Jump to content

CONSTRUCTION THREAD: ONE Greenville (Main @ Washington)


btoy

Recommended Posts

There is a height restriction for the first 50 feet deep from Main St. Any highrise would have to be stepped back from Main St. A high-rise at Washington and Richardson is more likely.

I'm thrilled to hear that the Washington and Main parcel is in one owner's hands now. I'm sure GQ Fashions does not do much business, they are holding out for more money most likely. I would like to see that building go too, but it can be built-around, if necessary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I much prefer something like this older rendering to a high rise in this location. There are plenty of other spots off of (but close to) Main Street that would benefit more from a high rise. High rise buildings can do much for the Greenville skyline but not much to enhance Main Street when located right on Main Street, IMHO.

A highrise would not sit right on Main, but with retail on the first level a tower would definitely help Main Street. It would dump more people on Main Street right at the heart of downtown. This site runs all the way from Coffee to Washington, to Richardson. It's a BIG parcel of land and therefore a tower would not be the only occupant of the site. I'm sure that both of us will get our wishes because it will be more of a complex feel most likely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A highrise would not sit right on Main, but with retail on the first level a tower would definitely help Main Street. It would dump more people on Main Street right at the heart of downtown. This site runs all the way from Coffee to Washington, to Richardson. It's a BIG parcel of land and therefore a tower would not be the only occupant of the site. I'm sure that both of us will get our wishes because it will be more of a complex feel most likely.

I agree with you. The highrise portion would likely be some distance off of Main. I bet there would be a 2-3 story portion that fronts Main, and would blend nicely with the rest of Main Behind that would be a highrise, no closer to Main than the Poinsett Plaza building currently is. You wouldn't even notice it as you walked down Main, yet it would have quite a presence from a distance (hopefully).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose with a tower sitting back off the road (like the carolina first building) and smaller buildings fronting the road it may not be too bad...I'm just not a big fan of rushing out to be one of those big high rise cities...i like the way downtown still has a quaint feel to it and think that if every new development is a high rise we will eventually ruin that which would also ruin the appeal this city has to some people (not just myself).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you, CS; however, as much as I don't want Greenville to become a huge metropolis, I desire even less for it to become a sprawling one. I think a few high rises downtown would be fine, especially in a few key locations that I personally feel are strategically important. This location is one of those, and it's important (to me) for the reasons cited here. The quaint feel of Main Street ends along this small stretch of sidewalk. Something needs to be done to both add to/recapture that quaintness of retail shops as well as provide some urban residential and office options near the core of the CBD. I think both can be achieved at this site while still opening up the Piazza Bergamo into a more welcoming and friendly courtyard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a healthy middle ground when it comes to highrises, too. It doesn't have to be either no tall buildings OR hundreds of 40+ story buildings. There is a happy medium, and with our subpar skyline we could add 6-8 highrises over 15 stories and still not lose the charm and quaint feel of downtown. There are plenty of places downtown where there are either parking lots or old buildings. I can't imagine how tall buildings in these locations would detract from the human scale of Main Street. If anything, it would improve it.

Besides, Chicago has a lot of tall buildings but it feels very pedestrian friendly overall (to me at least). When you walk down the street and look straight ahead, you don't really see anything over 2-3 stories unless you specifically look for it. With Main Street's height restrictions, I don't worry about Greenville's skyline negatively impacting what we have worked so hard to build on Main.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw that same brief article on the GSABusiness site the other day and was left with the same impression. He still needs to secure ownership of the rest before any development can begin, but he's the one being given the vote of confidence to develop it now.

I was left feeling there was much more that the article didn't even begin to touch upon.

