Cleveland Park in Greenville.

"I actually live in the barn now," he said, although he will have a residence on the top floor of The Camperdown once it's built.

McDaniel said he didn't have time for condominium development after he bought the stables. "That is my true love, the horses."

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Ya it should be right near Riverplace.

As for renderings, Marchant Company is doing the sales and marketing and they had been publishing full page adds with a randering for the smaller design, I have yet to see a rendering of the new design. I should have no problem getting a rendering once they starting marketing and the beggining of the year. Keep checking out www.marchantco.com at some point I am sure tehy will put something up there.

BTW I am a real estate agent so if there is anyone interested in buying a condo in Greenville just let me know. I would love to help you out.

Brad

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I picked up a copy tonight at Stax's, and to be completely honest, I've seen crayon work from a three yr old that looked better. I was rather disapointed in what I saw. Needless to say, I'm not going to gripe about it, I'm glad to see more residential going up in downtown. Now, all they need is a Stop&Shop and more annexation. Frankly, I've always liked the smaller corner grocery like Fresh Market more than the WalMart type of grocery stores. But, if we can bring the conviences back to downtown, it's going to make it so much better.

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Ya it should be right near Riverplace. 

As for renderings, Marchant Company is doing the sales and marketing and they had been publishing full page adds with a randering for the smaller design, I have yet to see a rendering of the new design.  I should have no problem getting a rendering once they starting marketing and the beggining of the year.  Keep checking out www.marchantco.com at some point I am sure tehy will put something up there.

BTW I am a real estate agent so if there is anyone interested in buying a condo in Greenville just let me know.  I would love to help you out.

Brad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd be interested to see some prices.

From what I understand that is a very good possibility that there will be a grocery store in the Riverplace project.  I have been to some of the information meeting and they have mentioned that they are trying to recruit one.

Brad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably a Publix. That would be the best choice I think.

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Greetings to all you Carolina urbanites! :D

Although I've never posted and am new to this forum, I'd like to say that it has been enjoyable to read the many previous posts by members from the G-ville area. I absolutely have a great passion to see The city and surrounding upstate metro area become a destiny for all who will see it in the future.

Along with the many projects you've mentioned, I'd like to remind you of the new addition to the GC LEC and Detention Center, which should be breaking ground this year.

Also, does anyone have any further details on the $50+ million Federal courthouse planned for downtown? The Last I heard was that it was possibly going to be pushed back several years; however no definite timeline was given.

Thanks for the informative postings!!! Keep 'em coming! :thumbsup:

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The first ones are from the West End, on Augusta, about a half mile from where I live. The third and fourth ones are from University Ridge. I'm hoping that this week I'll be able to get some urban shots of the city. Just need to clean the camera lenses. Anyways, if anyone in the forum who's in Greenville want to meet up and discuss the future and ideas for Greenville, please email me. michael.jarvis(at)gmx(dot)net

Remember what I said several months ago. You can't expect the idiots on council to do what we want or need when they are more concerned with the BS with baseball. If you want change and better future, make it happen, don't wait for the world to pass us by. If we get our ideas out to the mainstream and media, then people who like those ideas will start to come out of the woodwork. Then council will see our logic and hell, maybe even listen to what we've got to say.

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Spartan: "I haven't heard of this couthouse project. Do you have any other info about it?"

If you can wait a short while I'll see if I can dig up the last article I read. I'm not sure if I still have it though. Things tend to become a mess after gathering several years worth of periodicals, newspaper clippings, and local magazine issues. :w00t:

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Here's an article from sometime this year relating to the new Federal courthouse in downtown Greenville. Take note of the size requirements. Enjoy! :D

Funds for a new Greenville federal courthouse get nod

Bill must pass House, Senate

The Greenville News

By John Boyanoski

STAFF WRITER

A U.S. House committee has authorized $8.3 million in site and design work for a new downtown Greenville federal courthouse, but the full House and Senate will have to approve the money before work can begin, a court system spokesman said Thursday.

Federal officials have been pushing for a new courthouse for years, saying the current 65-year-old structure is outdated and a security risk.

City officials want a courthouse to become an anchor for new construction and revitalization efforts away from Main Street -- specifically along West Washington Street about a mile from the current site, said Mayor Knox White.

"The challenge is to find the space," he said. "Sites are going quickly."

However, it is up to the federal government to find the space, said Dick Carelli, spokesman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. According to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure resolution, the new courthouse would require 257,347 square feet of space and 74 parking spots.

The $8.3 million authorization is the first step in funding the new courthouse, Carelli said.

