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Next SC city to get a skyline


krazeeboi

Which SC city is next in line to develop a skyline?  

42 members have voted

  1. 1. Which SC city is next in line to develop a skyline?

    • Aiken
      0
    • Anderson
      3
    • Beaufort
      0
    • Charleston
      16
    • Florence
      8
    • Greenwood
      2
    • Orangeburg
      1
    • Rock Hill
      9
    • Sumter
      1
    • Other
      2


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Charleston is by far the largest city on that list, but there are historical preservation reasons why its skyline will never change. I just don't see the preservationists letting any change occur in Charleston now. Unfortunately the rest of the Charleston area is comprised of urban car oriented spawl of the worst sort, so it is unlikely you will see a cluster of sky scrapers develop that would create a skyline elsewhere in the metro.

Charleston as a thriving city has been damned and doomed by the absolute worst aspects of gentrification and preservation.

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^Agreed monsoon. I placed it on the list to basically see if anyone foresees this changing in Charleston (by means of higher buildings in the medical area, city-county/Charleston-North Charleston consolidation, etc.) before economic development in any of the other cities creates the demand for high rises.

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You can scratch Aiken from the list for the same reasons as Charleston. I believe the limit is still 50 ft downtown, and 100 in other parts of the city.

I'd also scratch Greenwood, just because I don't think vertical growth is in the cards for them soon...

Florence, Sumter, Rock Hill, these cities already have some midrises, which will make it easier for them to get new ones if the opportunity arises. If not Charleston, I'd pick one of these cities.

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Though i have not been inside the city of Rock Hill, i think the chances of a skyline starting there are better than most of the aforementioned places in that list. Rock Hill/York County is growing very fast obviously due to Charlotte being nearby. Eventually, not everyone will be willing to make the trip up I-77 into Charlotte for work so perhaps, a skyline may evolve in Rock Hill.

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I think every major city in South Carolina should have a decent skyline as long as it is visible and looks nice. Greenwood has a couple of midrise buildings, and I assume more could go up near Lander.

I would like to see Anderson develop a skyline with a high rise or two.

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I'd like to know why Spartanburg is not on the list. We have a small skyline, but I would never consider it in the league of Columbia, Greenville or Charleston, which already has a skyline IMO.

When I read the title of the thread, my first thought was "Spartanburg" - I think we have the most potential to have a large skyline like Columbia or Greenville out of any city in SC.

Rock Hill may get some apartment towers as Charlotte creeps its way.

I'll get a few pics up later.

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I'd like to know why Spartanburg is not on the list. We have a small skyline, but I would never consider it in the league of Columbia, Greenville or Charleston, which already has a skyline IMO.

When I read the title of the thread, my first thought was "Spartanburg" - I think we have the most potential to have a large skyline like Columbia or Greenville out of any city in SC.

Rock Hill may get some apartment towers as Charlotte creeps its way.

I'll get a few pics up later.

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I agree that Spartanburg could very well be the next city to have a skyline. It already has a 18 story building and the growth in the upstate is phenomenal.

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Here are some images of Spartanburg's "skyline."

SPA_skyline01.jpg

SPA_skyline02.jpg

SPA_skyline03.jpg

What Spartanburg needs is someone to complete whatever will go in the Renaissance Park, and have one more large company commit to building somethign downtown. I think that would be enough to get the ball rolling faster. I also have a million other ideas that could help downtown.

I can add Spartanburg to the list if everyone agrees it should be on it.

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Spartan, I already consider Spartanburg to have a skyline, or at least a skyline in the works (see the very first line of the very first post in this thread). I think it's ahead of the cities in this poll (all except perhaps Charleston), which is why I didn't list it.

Charleston has somewhat of a skyline, but nothing near what it should be for a city its size (I understand the height restrictions in the historic district, but the point still remains). That's why I listed Charleston.

But if the majority of folks here think that Charleston should be removed and that Spartanburg should be listed, I guess it's okay with me.

I voted Rock Hill due to the economic spillover that York County is receiving from Charlotte. Granted, we see most of it currently in the Fort Mill area, but I believe it's only a matter of time before it substantially trickles down to Rock Hill.

I think that if Florence got its act together, it could be a serious contender in this area. The city does have a couple of decent mid-rises that could give way to some taller buildings.

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I tend to think of Charleston as having a skyline of sorts. You have the Cooper River bridges (the new bridge is actually taller than any of the state's skyscrapers), the church steeples, and a number of midrises. I think there are more decent sized buildings in Charleston that people realize, but they are spread out across the peninsula rather than being clustered in a small downtown area. Still the city clearly lacks the type of office towers that Columbia and Greenville have, and I do not see that changing due to the historic preservation mindset of the city and perhaps even a lack of demand for such space.

Perhaps I am alone here in my opinion, but I think Charleston should not build such highrises in the historic district. I am a skyscraper fan, but I am also a fan of historic urbanism. And few cities in the entire country can even touch Charleston as an example of the real urbanism that the new urbanist movement seeks to create. Charleston has a urbanity that Columbia and Greenville with their highrises can only dream about. Its historic architectural legacy is unique in the country. I think Charleston is enough of a gem to treat differently. If the city really wants bigger buildings and there is a demand for them, let them build them in the hospital district outside of the core historic area or in North Charleston. Washington DC is an incredible urban environment--one of the nation's best in my opinion--and the real highrises are across the river in Arlington VA.

