Greenville County Square redevelopment

[PuppiesandKittens]

42 minutes ago, vicupstate said:

Obviously, it won't be an Aldi's.  While H-T, Whole Foods and Publix all have stores in multi-level buildings that doesn't mean they will accept that in ANY city, regardless of size and density norms.   

Hopefully it’s nothing.  Downtown (and environs) can support the grocery stores that it has, but going from one Publix and two small Bi-Los to one Publix plus two large Harris-Teeters and now an additional grocer may be more than the market can support.

(And one more of any store that’s already downtown isn’t necessary.  Although I would expect the site will get yet another Starbucks.)

Target, please.  The market can support that.

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by PuppiesandKittens

[gman430]

@vicupstateis right. It’s not gonna be an Aldi. It’s gonna be a Walmart Neighborhood Market or Piggly Wiggly instead.  

I blame @apaladinfor this. If he would have just chained himself to one of the Planning Commission members during debate of this project, we wouldn’t be here right now. 

Edited January 9, 2023 by gman430

[distortedlogic]

4 hours ago, btoy said:

I was told months ago they were talking to three grocers and one of them would not allow additional floors above the store.  Was hoping that was not the one they went with, but its looking like they did.

Thanks for the info. I can't imagine why a grocery store would care if developers want floors above them, but if that's the case,  why wouldn't the city just tell them the're not interested? "We're looking for a grocery store as part of a mixed use development,  if that's not you we will look elsewhere."

It's not like a grocery store has to be part of it anyway. I would really hope the city and developers would be firm enough not to waste a portion of this project on a single use retailer with surface parking, especially because the retailer told them so. Surely we're not that desperate to fill the site.

[vistatiger]

1 hour ago, vicupstate said:

Obviously, it won't be an Aldi's.  While H-T, Whole Foods and Publix all have stores in multi-level buildings that doesn't mean they will accept that in ANY city, regardless of size and density norms.   

Yeah that's not Aldi's thing to locate in a development like County Square.  Can't imagine who it would be. It's been posted on the forums many times Whole Foods and Trader Joe's aren't interested in opening another store in the county  and I can't see Food Lion there either as well as Ingle's who likes to own their own land/ stores.  Maybe Publix would relocate to a larger store at County Square to better compete against the larger nearby Harris Teeter stores. That small McBee store is so crowded at times and parking can be terrible.

Edited January 9, 2023 by vistatiger

[GvilleSC]

21 hours ago, PuppiesandKittens said:

It is possible to have mixed-use buildings that include big-box stores and other uses.  The Staples at McBee Station is precisely that, and Charlotte has a Lowe’s that has residential.  I would of course expect big-box stores at the County Square site to be mixed-use.  May I actually state my view before being criticized about my view?

No - Staples is not in a mixed-use building at McBee Station. Staples and Publix are both single use buildings that abut adjacent mixed-use buildings. Mixed-use development, but not a mixed-use building. 

[vicupstate]

13 hours ago, vistatiger said:

Yeah that's not Aldi's thing to locate in a development like County Square.  Can't imagine who it would be. It's been posted on the forums many times Whole Foods and Trader Joe's aren't interested in opening another store in the county  and I can't see Food Lion there either as well as Ingle's who likes to own their own land/ stores.  Maybe Publix would relocate to a larger store at County Square to better compete against the larger nearby Harris Teeter stores. That small McBee store is so crowded at times and parking can be terrible.

Lowe's perhaps? Earth Fare or something like them?  

Publix moving would make a lot of sense, they have been in McBee Station awhile, so lease renewal is probably in the not too distant future. 

I can see why a grocer would want to have a single story site in a project like this, if they could get it for a reasonable rate.  CVS and Walgreen's use to typically locate in strip centers, then they went to stand alone stores on street corners. Sales increased pretty dramatically.  A grocer wants visibility more than 'urban practice compliance'.  After all the residents that would have been overhead will just be across the street instead. It's still a captive audience.      

[PuppiesandKittens]

20 minutes ago, GvilleSC said:

No - Staples is not in a mixed-use building at McBee Station. Staples and Publix are both single use buildings that abut adjacent mixed-use buildings. Mixed-use development, but not a mixed-use building. 

That’s nit-picking.  The multi-story residential and commercial parts of McBee Station all all built right next to each other, and an average visitor can’t tell that the buildings are separate; the exterior walls are continuous.  Technically Staples isn’t a big-box retailer given its small size at McBee so let’s also lay out that as a flaw in my position.

[vistatiger]

49 minutes ago, vicupstate said:

 

Publix moving would make a lot of sense, they have been in McBee Station awhile, so lease renewal is probably in the not too distant future. 

I can see why a grocer would want to have a single story site in a project like this, if they could get it for a reasonable rate.  CVS and Walgreen's use to typically locate in strip centers, then they went to stand alone stores on street corners. Sales increased pretty dramatically.  A grocer wants visibility more than 'urban practice compliance'.  After all the residents that would have been overhead will just be across the street instead. It's still a captive audience.      

True.  Pharmacy drive thru and grocery pickup  spaces a big part of newer Publix stores too.  Grocery pickup spaces for all grocers now for that matter. A new larger relocated Publix  serving both  a growing DT and the Augusta  Rd area would make a lot of sense.

