Agfa redevelopment

[vicupstate]

2 hours ago, ausrutherford said:

Did DRB approve that design?

i do not believe thay have. A land subdivision and/or site plan  was approved by one board or the other. It is proably just conceptual rendering.  

[SVL]

https://upstatebusinessjournal.com/citisculpt-project-moves-forward-with-opportunity-zone-fund/

[gman430]

The overall cost of the project is $75 million. Hopefully the design comes out looking much better after going through the DRB. 

[GvilleSC]

The apartment building is taller than I expected it to be. Hopefully they revisit the commercial component. 

[vicupstate]

I don't have the start time, but on Nov. 18th there is a community meeting on this project at the Hughes library.   

[gman430]

https://www.greenvillesc.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/6517?fileID=31939

[GvilleSC]

This actually looks pretty decent. Having 7 stories and this quantity of residential west of Academy Street will make an impact on one's experience downtown. I hope they take some serious steps in making Academy Street safer. Yes, people can use Broad Street, but slowing down traffic on Academy REALLY needs to happen.

[vicupstate]

County to establish FILOT for Unity Gateway

Apparently this project is getting a FILOT. This is the first mention of it that I know of.  

[GvilleSC]

9 minutes ago, vicupstate said:

County to establish FILOT for Unity Gateway

Apparently this project is getting a FILOT. This is the first mention of it that I know of.  

Why, and what exactly will this do for the County? I don't think I understand the incentive for the County to offer this up.

[vicupstate]

I assume the Affordable housing element made this desireable/necessary?

[GvilleSC]

9 minutes ago, vicupstate said:

I assume the Affordable housing element made this desireable/necessary?

Maybe I'm forgetting, but have we been given an indication of how they plan to offer affordable housing? Is the government subsidizing those rents, or are they just offering a % of below market rates in exchange for incentives such as this? I'm not familiar with the funding mechanisms in place for Greenville, but I imagine this will be doing something similar to the original setup of Riverwalk? I'm not even sure if that has sunset, or if they still have units below market?

Edited February 4, 2020 by GvilleSC

[vicupstate]

I believe the rents are lower because they receive the property tax relief. I think Riverwalk was federal credits. 

[gman430]

A $75 million redevelopment project proposed for a nearly 5-acre site in downtown Greenville on Academy Street got unanimous support from the County Council on Tuesday night in the first of three required votes.

The mixed-use project led by Charlotte, North Carolina-based CitiSculpt will include 262 apartments, 30% of which will be set aside for affordable housing, according to a proposed tax incentive deal and intergovernmental agreement the county plans to strike with the city of Greenville.

"We have to work together across jurisdictional boundaries," Kirven said. "Our objectives are aligned, and we can bring different things to the table to achieve those objectives."

The tax incentive deal would freeze the taxable value of the land at 2020 levels — a total of about $9 million — for 20 years and would also allow revenue from government fees on the property to be reinvested in infrastructure on the site. 

Charles McAlpine with CitiSculpt said he hoped to start construction on the project this summer.

The County Council will have a second reading on the project Feb. 18.

Edited February 5, 2020 by gman430

[GvilleSC]

19 hours ago, vicupstate said:

I believe the rents are lower because they receive the property tax relief. I think Riverwalk was federal credits. 

Thanks for the clarification! 

I'm excited about this project! I'm happy they're planning to offer below market rents to help open downtown to a greater cross section of the population. I hope the infrastructure improvements are heavily focused on Academy Street safety. This is going to be a significant test for the city's capacity to raze the Academy Street barrier. They should really reduce the number of travel lanes to a maximum of 5.

[gman430]

Moving forward: 

https://www.greenvillesc.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/7119?fileID=34121

Edited June 24, 2020 by gman430

[apaladin]

Looks nice. Got excited thee for a minute when it said "Gateway Project". Thought they were talking a bout the real "Gateway". 

[GvilleSC]

1 hour ago, gman430 said:

Moving forward: 

https://www.greenvillesc.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/7119?fileID=34121

Excellent -- great to see a small dent being made in the affordable housing demand, and good to see an under-used site being put to a higher use. 7 stories will be nice to have there, west of Academy. 

[distortedlogic]

Definitely not a fan of this architecture.  This is another modern box with a total flat chopped off look with no imagination.  Too many of these in my opinion.  I wish they would redesign this.

[gman430]

1 hour ago, distortedlogic said:

Definitely not a fan of this architecture.  This is another modern box with a total flat chopped off look with no imagination.  Too many of these in my opinion.  I wish they would redesign this.

It’s a boxy design so they have a place to put all of the A/C units on the roof.  

[goodbye]

On 6/24/2020 at 10:58 PM, distortedlogic said:

Definitely not a fan of this architecture.  This is another modern box with a total flat chopped off look with no imagination.  Too many of these in my opinion.  I wish they would redesign this.

I agree that this is another example of "lazy" architectural design.

On 6/25/2020 at 12:17 AM, gman430 said:

It’s a boxy design so they have a place to put all of the A/C units on the roof.  

A long, flat roof-line can be offset by a more interesting façade with a few distinct details.  Consider the McBee Avenue phase of the Bookends project as an attractive nearby example.

[GvilleSC]

Any updates on this project? 

[apaladin]

Dead in the water. I doubt seriously you will see any new projects get off the ground in the coming year, including county square. Make that the next 4 years. 

[GvilleSC]

23 minutes ago, apaladin said:

Dead in the water. I doubt seriously you will see any new projects get off the ground in the coming year, including county square. Make that the next 4 years. 

I think you're off the mark on that assessment, particularly on County Square. 

But, my question revolves around the fact that this project still has a demand (affordable housing). 

[gman430]

Probably dead just like every other project downtown thanks to our lovely city council and mayor who only care about Coronavirus and nothing else.

Edited January 14, 2021 by gman430

[distortedlogic]

1 hour ago, apaladin said:

Dead in the water. I doubt seriously you will see any new projects get off the ground in the coming year, including county square. Make that the next 4 years. 

I think downtown and Greenville as a whole should just throw in the towel. It's a failed experiment. Nothing is ever going to get developed or built again. Everything is going to fall through and main street will be a deserted rotting strip of asphalt. The falls will dry up, the bridge will fall, the 5 story towers will collapse, the trees will die, and the Greenville memory will vanish as a breath in the wind. Goodbye Greenville.