Of the other cities in the poll, I really do not see any as developing real skylines in the foreseeable future. I do think Rock Hill will see a growth of office buildings as an edge city of Charlotte, but unfortunately, I think that growth will most likely occur in the form of 3 to 5 story buildings in leafy suburban office parks.

The only real midrises or highrises I see being developed in these other smaller cities are hospitals (as in Florence) or college/university buildings.

I really think the skyline action in the future in SC will be mostly concentrated in Myrtle Beach, Columbia, and Greenville. Spartanburg has had a lot of office building construction downtown, but unfortunately, it has been in shorter buildings.

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The only city in SC I see as developing a traditional CBD skyline is Spartanburg. That city functions as a primary / sister city with Greenville & has a large business community. Additionally the city has the infrastructure & certainly large swaths of cheap land in downtown that would make optimum sites for development.

As for the others - there is not much interest or incapable for any such development. This would include Rock Hill - which will likely gain some midrises in the future, but they won't be in downtown but in office parks along I-77. As for residential structures, I could see some 5 story projects, but I couldn't imagine any real demand for downtown living in Rock Hill that would warrant any towers.

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Spartanburg will come on.. It is a more viable economic center than a lot of those mentioned.

Florence will be there eventually and it is a regional center. However, it's in the middle of one of the poorest regions in the state and possibly the country. If regional economic development happens, Florence will prosper and a more significant skyline will follow.

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Why can't Charleston have a historic Distric and a couple of miles away have a real downtown district with no height ristrictions...I mean...The historic distric will still be preserved. No harm done....

I voted for Florence...I mean, besides Myrtle Beach its the main city in the Pee Dee region and they could use one. Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg have a skyline for their region...

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I voted for Florence...I mean, besides Myrtle Beach its the main city in the Pee Dee region and they could use one. Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg have a skyline for their region...

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What is the current tallest tower in Myrtle Beach in feet and levels? I think it could use some 30-40+ level resort towers within a few years.

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What is the current tallest tower in Myrtle Beach in feet and levels?  I think it could use some 30-40+ level resort towers within a few years.

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I think The Margate in Myrtle Beach is 329' and 29 stories - the 2nd tallest building in SC.

I voted for Rock Hill, but I think Spartanburg certainly has a lot of potential for a decent skyline, too...especially if you're speaking of a "traditional" skyline.

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I voted for Rock Hill. My criteria were:

(1) Needs to be economically vibrant or in an economically vibrant region. This eliminates Florence, despite being at the intersection of two interstates.

(2) Needs to not have artificial (i.e., historical) restrictions on height. This eliminates Charleston, which would otherwise already have a good skyline.

(3) Needs to have good infrastructure access to support urban growth/development. Rock Hill has this, as you have the 8-lane stretch of I-77 supporting enough traffic for development. As York County evolves from a bedroom community to a more self-contained economic portion of the greater Charlotte region, Rock Hill should develop as a jobs/retail/commercial hub. However, it's possible that you might never see anything higher than 5-7 stories.

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I have to go with Anderson or Greenwood from this list.  There's alot more going on in Greenwood than most of us realize, and Anderson is undoubtedly on the rise. :)

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Anderson??? I work in Anderson and can't see anything going on except for a few suburban strip mall type developments. It has one of the most depressing Downtowns I have EVER seen for a city of its size. I cannot see it ever developing a skyline...at least not in my lifetime.

As for Greenwood...it is smaller than Anderson but has it beat big time in the DT departement. More midrises, more shops, offices, life! Its not much but it is better than Anderson and that pile of gutted old buildings they call DT.

Next skyline might be North Augusta SC! Why not? They are building the Hammonds Ferry development there with several midrises and eventually perhaps hotels, more condos, etc. Although it wont have much height to it. (5-8 floors max probably).

Aiken has a fantastic, lively Downtown but I think it will want to keep it on the small side for now. Too many Nimby types in that town that would freak if a highrise was slated to go up Downtown.

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Anderson???  I work in Anderson and can't see anything going on except for a few suburban strip mall type developments.  It has one of the most depressing Downtowns I have EVER seen for a city of its size.  I cannot see it ever developing a skyline...at least not in my lifetime.

As for Greenwood...it is smaller than Anderson but has it beat big time in the DT departement.  More midrises, more shops, offices, life!  Its not much but it is better than Anderson and that pile of gutted old buildings they call DT.

Next skyline might be North Augusta SC!  Why not?  They are building the Hammonds Ferry development there with several midrises and eventually perhaps hotels, more condos, etc.  Although it wont have much height to it. (5-8 floors max probably).

Aiken has a fantastic, lively Downtown but I think it will want to keep it on the small side for now.  Too many Nimby types in that town that would freak if a highrise was slated to go up Downtown.

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I have to disagree with that about Anderson. It may not develop a huge skyline, but the downtown there isnt that bad. I was rather impressed with Main St and several other buildings. There is certainly room for improvement.

What about Clemson?  I know it will never have a large Downtown but last time I was there I saw at least 5 signs for fairly large mid-rise condo projects.

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I doubt they would ever create a skyline.

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