I77 Corridor

[clt29301]

http://www.heraldonline.com/2015/02/28/6843121/interstate-77-corridor-in-sc-flexes.html

 

http://www.heraldonline.com/2015/02/26/6836148/gov-haley-coming-to-fort-mill.html

 

Good articles from the RH Herald about developments in Fort Mill and the I77 Corridor.  LPL is building a 450k sq foot office building, the largest under construction in SC.  With 2,000 new jobs and more on the way, this will be a great development. 

 

On the heels of this, The Lash Group will also build a large facility in Fort Mill. 

 

I would expect to see more in this area as companies leverage the resources of Charlotte with the aggressive business recruitment in SC. 

 

[MAJIKMAN]

http://www.heraldonline.com/2015/02/28/6843121/interstate-77-corridor-in-sc-flexes.html

http://www.heraldonline.com/2015/02/26/6836148/gov-haley-coming-to-fort-mill.html

Good articles from the RH Herald about developments in Fort Mill and the I77 Corridor. LPL is building a 450k sq foot office building, the largest under construction in SC. With 2,000 new jobs and more on the way, this will be a great development.

On the heels of this, The Lash Group will also build a large facility in Fort Mill.

I would expect to see more in this area as companies leverage the resources of Charlotte with the aggressive business recruitment in SC.

Well I am excited for our neighbors to the north. But I am curious about something the mayor of Fort Mill said in the first article. That thing is...when did York County begin to be included in the Upstate of SC. I had to read that twice to make sure I read that right. Everyone knows that the boundary stops at Cherokee and Union Counties. And I've been here a while. Maybe they were wishing. But come on.... Join the family.

[clt29301]

Well I am excited for our neighbors to the north. But I am curious about something the mayor of Fort Mill said in the first article. That thing is...when did York County begin to be included in the Upstate of SC. I had to read that twice to make sure I read that right. Everyone knows that the boundary stops at Cherokee and Union Counties. And I've been here a while. Maybe they were wishing. But come on.... Join the family.

I agree with you....this is not the upstate.  York, Lancaster, Chester etc... are all part of Charlotte, I doubt a lot of folks in the upstate know where Fort Mill is located.   But, the upstate does need projects like this........a 450k sq foot office building with over 3,000 employees followed by another similar project.  Anyway, there is no question that York County is fast becoming another Gwinnett County.

[MAJIKMAN]

Yeah there are areas in the Upstate that do indeed need projects like this. I cannot lie. My friend I did read the article and you didn't have to restate that bit of information. But I will say this. You making that statement about York County being or beginning to be like Gwinnett is a stretch. I mean I get it. You're a booster. You like where you live. Hell I like boosters. They have the best conversations. They always have something to talk about. Whether right or wrong. Hell you alright with me.

[clt29301]

York is one of the fastest growing counties in SC and the growth is accelerating.  It is accelerating because the county is part of Charlotte which is one of the fastest growing areas of the country.  York has cheaper taxes and is able to tap into the aggressive industrial recruitment in SC.  Time will tell, we'll have to look back in about 10 years.

[MAJIKMAN]

Blah blah blah. Like I said I like boosters. Being honest I like Charlotte. I lived there in the good and the bad days. I'm glad things are going the way they are. And I hope I am right about them not beginning to be like Gwinnett. That place is a mess.

Edited March 6, 2015 by MAJIKMAN

[krazeeboi]

Historically, York is part of the Upcountry. The term "Upstate" is the contemporary name and in more recent times, has become more closely associated with the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson area and environs. But yes, in York County they do claim the term "upstate."

[clt29301]

Historically, York is part of the Upcountry. The term "Upstate" is the contemporary name and in more recent times, has become more closely associated with the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson area and environs. But yes, in York County they do claim the term "upstate."

 

Interesting.........I have never heard that.

[MAJIKMAN]

Nice and informative krazeeboi. Thank you.

[clt29301]

Johnny Harris is a strong Charlotte supporter and may get carried away at times........for instance, I don't see Charlotte as the new Southeastern Hub.  It will be the second SE hub but as Harris notes, economic and employment growth in Charlotte has outpaced Atlanta over the past five years. 

