The McClaren

[motonenterprises]

On 8/21/2022 at 12:12 AM, apaladin said:

Where are all these people coming from that can afford 1500-3000 a month rent? Not just talking about downtown. 

Plenty of people make enough to afford this. At least the people I know.

[PuppiesandKittens]

On 8/21/2022 at 12:12 AM, apaladin said:

Where are all these people coming from that can afford 1500-3000 a month rent? Not just talking about downtown. 

My days as a tenant are years ago, but if landlords still want annual income equal to 45x a month’s rent, then someone making $67,500 could afford a $1,500/month apartment and someone making $135,000 could afford a $3,000/month one.

Plenty of white-collar jobs pay those amounts.  And someone relocating to Greenville from, say, San Francisco or even plenty of mid-sized cities would view $1,500 as shockingly inexpensive.

For $3,000 a month in Greenville, I’d expect a nice-looking building.

[gman430]

[GVLover]

Sheesh.

$2300 - studio

$2700  1 br

$3700 2 br

$3700 3 br, 2 ba

 

https://www.apartments.com/the-mcclaren-greenville-sc/eshghjp/

[distortedlogic]

2 hours ago, GVLover said:

Sheesh.

$2300 - studio

$2700  1 br

$3700 2 br

$3700 3 br, 2 ba

 

https://www.apartments.com/the-mcclaren-greenville-sc/eshghjp/

Wow, at those prices they could have afforded to make a much better looking building. 

[GVLer]

Yes there should be an ugly discount. 

[Horatio Nelson]

16 hours ago, GVLover said:

Sheesh.

$2300 - studio

$2700  1 br

$3700 2 br

$3700 3 br, 2 ba

 

https://www.apartments.com/the-mcclaren-greenville-sc/eshghjp/

I just checked the prices for the two large apartment building next to this one. And these prices you are quoting are way higher than 400 Rhett and Link on the order of almost double.

I understand how Deca might be able to get away with these prices being so centrally located among other things, but this building is farther away and a lot bigger. 

Also just checked the 408 Jackson to see if it was just a new apartment thing but no it's prices were more in line with the other two I mentioned.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Horatio Nelson

[DirectorBob0209]

You can just go across the street to Trailside and get a studio for $1351, 1 bed from $1662-$1920,  2 bed from $1757-$2029, and 3 bed from $2552 lol. Or just go outside the city in Verdae area where they start at $1200. 

[gman430]

Here is info on the 49 “affordable” units: 

https://livemcclaren.com/mcclaren-affordable-guidelines/

My 3 bedroom/2 bath house in Mauldin which was built brand new in 2018 and gains equity costs less per month than their studio affordable apartment units which gains no equity. Just a little FYI there. Look at the bright side though. At least it’s a beautiful looking building. 

Edited January 11, 2023 by gman430

[cabelagent]

29 minutes ago, gman430 said:

Here is info on the 49 “affordable” units: 

https://livemcclaren.com/mcclaren-affordable-guidelines/

My 3 bedroom/2 bath house in Mauldin which was built brand new in 2018 and gains equity costs less per month than their studio affordable apartment units which gains no equity. Just a little FYI there. Look at the bright side though. At least it’s a beautiful looking building. 

From a distance….

[GVLer]

Maybe from outer space 

[gman430]

[distortedlogic]

Is that "parkay" look the final cladding? I have lots of issues with the design of this building, and I know a lot of people do, but at least it is something different.

[motonenterprises]

I actually think I like it. Go figure. I'm different.

[johnpro318]

1 hour ago, motonenterprises said:

I actually think I like it. Go figure. I'm different.

I think once the lot behind it gets developed, people will have less issue with it. It just seems massive on academy 

[btoy]

I love that this looks like Legos.

[cabelagent]

20 minutes ago, btoy said:

I love that this looks like Legos.

I was gonna post that as well…thanks for breaking the ice. 

[PuppiesandKittens]

2 hours ago, johnpro318 said:

I think once the lot behind it gets developed, people will have less issue with it. It just seems massive on academy 

The through-the-wall air conditioners show that this is cheap construction.  Downtown Greenville doesn’t need cheap construction.  Google the “Watt Hotel Rahway”: another new building that is similarly cheap and ugly.

Cheap, ugly high-rise apartment buildings are a plague in the Northeast and it’s disgraceful that one has been allowed into our beautiful downtown.  It wouldn’t have been hard to build a beautiful building instead.

Edited January 14, 2023 by PuppiesandKittens

[distortedlogic]

2 hours ago, PuppiesandKittens said:

The through-the-wall air conditioners show that this is cheap construction.  Downtown Greenville doesn’t need cheap construction.  Google the “Watt Hotel Rahway”: another new building that is similarly cheap and ugly.

Cheap, ugly high-rise apartment buildings are a plague in the Northeast and it’s disgraceful that one has been allowed into our beautiful downtown.  It wouldn’t have been hard to build a beautiful building instead.

I don't hate the pattern on the building, but the overall boxyness with the repetitive brick with rectangular windows is overkill and the massing is quite jarring. One side is at least broken up into different sections but that one side is just an enormous wall. I think it would have worked better with a different layout altogether,  or maybe even split into two or 3 taller buildings with varying heights and different but complimentary styles.

Still like the original way better

Edited January 14, 2023 by distortedlogic

[motonenterprises]

Well. It's there so deal with it. Lol. Let's be glad the place is growing and developing period. Lots of cities would like to be in Greenville's place.

[PuppiesandKittens]

9 hours ago, motonenterprises said:

Well. It's there so deal with it. Lol. Let's be glad the place is growing and developing period. Lots of cities would like to be in Greenville's place.

No.

Greenville is a place where developers can make a lot of money.

Asking that they do so in a way that respects the beauty and quality of life of the area is a reasonable request.

A beautiful building can be built just as easily as an ugly building.

Edited January 14, 2023 by PuppiesandKittens

[motonenterprises]

5 hours ago, PuppiesandKittens said:

No.

Greenville is a place where developers can make a lot of money.

Asking that they do so in a way that respects the beauty and quality of life of the area is a reasonable request.

A beautiful building can be built just as easily as an ugly building.

You aren't going to change what millionaire developers build. Lol. Saying no on here isn't going to stop it.

[ingvegas]

 

This might be....no it probably is....the ugliest development in the whole city. The windows make it look like a hospital at best, a minimum security prison at worst. The exterior tiles look very cheap. The haphazard pattern of said tiles are uncomfortably random and mildly infuriating. I have an immediate negative emotional reaction every time I drive by it; however, because of it's scale and placement so close to Academy - I'm forced to experience it. 

I figured I was being overly sensitive so I looked the property up thinking it was low-income housing. But I was wrong. It's a "luxury building" that will be apartments (20% workforce) and another hotel. This cannot be right. No porches? No brick? No room for plantings? 

I cannot believe this passed the design review board. Who thought this would look good? I believe the only person that could be happy with this exterior is the designer of Link West --- because now they're not the ugliest building in Greenville.

Has anyone driven by this building recently and thought to themselves, "Oh my lanta, what a treasure for our Greenville skyline. Dr. McClaren would be so proud to have his name on this building." I guess it's too late, but I think they should plant kudzu around the base of the entire exterior and let it cover up this randomly gross cheap tile design. 

[GVLer]

My wife prays every day that it burns to the ground. Just a truly hideous building. It does look like cheap inferior construction. And unfortunately so prominently exposed on Academy. I look at it every day and think "why"?

 

[PuppiesandKittens]

And it’s so large that it can be seen from many places around downtown.  So now we’re stuck with the ugly Daniel Building on the north side and this monster on the south side.