Augusta Road Retail - New

[gs3]

YEAH! Another Maggie Moos! Love the "cake batter" flavor! This little center is turning out nicely. Two outparcels in the front, one is a bank....the other, which is just a steel skeleton....heard it was a restaurant new to Greenville? Anybody know?

[GvilleSC]

YEAH!  Another Maggie Moos!  Love the "cake batter" flavor!    This little center is turning out nicely.  Two outparcels in the front, one is a bank....the other, which is just a steel skeleton....heard it was a restaurant new to Greenville?  Anybody know?

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The last I heard it was just a spec building...

[goodbye]

That Schlotszky's is by far the nicest one I've been to. I haven't tried Maggie Moos yet, but hear it is great. Augusta Road has tremendous pedestrian retail potential, but something should be done to at least a portion of the road through there to slow traffic and make people want to get out more. I think if a bit of it could be brought down to two lanes with diagonal parking and wider, tree-lined sidewalks (example: Main Street), and that would definitely happen. B)

[Greenville]

So in terms of "hang out"/pedestrian-friendly/popular neighborhoods in Greenville, we basically have one: downtown (and what a great one it is!)

I have stated before that I feel that Verdae will be hotspot neighborhood #2. With the town center planned, and its mix of residential, shopping, hotels, and businesses, it should develop into another place for people to get outside, walk, and have fun.

If city leaders can incorporate some of your ideas, and narrow Augusta Road to two lanes and offer some diagonal parking, people will want to hang out there too. Add some landscaping and lighting, and you're talking about an amazing neighborhood that is vibrant, exciting, and walkable.

The only thing is that they would probably want to bury the power lines and take away the telephone poles. Ha ha.

[GvilleSC]

That Schlotszky's is by far the nicest one I've been to.  I haven't tried Maggie Moos yet, but hear it is great.   Augusta Road has tremendous pedestrian retail potential, but something should be done to at least a portion of the road through there to slow traffic and make people want to get out more.  I think if a bit of it could be brought down to two lanes with diagonal parking and wider, tree-lined sidewalks (example: Main Street), and that would definitely happen. B)

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Augusta Rd might become more pedestrian friendly, but you'd kill the street. It's way too busy to be any less than 4 lanes. It's a dense residential area and THE outlet to get to other areas of town for all those people. I sure wouldn't want to have to sit and sit and sit in traffic just to get to school, work, or the grocery store. (people waiting to turn left, stopping to wait for a parking space... what a nightmare)

I think what the area needs is more parking like that infront of Moe's and Gregory's that's in a lot, but pretty much on the street. You just pull right into the space from the street, yet you can back out and fallow the lot to the nearest side road where you can use the stop light to enter back into the flow of things. I also think that more stores need to be up on the street like Moe's and Gregory's, so it gets a better urban feel and gives you the feeling and sense that you can walk to nearby places...

I would also like to see some nice condos come to August St- a few midrise buildings would be nice. I heard about one being planned a long while back, but nothing has ever happened... does anybody know why? I think it might have had something to do with the people already living nearby "fearing" for their area.

[dromulus]

augusta road is a great corridor. i am working on the walgreens at augusta and faris. the future plans for the streetscape along augusta at walgreens and the pizza place look fantastic. it'll cost alot, but if the city wants to pay for it, it will be very pedestrian friendly. if the city could do it all the way up and down the corridor would be an incredible entry corridor into greenville. the only caviat is the cost implications on transforming the existing into the vision.

[greenvilleguy]

I agree with GvilleSC. Augusta is a great neighborhood with some very nice shops. I would like it to be more pedestrian-friendly also, but not at the expense of any of the four lanes. In my opinion the lanes are actually too narrow for such a curvy road. It always makes me nervous to drive out there because I always feel like I'm in the other person's lane or he's in mine. And there is way too much traffic for just two lanes or even two with a turning lane. I already try to avoid Augusta because it is becoming like Woodruff :-(

[goodbye]

It's not a safe road and people don't want to cross, so I think it needs drastic changes;

1. To slow the speed of vehicles on the road

2. To create better access to sidestreets at major intersections

3. To ultimately create the kind of pedestrian shopping & dining corridor the City has wanted for decades.

I really believe that having these four lanes today is a barrier to the long-term success of this corridor.

[Spartan]

It really reminds me of Devine St in Columbia, which is 4 lanes with parking on either side (no turning lane), and still successful. I don't see why Greenville can't pull it off too.

[PalmBeach]

The last I heard it was just a spec building...

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[MAJIKMAN]

I agree with GvilleSC.  Augusta is a great neighborhood with some very nice shops.  I would like it to be more pedestrian-friendly also, but not at the expense of any of the four lanes.  In my opinion the lanes are actually too narrow for such a curvy road.  It always makes me nervous to drive out there because I always feel like I'm in the other person's lane or he's in mine.  And there is way too much traffic for just two lanes or even two with a turning lane.  I already try to avoid Augusta because it is becoming like Woodruff  :-(

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Well Augusta was that way before Woodruff was ever thought about.