 

More importantly in the article, Harris mentions the work SC is doing on the I77 corridor.........."Take the disfunction of the state’s leadership in Raleigh and bankrupt incentives programs — both of which are affecting North Carolina’s ability to grow and attract new industry and retail, he says.  “Nikki Haley does more to bring jobs to just south of Charlotte,” Harris added, speaking of the S.C. governor."  SC is wise to exploit this corridor.  Nowhere in SC can you be part of a major metro with direct access to a top 10 airport, a deep labor pool and the financial resources of Charlotte. 

 

If a site is large enough, this corridor is without a doubt the best place for any new auto manufacturing plant. 

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2015/03/25/johnny-harris-goodbye-atlanta-charlotte-poised-as.html

[cltbwimob]

^^^Unfortunately I think Giti took that possibility away. Now with Jaguar/Land Rover and Volvo both looking at South Carolina for a plant, I am disappointed a tire plant is using the 1100+ acre megasite considering most other tire plants that have opened up recently only required a couple hundred acres.

I am somewhat hopeful that one of those two plants could use the 300 acre site on the other side of I-77 for a plant. Conventional wisdom says auto plants need megasites, however the new MB plant in Charleston is on a 200 acre site I believe

[clt29301]

I don't expect either of these plants will need a large site. Neither company is a major player in the US auto market or even worldwide.

[CLT_sc]

Looks like light rail in SC may be closer....but, still not imminent.  I didn’t expect Rock Hill to have the first light rail line in SC. But, it makes the most sense.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/latest-news/article231676283.html 

[Spartan]

I'll believe it when I see it. Rock Hill is one of the more conservative counties in the state. If they pass a transit tax to pay for their end of the line then maybe there's hope for SC!

[CLT_sc]

16 hours ago, Spartan said:

I'll believe it when I see it. Rock Hill is one of the more conservative counties in the state. If they pass a transit tax to pay for their end of the line then maybe there's hope for SC!

York County is in most ways best set up for light rail in SC.  It has an easy connection to the Blue Line, it’s part of a major US metro and still has land where a line can be out in place without too much disruption.  I could see Steet cars in Columbia, especially around Carolina working, but that is another thread.

For York, it is growing rapidly which is changing the counties’ dynamics.  The comment McMaster made about needing light rail into RH was eye opening.  

But, i don’t see this happening in the coming decade.

[Spartan]

Charleston is set up the best for rail. Traffic there is terrible and there's no easy fix. Getting people out of cars is a better solution. Rock Hill / York County lack the density to support transit, and I personally think they lack the political will to do it. Everyone says its a great idea, but I guarantee you they won't pass a sales tax to pay for it, and SCDOT has enough trouble keeping up with repaving the current road system - can they really afford to pay $10m/mile for LRT? York County wants it to be a commuter rail and a tourist attraction, which I get, but LRT becomes too costly to operate and maintain good service when you get a line over 20-25 miles. The likelihood of it actually happening is next to nothing. I could see maybe a spur line into Ft Mill, but that's it.

That said, commuter rail would make a ton of sense for Rock Hill & Ft Mill.

[vicupstate]

I wish Charleston would have stuck to rail instead of switching to Bus Rapid transit.  

[CLT_sc]

Was a cost study of Charleston light rail ever published?  To me, Charleston has a ton of hurdles to jump, some of which are difficult.  The geography makes rail a little tougher because of the bridges required and then once into downtown, I am not sure where it would go....Meeting, King, Rutledge, Ashley, Bay all seem like good corridors.  But, not sure you could close any of them for a dedicated rail line.  Are there other areas to bring rail into town?  Once that is decided, I am sure the historical commission would be involved.  And, all of this would drive costs much higher than a normal LRT line would cost and may push it out of reason.

York County is approaching 300k residents and based on history, will be over 400k in less than a decade.  But, it is not so developed that putting rail in today brings the county ahead of the planning curve.  Will it happen before 2030, I doubt it.  But, it still may be the first in S.C.

Cola should explore street cars downtown.  Putting one on Assembly and removing the median parking would be better than how Assembly looks today.  Running another line down Greene St from Harden would make a ton of sense considering how much growth is occurring towards the river.  This would also reduce the number of shuttles USC has to operate around Cola.

[vicupstate]

Studies were done but how in-depth, I am not sure.  The route was already a given.  Mostly the same as the future BRT.  It would enter the Peninsula  via an abandoned RR line that runs between King and Meeting Streets.  It is now going to be a bike/pedestrian trail called the Lowline.  It was going to run beetween Summerville and the  DT Visitor's Center, so no rivers to cross. 

