Greater Greenville Economic Developments

[NewlyUpstate]

2 hours ago, gman said:

As the years go by, we will be glad that battery plant is no where near the Upstate. 

Curious why you say that? This would be like the 3rd or 4th largest factory in the county if they had chosen to be here. The others in that class/size provide substantial economic benefit to the area.

Additionally, remember this is a Japanese company building 3+ of these sized factories in the US after not having a presence before... so that means there's going to eventually be substantial white collar corporate manufacturing jobs supporting those factories as well.

Edited December 8, 2022 by NewlyUpstate

[gman]

2 hours ago, NewlyUpstate said:

Curious why you say that? This would be like the 3rd or 4th largest factory in the county if they had chosen to be here. The others in that class/size provide substantial economic benefit to the area.

Additionally, remember this is a Japanese company building 3+ of these sized factories in the US after not having a presence before... so that means there's going to eventually be substantial white collar corporate manufacturing jobs supporting those factories as well.

I say that because of the potential for environmental issues. 

[NewlyUpstate]

5 hours ago, gman said:

I say that because of the potential for environmental issues. 

Do you have any resources where I can read more about the local environmental impact for battery manufacturing factories? 

Here's Envisions latest sustainability report, additionally the SC factory is planned to be a net zero carbon emission site (with minimal usage of carbon offsets)

https://www.envision-group.com/zeroday2021/EN-Envision-Carbon-Neutrality-Report-2021-FINAL.pdf

[gman]

7 hours ago, NewlyUpstate said:

Do you have any resources where I can read more about the local environmental impact for battery manufacturing factories? 

Here's Envisions latest sustainability report, additionally the SC factory is planned to be a net zero carbon emission site (with minimal usage of carbon offsets)

https://www.envision-group.com/zeroday2021/EN-Envision-Carbon-Neutrality-Report-2021-FINAL.pdf

I think it is much to early to know the environmental impacts. Just in case, I would rather the factory be in a rural area like where it is going in Florence.  I do remember reading this in the AAA magazine. https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/cars-trucks/electric-vehicles/are-electric-car-batteries-bad-for-the-environment/

[ursa carolina]

This may be paywall, but the Post and Courier has an article about the old Exide plant in Greer. I believe this is largely lead contamination of the site. New plants are dealing the Lithium, Cobalt and other metals that can pose hazards.

https://www.postandcourier.com/news/a-car-battery-maker-gave-up-the-site-of-old-sc-plant-leaving-behind-a/article_4e82bec2-85e4-11ec-a79d-93b49b77d5ba.html

 

[gman430]

Dr. Peter Venkman : This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Mayor : What do you mean, "biblical"?

Dr. Raymond Stantz : What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.

Dr. Peter Venkman : Exactly.

Dr. Raymond Stantz : Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!

Dr. Egon Spengler : Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...

Winston Zeddemore : The dead rising from the grave!

Dr. Peter Venkman : Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... MASS HYSTERIA!

Mayor : All right, all right! I get the point!

[GVLover]

I've been excited about this one for a while:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wyff4.com/amp/article/south-carolina-greenville-new-development-guidelines/42638388

 

"The draft development code will be available on the City’s website for public review by January 25. There will be additional opportunities to provide feedback throughout the month of February. City staff is also available to meet with local business and community groups that are interested in learning more about the new code."

 

https://www.greenvillesc.gov/182/Greenville-Development-Code

Edited January 24, 2023 by GVLover

[gman430]

Can’t wait to see them limit all of the new buildings downtown to only five stories tall.  

[distortedlogic]

59 minutes ago, gman430 said:

Can’t wait to see them limit all of the new buildings downtown to only five stories tall.  

I can hear it now,

"we are taking the green out of Greenville,  we are trying to turn our small town into Atlanta, tall buildings don't fit in with the neighborhood, are out of scale, are eyesores, detract from the pedestrian experience,  and don't fit in with the fabric of downtown. "

Did I miss any?

[gman430]

2 hours ago, distortedlogic said:

I can hear it now,

"we are taking the green out of Greenville,  we are trying to turn our small town into Atlanta, tall buildings don't fit in with the neighborhood, are out of scale, are eyesores, detract from the pedestrian experience,  and don't fit in with the fabric of downtown. "

Did I miss any?

Yep. And they want to talk about combating suburban sprawl. Limiting the height of buildings is counter productive to that. And regards to the loss of green space, the vast majority of these projects getting built downtown are on sites that didn’t have any green space to begin with. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by gman430

[gman430]

The 428 page document is now available for viewing: 

https://greenvillesc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22549/2023-01-12_GVL_Draft_Development-Code

Downtown looks to be pretty much all MX-D or MXS-D: 

Edited January 25, 2023 by gman430

[GvilleSC]

The new development code is going to be a great thing for Greenville and will clear up a lot of confusion for developers.

