CONSTRUCTION THREAD: McBee Station

[breed]

Anyone know the occupancy rate at the apartments?

I know someone who will be in Greenville for only about a year on a project with his job. He wants an apartment more substantial than the typical extended stay type. I was going to suggest McBee to him....went to the website but there is no contact info....am I missing something?

From what I heard, there isn't much available.

[gs3]

From what I heard, there isn't much available.

Great for the development.....not good for my peer looking for a downtown apartment.

[Greenville]

That just means we need a highrise or two with relatively affordable apartments for rent (in relation to downtown prices, that is). Hopefully the Gateway tower will address this in a big way.

[vicupstate]

I wish the developer of McBee Station would buy up the land between the current apartments and Broad Street, level it and build more. The new ones could share the existing pool ,Clubhouse and management. Since the buildings are 5 levels, it would seem potentially pretty profitable.

The single level non-descript buildings along Broad certainly wouldn't be missed.

Edited January 4, 2008 by vicupstate

[Greenville]

I wish the developer of McBee Station would buy up the land between the current apartments and Broad Street, level it and build more. The new ones could share the existing pool ,Clubhouse and management. Since the buildings are 5 levels, it would seem potentially pretty profitable.

The single level non-descript buildings along Broad certainly wouldn't be missed.

That is a fantastic idea. I wonder who owns the land along Broad, and if the McBee Station developer(s) would be interested?

[DT-Gville]

They have definitely grown on me. One thing that will help is the trees. They planted fairly heavily around the apartments....as the trees mature, I think the whole development will take on a better look. It should age well.

If anything, I dislike these apartments more and more everytime I see them. The Publix/Staples development is well done. But, even with heavily planted trees, I do not think the apartment complex will age well. I hope that time proves me wrong, but currently I think these are a huge eyesore. I am sorely disappointed with this design.

[GE Turbine Man]

I hate to say it, but I think if they were going to do that, they would have wanted to buy the land before building McBee Station and jacking up the property value along McBee.

If that area is going to continue to be developed, (and I think that it is) its going to be by someone else.

[gs3]

I heard yesterday a couple more of the retail spots have been leased, though I don't know by what retailers. Anyone know?

[GvilleSC]

That's great! Any and all retailers are welcome! Fill up that space and create some activity!

[GvilleSC]

Yesterday was actually my first time going into McBee Station (Staples, to be exact). I was blown away. Everything seems so much more dense and urban when you're in there as opposed to looking at pictures or viewing from Church Street. Not only did the top of the parking deck, but also the lower level of the development where the apartments are... The overall feel of the development was very nice and kind of surprising.

[mbsurf]

Yesterday was actually my first time going into McBee Station (Staples, to be exact). I was blown away. Everything seems so much more dense and urban when you're in there as opposed to looking at pictures or viewing from Church Street. Not only did the top of the parking deck, but also the lower level of the development where the apartments are... The overall feel of the development was very nice and kind of surprising.

I agree totally with the upper section. I use this publix often as it is on my way home from work. When more businesses have leased units, it will have some very nice curb appeal.

However, I don't particularly care for the apartments. I drive to work on Broad everyday and have seen them as a finished and unfinished product. I am not an architect or in construction, so take this with a grain of salt; however, as an unfinished product, they looked very cheaply made, especially for 'Luxury' apartments. I like the brick that is on the bottom, but from the top up is plywood/particle board, a thin layer of insulation (that sat in the rain forever), and a paint job. Visually, from the top of the brick up, they are boring: the same paint job across the same shaped buildings one next to the other. To me, the brick that lines the bottoms (and the rest of McBee Station) will age very well (as brick tends to do). However, the bland tops will not. I think they will require more maintenance and whomever owns the apartments will end up refinishing the tops.

Since this is only my second post on these forums, I do want to say that I do love Greenville and it's downtown. These apartments just happen to be one of my least favorite parts of the downtown because I drive by them everyday; and, despite what I think of the apartments themselves, McBee Station as a whole is a huge improvement to what used to be there.

[GvilleSC]

I must say that the apartments greatly impact downtown visually though. Whether it's from Broad Street, or Church Street, they have a huge impact. Sure they could have looked a little better, but like you said it's possible for that to be fixed later on...

[erm1981]

Exterior walls are 2x4 construction. 2x6 is stronger. I think the apartments should have been at least all brick to match up with the publix and staples better. The publix won the masonry award for upstate south carolina. Too bad the apartments couldnt have had more brick and less stucco. That stucco just doesnt do it for me. Looks too cheap.

[vicupstate]

There has been a LOT of criticism of the Mcbee apartments, which I feel is not warranted.