[MAJIKMAN]

It's not a safe road and people don't want to cross, so I think it needs drastic changes;

1. To slow the speed of vehicles on the road

2. To create better access to sidestreets at major intersections

3. To ultimately create the kind of pedestrian shopping & dining corridor the City has wanted for decades.

I really believe that having these four lanes today is a barrier to the long-term success of this corridor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Augusta st. can't be narrowed, considering it is the primary north-south route through the Augusta st. area. With the number of cars that would detour through

the neighborhoods would start a firestorm. People there would call for a hanging.

Now I could see diagonal parking. But the only problem with that is space along the street. There are so many businesses that are so close to the street that I don't know how I could be done. The idea of of making Augusta a more pedestrian

friendly area has been floating around forever. So unless there can be a way to get around it may never change.

[GvilleSC]

Anything being done to Augusta St would be quite costly. You would have to move the power poles and lines that are basically in the right lane to begin with or bury them...

But I would like to see a main st sort of design element come to this area. I think some decorative, unique lighting would be nice and diagonal parking. If the parking was done this way, then perhaps behind the buildings could be more parking... Like has already been done in some places... But if any idea is going to take place, it needs to be done soon, before more places like the new Walgreen's is built (free standing, off the road...). Those sort of developments really will be the end of our pedestrian friendly dream

[goodbye]

I'd like to see some of the sidestreets closed to traffic turning left. The main intersections would still allow for left turns, but only at a traffic light. There should be a turning lane at each of these lights to allow straight traffic to travel through without any problems. You'd have to see a drawing to understand what I'm talking about, but I know it would be a major help to that corridor. Just imagine tree-lined sidewalks with benches underneath and easy crosswalks to stores across the street. Now that is appealing to me.

[Greenville]

Same here, Skyliner. Good thoughts.

[gs3]

Anything being done to Augusta St would be quite costly. You would have to move the power poles and lines that are basically in the right lane to begin with or bury them...

But I would like to see a main st sort of design element come to this area. I think some decorative, unique lighting would be nice and diagonal parking. If the parking was done this way, then perhaps behind the buildings could be more parking... Like has already been done in some places... But if any idea is going to take place, it needs to be done soon, before more places like the new Walgreen's is built (free standing, off the road...). Those sort of developments really will be the end of our pedestrian friendly dream

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If the city would just bury the powerlines, the feel of Augusta Road would instantly change. I agree with you GvilleSC, developments like the new Walgreens that are not pedestrian friendly should not be allowed in the Augusta Road area. One other irritation to me is the fairly New Dollar General on Augusta. This type of store (level of store) seems out of place. Augusta should continue to cultivate neat, unique shops like the others already there. Save the Dollar Generals of the world for the burbs along with Wal Mart!

[GvilleSC]

If the city would just bury the powerlines, the feel of Augusta Road would instantly change.  I agree with you GvilleSC, developments like the new Walgreens that are not pedestrian friendly should not be allowed in the Augusta Road area.  One other irritation to me is the fairly New Dollar General on Augusta.  This type of store (level of store) seems out of place.  Augusta should continue to cultivate neat, unique shops like the others already there.  Save the Dollar Generals of the world for the burbs along with Wal Mart!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. Dollar General doesn't have the class that is associated or comes with Augusta Rd. I have another thing that irritates me, which is the fairly new stop light arms and poles. They're that awful gray metal color. Once again, Augusta Rd deserves better...

[socaguy]

There is not enough street-level retail on Augusta road to distinguish it from any other suburban street in the USA, apart from the older, quaint neighborhoods which flank the street. There are a nice collection of semi-upscale and original shops, but most of them are in suburban style shopping centers.

[socaguy]

Sorry for double posting but (for GvilleSC), I agree a Dollar General store isnt really the best thing to come to your neighborhood but Augusta Road really is a mix of all income levels.

[gs3]

There is not enough street-level retail on Augusta road to distinguish it from any other suburban street in the USA, apart from the older, quaint neighborhoods which flank the street.  There are a nice collection of semi-upscale and original shops, but most of them are in suburban style shopping centers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Augusta Road certainly doesn't feel surburban. It's very much midtown in feel, and the shopping centers are not your typical that would be found in suburbia (Lewis Plaza for example is from the 50's). Augusta Road may have been surburban in the 50's, but not in 2005. Most buildings are very close to the street and the area is walkable (the city could really help it be MORE walkable). This street has a unique feel that the city (and merchants) should continue to refine.

[Spartan]

I agree with gsupstate. Augusta Rd doesnt feel like today's suburban area (ie Woodruff Rd). It is an area that coudld easily be converted into a more urban style area.

[socaguy]

OK so it is not Woodruff Road. But IMO it still doesnt have any sort of urban feel to it until you get to the West End. Typical older suburbia with some newer shopping centers mixed in. I agree it does have potential though but building a new shopping center isnt going to make any difference.

[Greenville]

I agree with you, socaguy. Augusta has some nice blocks, but feels somewhat old (in a bad way) along most of the stretch. Lewis Plaza is something to build upon, but much of the rest of it consists of old shopping centers. Making it urban would be great, but it would take a LOT of work.

[goodbye]

This website doesn't have much, but it does have a nice list of businesses and such along Augusta Road.

AugustaRoad.net

[gs3]

Just noticed yesterday that a new freestanding Port City Java is popping up beside DK Littleton. More java.....thats a good thing!