The downtown design guidelines map is interesting. It provides height limits(?) in large portions of downtown. I don't understand some of the limits. The Trailside Apartments site, for example,  is capped at 4 stories. To think that we could have had the Camperdown Condo building on that site at 14 stories back in the 00's is a little wild. This will absolutely affect land prices, and should funnel developers looking to maximize their potential to the core of downtown. 

 

https://www.greenvillesc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22550/2023-01-23_GVL_Draft_Downtown_Design_Guidelines_Boundaries

[vicupstate]

3 hours ago, GvilleSC said:

The new development code is going to be a great thing for Greenville and will clear up a lot of confusion for developers.

The downtown design guidelines map is interesting. It provides height limits(?) in large portions of downtown. I don't understand some of the limits. The Trailside Apartments site, for example,  is capped at 4 stories. To think that we could have had the Camperdown Condo building on that site at 14 stories back in the 00's is a little wild. This will absolutely affect land prices, and should funnel developers looking to maximize their potential to the core of downtown. 

 

https://www.greenvillesc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22550/2023-01-23_GVL_Draft_Downtown_Design_Guidelines_Boundaries

Those height limits need to be increased or just eliminated. Several of the 'districts' need to be merged. 

[gman430]

10 hours ago, vicupstate said:

Those height limits need to be increased or just eliminated. Several of the 'districts' need to be merged. 

I don’t see that happening unfortunately. This new zoning ordinance looks to be 100% complete. I don’t see any changes being made before passing city council. Looks like whatever is being proposed across from McBee Station will only be allowed to be seven stories tall now. Sad. 

And what dumb person thought four to seven stories of height limit next to Academy Street and seven stories along Broad Street was a good idea? That’s not helping combat sprawl. That’s just helping make it worse. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by gman430

[vicupstate]

It is complete from the standpoint of the firm that wrote it, but the staff, council and various boards are only just now seeing the completed proposal.   It is not set in stone by any means. 

[gman430]

4 hours ago, vicupstate said:

It is complete from the standpoint of the firm that wrote it, but the staff, council and various boards are only just now seeing the completed proposal.   It is not set in stone by any means. 

I disagree. The NIMBY’s are the only ones whoever show up to these meetings so they’ll get what they want while the rest of us are standing there empty handed. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by gman430

[GvilleSC]

38 minutes ago, gman430 said:

I disagree. The NIMBY’s are the only ones whoever show up to these meetings so they’ll get what they want while the rest of us are standing there empty handed. 

The opportunity to provide input and have your voice heard has been ongoing for the past couple of years. Developers were very involved in the public meetings. To say that their voices were not heard would be false.  

[gman430]

22 minutes ago, GvilleSC said:

The opportunity to provide input and have your voice heard has been ongoing for the past couple of years. Developers were very involved in the public meetings. To say that their voices were not heard would be false.  

It sounds like the consultant who made this new zoning law didn’t listen to them then. 

[GvilleSC]

3 minutes ago, gman430 said:

It sounds like the consultant who made this new zoning law didn’t listen to them then. 

Well, it's a balancing of interests, right? Anyone can also apply for a variance. It may be an uphill battle and will vary for each ask, but it's not impossible. This document, if adopted, simply lays out what you can build "by right". It also provides the City the legal foundation upon which to stand. 

[gman430]

Earlier this week, Greenville unveiled the culmination of that work, a draft ordinance that officials hope will provide clear, effective rules for governing future growth.

Now, the the city is seeking input from residents. About 250 people attended four meetings on Jan. 25 and 26 to provide feedback on the ordinance, Assistant City Manager Shannon Lavrin said. Comments can also be sent to [email protected].

“We’re starting to catalogue all of those and we’re going to start meeting on Monday (Jan. 30) to look at the comments,” Lavrin said. 

Among the chief goals of the new development code was to design a land management ordinance that would provide more clarity to developers and residents, and remove the need for officials to consider as many project proposals on a cases by case basis. To that end, the draft code includes roughly double the number of zoning designations as the current ordinance. The expanded list of classifications aims to provide more targeted guidelines and requirements based on the unique characteristics of the different communities and commercial corridors throughout the city, Lavrin said.

For example, the preliminary development rules contain 12 residential district designations. They offer a range of characteristics, from large suburban lots to more urban areas that transition between neighborhoods and busier corridors. 

The new draft also contains eight distinct types of mixed-use zoning. The addition of those new classifications is part of an effort to create more walkable, urban parts of the city referred to as “nodes,” envisioned as mini downtowns. In its 2040 comprehensive plan, Greenville identified 11 locations throughout the city for those nodes, including the area around Haywood Mall, North Timmons Park and McAlister Square. The proposed code also looks to encourage more intentional development along the corridors that connect the residential and commercial hubs around the city.

Some of the designations within the recently released draft are tailored to offer incentives to developers that include certain features in their projects, including community greenspace and reduced rent in a portion of their units. Under the proposed zoning map, roughly a quarter of the city’s 27,000 parcels would be eligible for some version of those incentives.