[GvilleSC]

14 minutes ago, CLT_sc said:

Was a cost study of Charleston light rail ever published?  To me, Charleston has a ton of hurdles to jump, some of which are difficult.  The geography makes rail a little tougher because of the bridges required and then once into downtown, I am not sure where it would go....Meeting, King, Rutledge, Ashley, Bay all seem like good corridors.  But, not sure you could close any of them for a dedicated rail line.  Are there other areas to bring rail into town?  Once that is decided, I am sure the historical commission would be involved.  And, all of this would drive costs much higher than a normal LRT line would cost and may push it out of reason. 

York County is approaching 300k residents and based on history, will be over 400k in less than a decade.  But, it is not so developed that putting rail in today brings the county ahead of the planning curve.  Will it happen before 2030, I doubt it.  But, it still may be the first in S.C.

Cola should explore street cars downtown.  Putting one on Assembly and removing the median parking would be better than how Assembly looks today.  Running another line down Greene St from Harden would make a ton of sense considering how much growth is occurring towards the river.  This would also reduce the number of shuttles USC has to operate around Cola.

The difference being that tourists alone could prop up a rail line in Charleston and help make it viable.  York County has people living in it because they have certain commitments to and desires for their vehicles.

IMO, running a street car down Assembly would go nowhere meaningful for users. Running a line the opposite direction could at least connect entertainment areas and hot spots for the city. Appearance is a terrible justification for routing a line. 

[CLT_sc]

2 hours ago, GvilleSC said:

The difference being that tourists alone could prop up a rail line in Charleston and help make it viable.  York County has people living in it because they have certain commitments to and desires for their vehicles.

IMO, running a street car down Assembly would go nowhere meaningful for users. Running a line the opposite direction could at least connect entertainment areas and hot spots for the city. Appearance is a terrible justification for routing a line. 

I don’t think tourists alone would prop up a rail line running from summerville to downtown.  Most tourists are somewhere downtown or at the beaches.  Based on the recent Cost  to expand the Blue Line in Charlotte, running a line between Summerville and Charleston is an$2b+ (More likely $3b) venture, I am not sure that could be supported.

York County residents don’t necessarily chose to live there because they are in love with the car.  Most go there because housing in Meck Co is becoming very expensive and Fort Mill has some of the best schools in SC.  A lot would use a rail line into CLT, a lot already do.  But, with the growth of this county, the county’s inclusion in one of the nation’s largest metros and proximity to an existing line, this part of S.C. is situated well for rail.  But, like I said, it is a decade away. 

As for Cola, I agree that running a line down Greene St makes more sense than Assembly.  I wasn’t suggesting to build a line  on appearance.  But, connecting places north of Gervais to areas south of Gervais would certainly be of value.  And, because Assembly has the real estate, it would make sense.  

[GvilleSC]

To clarify: I intended to say *help* prop up.

Tourists heading into downtown Charleston from the airport would help be a sustaining portion of the ridership; a portion that no other metro in the state readily has available to rely upon. 

[vicupstate]

There are a LOT of commuters from Summerville/Dorchester Co. into the Peninsula that would be a basis for Light Rail in addition to tourism.  Also there is already sales tax funding for transit already in place .  

[krazeeboi]

On 7/17/2019 at 9:24 PM, vicupstate said:

There are a LOT of commuters from Summerville/Dorchester Co. into the Peninsula that would be a basis for Light Rail in addition to tourism.  Also there is already sales tax funding for transit already in place .  

If the line is going from Summerville to downtown Charleston, then commuter rail makes the most sense IMO.

[CLT_sc]

https://columbiabusinessreport.com/news/hospitality-and-tourism/76931/?utm_term=Panthers%5Cu2019%20headquarters%20expected%20to%20spur%20I-77%20growth&utm_campaign=Panthers%5Cu2019%20headquarters%20expected%20to%20spur%20I-77%20corridor%20growth&utm_content=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email

Good article on the Panthers’ new training facility along 77.  If Dallas is the model, this facility should be a big driver in extending Charlotte related development deeper into S.C.  And, it could be a good alternate site for high school football championships if the state wants to rotate the games around S.C.   There are many opportunities that will come from this development, not limited to football.  

If Charlotte gets a MLS team, the HQ will be here as well.