Edited January 9, 2023 by vistatiger

[PuppiesandKittens]

1 hour ago, vistatiger said:

True.  Pharmacy drive thru and grocery pickup  spaces a big part of newer Publix stores too.  Grocery pickup spaces for all grocers now for that matter. A new larger relocated Publix  serving both  a growing DT and the Augusta  Rd area would make a lot of sense.

That makes sense.

I’d guess that McBee Station’s days as a retail destination are numbered.  I would assume that the large parking lot and Staples and Publix spaces would be demolished and rebuilt as residential.

[vicupstate]

11 minutes ago, PuppiesandKittens said:

That makes sense.

I’d guess that McBee Station’s days as a retail destination are numbered.  I would assume that the large parking lot and Staples and Publix spaces would be demolished and rebuilt as residential.

The parking beneath the Publix level is used for the apartments, so that might be problematic without some sort of temporary replacement.  

[GvilleSC]

Question: do we know if the veterans memorial (or whatever the name is) is going to simply be a re-use of what the County previously has/had? It would be nice if they would reimagine the memorial to be more inspiring and fitting of the new construction. A design competition could generate some great ideas. If something were inspiring enough, generating private funds for the project would be easy. 

[gman430]

4 hours ago, GvilleSC said:

Question: do we know if the veterans memorial (or whatever the name is) is going to simply be a re-use of what the County previously has/had? It would be nice if they would reimagine the memorial to be more inspiring and fitting of the new construction. A design competition could generate some great ideas. If something were inspiring enough, generating private funds for the project would be easy. 

Yes, there is going to be a new Veterans Memorial which the county is fully paying for. It will be located next to the new county office building on the western side of it.

Site plans: https://www.greenvillesc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16004/FDP-Phase-1-Building-Plans-PDF

Rendering: 

Edited January 12, 2023 by gman430

[gman430]

[distortedlogic]

22 minutes ago, gman430 said:

 

 

 

 

 

That county building reminds me of the Hyatt. I like the mountains in the back ground! Are they going to wrap the parking garage with something?

[gman430]

On 1/6/2023 at 3:39 PM, gman430 said:

Better quality pic:

 

Here is the old site plan for comparison:

Edited January 14, 2023 by gman430

[apaladin]

If so many offices/services were moved to Halton Road why are the parking lots at County Square still full every day? 

[vicupstate]

2 hours ago, apaladin said:

If so many offices/services were moved to Halton Road why are the parking lots at County Square still full every day? 

Those offices were mostly across the street.

[apaladin]

Is there room for the tallish building behind the garage next to Church St.? 

[gman430]

1 hour ago, apaladin said:

Is there room for the tallish building behind the garage next to Church St.? 

Yes, there definitely is. You can see the space for that future building in this older drone pic I took below. It is slated to get built where the orange scissor lift is:  

 

[gman430]

Demolition to begin next week on the big public health department building. 

[apaladin]

On 1/19/2023 at 1:33 AM, gman430 said:

Yes, there definitely is. You can see the space for that future building in this older drone pic I took below. It is slated to get built where the orange scissor lift is:  

 

Will that garage serve the yet to be built building also or just the county offices? 

[gman430]

49 minutes ago, apaladin said:

Will that garage serve the yet to be built building also or just the county offices? 

Just county offices. A separate garage is slated to get built at the bottom of the future building. 

[GVLover]

Recommended for Whole Foods to open a store in the County Square redevelopment, and you can too by filling out this form. Considering they’re looking to open 30 new stores this year, and even Bozeman, MT is getting a new store, I think it’s appropriate for Whole Foods to open an additional store in Downtown Greenville as well Spartanburg which is likely outpacing Greenville’s growth anyways.

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/customer-service/contact-us

 

Additional link highlighting requirements for Whole Foods stores:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company-info/real-estate

Edited January 23, 2023 by GVLover

[motonenterprises]

4 hours ago, GVLover said:

Recommended for Whole Foods to open a store in the County Square redevelopment, and you can too by filling out this form. Considering they’re looking to open 30 new stores this year, and even Bozeman, MT is getting a new store, I think it’s appropriate for Whole Foods to open an additional store in Downtown Greenville as well Spartanburg which is likely outpacing Greenville’s growth anyways.

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/customer-service/contact-us

 

Additional link highlighting requirements for Whole Foods stores:

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company-info/real-estate

They are growing, but they aren't adding more people than Greenville is.

[vistatiger]

5 hours ago, GVLover said:

Recommended for Whole Foods to open a store in the County Square redevelopment, and you can too by filling out this form. Considering they’re looking to open 30 new stores this year, and even Bozeman, MT is getting a new store, I think it’s appropriate for Whole Foods to open an additional store in Downtown Greenville as well Spartanburg which is likely outpacing Greenville’s growth anyways.

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/customer-service/contact-us

 

Think I would frequent a Trader Joe's way  more than a Whole Paycheck Market but highly doubtful WF or TJ either one are going to overlap in this market and add a second Greenville location that close to their current location anytime soon. Now Spartanburg being further away  probably has a better shot.

Edited January 23, 2023 by vistatiger