I am confused. It sounds like Pavillion was the group who was going to develop the site, but now this other guy is. Does that mean the site plan we saw a while back, with the made over BOFA building, torn down parking garage, added midrise and retail, etc was part of Pavillion's plan and now off the table? Or is that still in the cards, and this is a whole different project? :huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am confused. It sounds like Pavillion was the group who was going to develop the site, but now this other guy is. Does that mean the site plan we saw a while back, with the made over BOFA building, torn down parking garage, added midrise and retail, etc was part of Pavillion's plan and now off the table? Or is that still in the cards, and this is a whole different project? :huh:

I think that the BoA parking garage area and parking lot plans have been scrapped, but will be included with the Woolworth property development

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am confused. It sounds like Pavillion was the group who was going to develop the site, but now this other guy is. Does that mean the site plan we saw a while back, with the made over BOFA building, torn down parking garage, added midrise and retail, etc was part of Pavillion's plan and now off the table? Or is that still in the cards, and this is a whole different project? :huh:

The plans we saw before involving BofA were not Pavillions. It was John Boyd's the new Purchaser of the Woolworths Building. His group is the group that owns the BofA building. Also, I think they brought the Piazza redevelopment plans forward that were scrapped becuase there was not enough grass. I remember that their was some criticism that they wanted the plaza redeveloped just to make their building look better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a healthy middle ground when it comes to highrises, too. It doesn't have to be either no tall buildings OR hundreds of 40+ story buildings. There is a happy medium, and with our subpar skyline we could add 6-8 highrises over 15 stories and still not lose the charm and quaint feel of downtown. There are plenty of places downtown where there are either parking lots or old buildings. I can't imagine how tall buildings in these locations would detract from the human scale of Main Street. If anything, it would improve it.

Besides, Chicago has a lot of tall buildings but it feels very pedestrian friendly overall (to me at least). When you walk down the street and look straight ahead, you don't really see anything over 2-3 stories unless you specifically look for it. With Main Street's height restrictions, I don't worry about Greenville's skyline negatively impacting what we have worked so hard to build on Main.

Exactly. Tall buildings do not have to detract from the human scale of the city. Its about what you do at the base of a tower. If you require mized uses so that retail shops, restaurants, and other offices can locate at street level, then you will retain your pedestrian scale. If you only allow a blank wall, then you will loose it. Its more than, of course, but that is a part of it. Wider sidwwalks, trees, other misc. plantings and art also help the process tremendously.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Is this the beginning of the BOA facelift we were hearing about for so long? If so, what about the rest of the plans for the block?

My guess is that this is the beginning, otherwise, I see not why they'd be painting it. :P I would imagine the rest of the plans are something we'll be hearing about soon. As mentioned above, PNB signs are in the windows of the old Woolworth building advertising that they're providing financing for the development, so plans must be rolling on along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks to me to be a different color altogether, not just the result of pressure washing.

Also, I thought that the plan which has called for the removal of part of the parking garage had been scrapped and development rights had been given to a new developer? :unsure:

If a building is dirty enough, a good pressure-washing will be quite noticeable. Were there any "wet Paint" signs? :lol:

The development rights were from the city, and were in reference to the Woolworth building. I have not heard anything about the garage demo being cancelled.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw no wet paint signs nor signs of painters or even pressure washers. I had beifely considered that it was being cleaned, too, but when I pressure wash my walls or sidewalk/driveway, they usually get lighter, so that's what I was going by. :lol:

I could be wrong, but I had thought that the North Main corner and the Richardson Street corner (and Piazza Bergamo) were all part of the same larger development on that block? :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw no wet paint signs nor signs of painters or even pressure washers. I had beifely considered that it was being cleaned, too, but when I pressure wash my walls or sidewalk/driveway, they usually get lighter, so that's what I was going by. :lol:

I could be wrong, but I had thought that the North Main corner and the Richardson Street corner (and Piazza Bergamo) were all part of the same larger development on that block? :unsure:

AAAHHHH, So the dark part is what is new. No pressure washing would create that then. This actually is bad news, IMO, because the exterior changes will apparently be quite minimal.

The developer of the Woolworth building was different from the BofA project originally. Recently, the city moved it's development rights for the Woolworth building from the original group to the BofA group. The BofA owners also bought the Young Men's Fashion building where the Piazza Bergamo mixed use project was planned. They are also trying to buy the GQ Fashions building if I'm not mistaken. If so, they would have the whole block (Washington Main, Piazza Bergamo, Richardson. It least that is my understanding.

The News or Journal need to run an update on this project(s). It's getting confusing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.