The condos have stucco as well, and frankly, it makes them look better and the whole project more varied in it's architecture. Five floors of brick coupled with the brick in the commercial part might have made the whole project look too monolithic IMO.

second, you MUST realize that apartments are RENTAL and you cannot spend the same $ on them as for sale units, yoU WILL lose MONEY. The cost of all brick would greatly exceed the marginal amount of rent that the market would pay for that.

'Luxury' apartments all over town have a modest percentage of brick, and the rest is hardiplank or vinyl siding -- how is that better (or less maintenance) that brick and stucco?? The truth is brick is quite expensive, an cannot be economically justified in some instances.

[DT-Gville]

second, you MUST realize that apartments are RENTAL and you cannot spend the same $ on them as for sale units, yoU WILL lose MONEY. The cost of all brick would greatly exceed the marginal amount of rent that the market would pay for that.

I just don't buy it. These apartments are on the higher end of the spectrum, rent-wise (1 BR start at $900) and are marketed as "luxury". Despite that, both reviews on apartmentratings.com complain about noise. Not sure these were constructed as well as they could be and the designers could have done better. I think they cheaped out.

[Danmire]

Wasn't the developer for the apartments different form the developer of the Commercial side (Publix and staples). I rememeber when they hit rock there fo rthe parking deck there was a big brouhaha about which one of them was responsible for paying for excavating it.

They do not look like $900 a month apartments. They just don't do it for me.

[Greenville]

I don't think $900 a month is that bad considering the location. They are brand new apartments, you can walk to Publix, Staples, and the other things that will surely be coming to McBee Station. You are several blocks from the heart of downtown and all it has to offer. I'm sure the inside has to be fairly nice and modern. I'm not saying that the apartments are excellent craftsmanship with thick walls, but I could think of a worse ways to spend $900 a month than living in brand new apartments in a fantastic downtown.

[DT-Gville]

I don't think $900 a month is that bad considering the location.

Just a disclaimer... I pulled the "Starting at $900/month" figure off of Apartmentfinder.com. I personally don't know what these rent for.

[vicupstate]

I don't think $900 a month is that bad considering the location. They are brand new apartments, you can walk to Publix, Staples, and the other things that will surely be coming to McBee Station. You are several blocks from the heart of downtown and all it has to offer. I'm sure the inside has to be fairly nice and modern. I'm not saying that the apartments are excellent craftsmanship with thick walls, but I could think of a worse ways to spend $900 a month than living in brand new apartments in a fantastic downtown.

You make a very valid point. There is NO 'apples to apples' comparison available. A typical suburban 'luxury' complex would not have paid the same fer foot, for the land it was built on. You are paying for the CONVENIENCE. You simply cannot directly compare square footage and amenties on an urban project, against a Woodruff road complex. The economics are just as different as the lifestyle they provide.

As far as 'noise', they may be referring to sirens, and traffic noise which is always going to be a part of urban living.

[breed]

I just don't buy it. These apartments are on the higher end of the spectrum, rent-wise (1 BR start at $900) and are marketed as "luxury".

I think this is just a case of marketing including the word "luxury" because they can. I don't anyone considers these to be on the higher end of the spectrum... which, from what we've heard, explains why it has been successful... there aren't really any competitive properties.

[gs3]

The sign is now up at McBee for Mary Beth's restaurant. I like the fusion of the place.....sweet, precious, Southern meets contemporary.

[GvilleSC]

I like the sign.

From the blurb in the Journal this past week, it seems that McBee Station may finally begin creating MORE of a name for itself. It'd be nice if some to see some additional development spin off of this. Hopefully with the addition of more tenants we'll see some additional investment along East McBee...

[gs3]

From the blurb in the Journal this past week, it seems that McBee Station may finally begin creating MORE of a name for itself. It'd be nice if some to see some additional development spin off of this. Hopefully with the addition of more tenants we'll see some additional investment along East McBee...

I agree, would love to see additional investment in this area. I had heard a few months back that a couple of additional retail spots had been leased, so hopefully we'll see much more activity soon.

As East McBee blends into Washington and heads to Cleveland Park, I'd love to see this street relandscaped by the city and see more bars, restaurants, and retail go into the wonderful old homes that have been turned into commercial structures vs. the current attorney and accountant offices in so many. This strip has so much unrealized potential as another major predestrian route.

[GvilleSC]

Absolutely. And its distance from Main Street, really lends itself to making an identity for the area to set it apart from other districts and happenings downtown.

[goodbye]

This restaurant mentioned in the Journal sounds like the same one I mentioned reading about in the Greenville News back in January...

You can read a nice little article in today's Greenville News about the new restaurant opening at McBee Station. It is called, "MaryBeth's," and will specialize in traditional "Southern" food and atmosphere, including breakfast and lunch. Sounds like a very nice addition to the already expansive downtown culinary options.