"It is a helpful and hopeful step," he said.

The existing courthouse is cramped, which is evidenced by one elevator and a holding cell for one of the magistrate courtrooms accessed only through a Court of Appeals judge chamber.

There are no offices for federal prosecutors, public defenders, probation or pretrial workers.

Attorney Cameron "Bozzie" Boggs said a new courthouse would help if it could put those offices under one roof.

"It makes it difficult because you have four government offices spread out instead of in one centralized location, which would make things move much smoother," said Boggs, 33.

The federal government had been seeking $11 million for site selection and buying as the first stage of a $53.3 million courthouse. U.S. Rep Jim DeMint, R-Greenville, has requested an additional $2.6 million for site and design work, according to documents.

Nineteen cities have received site and development funds but are still awaiting construction funds, according to the analysis. Among them is Savannah, Ga., which first received money for site and development in 1994.

"This is a long process at times," Carelli said.

In 2001, the General Service Administration, which oversees the construction of new courthouses, announced it would build a $55 million courthouse within six years that included seven courtrooms, chambers for four district judges, a senior district judge, two magistrates, offices for federal prosecutors, pretrial workers, clerks, probation and public defender employees.

The agency is seeking funding for Greenville and 19 other outdated courthouses after the projects were excluded from President Bush's budget, Carelli said. Greenville is sixth on the priority list in terms of security. There is no timetable on when the money could be available.

Carelli said the committee approved money for all the courthouses except one in Los Angeles.

The government dictates almost every aspect of construction. including guidelines for size of attorneys' tables, elevations for judges' benches, requirements for attorney lounges, the style of chair used in jury waiting areas and the size of shelves in the library areas.

The guidelines also include suggested cost limits on portions of a building project and costs per square foot. There are also soundproofing requirements to prevent eavesdropping.

Copyright

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Not to bore you with needless extras, but this article has a few additional comments of interest. It was published more than a year-and-a-half ago.

$53.5 million sought for federal courthouse

Posted Friday, April 11, 2003 - 5:31 pm

By John Boyanoski

STAFF WRITER

[email protected]

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

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

Greenville is pushing to get money to start work on a $53.5 million federal courthouse as part of the continuing revitalization of downtown.

The federal court system has asked Congress for $11 million for site and design plans for a courthouse to replace the one at Church and E. Washington streets, said Dick Carelli, spokesman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The courthouse is nearly 75 years old.

The agency is seeking funding for Greenville and 19 other outdated courthouses after the projects were excluded from President Bush's budget, Carelli said. There is no timetable on when the money could be available.

Despite the budget crunch, funds for the court project were added twice in the past three years when the president did not include them in his proposed budget.

Jason Elliott, district director for U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint (R-Greenville), said the congressman has sent a letter to the appropriations committee asking the project be funded this year and an additional $42.5 million be allocated in 2006 to start construction.

The project is expected to get bi-partisan support, Elliott said.

In 2001, the General Service Administration, which oversees the construction of new courthouses, announced it would build a $55 million courthouse within six years that included seven courtrooms, chambers for four district judges, a senior district judge, two magistrates, offices for federal prosecutors, pretrial workers, clerks, probation and public defender employees.

In the mid-1990s, the government spent $4 million to renovate offices that included Honduran mahogany paneling and nickel-plated toilet-paper holders in judges' chambers. The GSA said the renovations were justified because it could be 2009 before a new courthouse is completed.

Plans for a new courthouse have been around for years but only recently gained attention. That attention was spurred by the addition of judges, space needs for bankruptcy proceedings, and lease costs by federal agencies that had been located in the Haynsworth Building.

In recent years, federal courthouses have been built or renovated in Columbia, Charleston and Florence.

The current Greenville federal courthouse has only one elevator used by the public, attorneys, judges and prisoners, according to DeMint's letter. In addition there are too few courtrooms and holding cells for prisoners in the building.

For example, a holding cell for one of the magistrate courtrooms can only be accessed by going through a Court of Appeals judge chamber.

City leaders have discussed a possible move of the federal courthouse farther west on Washington toward the area where the A.J. Whittenberg school will be built. The city has marked that section of West Washington for redevelopment. It has discussed the issue with its federal lobbyist, Patton Boggs in Washington.

Gary Mote, a General Service Administration spokesman, said it will likely have to create new plans if it gets the funding.

"It was all preliminary work in 2001," he said. "We don't have an active project at this time."

John Boyanoski covers the city of Greenville. He can be reached at 298-4065.

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