Under the various mixed-use classifications included in the proposed ordinance, developers would be allowed a baseline of between two and five stories, depending on the designation. But by adding a certain level of more affordable units, developers would be permitted to add up to two more stories to buildings, topping off at seven stories in the districts that allow up to five.

Residents will have additional opportunities to comment on the draft ordinance at public hearings with Greenville’s Planning Commission on Feb. 28 and March 1. Lavrin said it could go before City Council as early as April but will more likely appear for a first vote in May. Council would have to approve two readings to make the new rules law. Lavrin said if it is passed, there would be a yet-to-be determined implementation period before it to officially went into effect.

Edited January 28, 2023 by gman430

[NewlyUpstate]

5 minutes ago, gman430 said:

Earlier this week, Greenville unveiled the culmination of that work, a draft ordinance that officials hope will provide clear, effective rules for governing future growth.

Now, the the city is seeking input from residents. About 250 people attended four meetings on Jan. 25 and 26 to provide feedback on the ordinance, Assistant City Manager Shannon Lavrin said. Comments can also be sent to [email protected].

“We’re starting to catalogue all of those and we’re going to start meeting on Monday (Jan. 30) to look at the comments,” Lavrin said. 

Among the chief goals of the new development code was to design a land management ordinance that would provide more clarity to developers and residents, and remove the need for officials to consider as many project proposals on a cases by case basis. To that end, the draft code includes roughly double the number of zoning designations as the current ordinance. The expanded list of classifications aims to provide more targeted guidelines and requirements based on the unique characteristics of the different communities and commercial corridors throughout the city, Lavrin said.

For example, the preliminary development rules contain 12 residential district designations. They offer a range of characteristics, from large suburban lots to more urban areas that transition between neighborhoods and busier corridors. 

The new draft also contains eight distinct types of mixed-use zoning. The addition of those new classifications is part of an effort to create more walkable, urban parts of the city referred to as “nodes,” envisioned as mini downtowns. In its 2040 comprehensive plan, Greenville identified 11 locations throughout the city for those nodes, including the area around Haywood Mall, North Timmons Park and McAlister Square. The proposed code also looks to encourage more intentional development along the corridors that connect the residential and commercial hubs around the city.

Some of the designations within the recently released draft are tailored to offer incentives to developers that include certain features in their projects, including community greenspace and reduced rent in a portion of their units. Under the proposed zoning map, roughly a quarter of the city’s 27,000 parcels would be eligible for some version of those incentives.

Under the various mixed-use classifications included in the proposed ordinance, developers would be allowed a baseline of between two and five stories, depending on the designation. But by adding a certain level of more affordable units, developers would be permitted to add up to two more stories to buildings, topping off at seven stories in the districts that allow up to five.

Residents will have additional opportunities to comment on the draft ordinance at public hearings with Greenville’s Planning Commission on Feb. 28 and March 1. Lavrin said it could go before City Council as early as April but will more likely appear for a first vote in May. Council would have to approve two readings to make the new rules law. Lavrin said if it is passed, there would be a yet-to-be determined implementation period before it to officially went into effect.

I really think having successful nodes develop is a key to Greenville being a world class small city.  Downtown is super nice, but you can only walk around it so many times as a tourist. Would be really nice to have a couple other areas to wander with shops, restaurants and bars.

Other than zoning, I wonder how the city is supporting this front.. be it engaging possible anchor businesses or getting groups of businesses interested in an area

Edited January 28, 2023 by NewlyUpstate

[distortedlogic]

7 hours ago, NewlyUpstate said:

I really think having successful nodes develop is a key to Greenville being a world class small city.  Downtown is super nice, but you can only walk around it so many times as a tourist. Would be really nice to have a couple other areas to wander with shops, restaurants and bars.

Other than zoning, I wonder how the city is supporting this front.. be it engaging possible anchor businesses or getting groups of businesses interested in an area

Good post. And, even though its technically Mauldin, Bridgeway could be such a destination, as could Union Bleachery if it gets built. Just need some type of transportation,  shuttle, or something to tie them all in.

[gman430]

13 hours ago, distortedlogic said:

Good post. And, even though its technically Mauldin, Bridgeway could be such a destination, as could Union Bleachery if it gets built. Just need some type of transportation,  shuttle, or something to tie them all in.

Enclave, Verdae, and Village at West Greenville also. That is if they ever get built. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by gman430

[GvilleSC]

$50 million investment, 45 new jobs by GE Appliances for a distribution center.

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/614802265/ge-appliances-expanding-south-carolina-operations-with-planned-distribution-center-in-greenville

[GVLover]

On 8/23/2022 at 1:17 PM, vicupstate said:

Argo putting self-driving car test track in Greenville

Didn't realize this had happened until today:

(Oct article)

https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/26/ford-vw-backed-argo-ai-is-shutting-down/

(UBJ Article)

https://upstatebusinessjournal.com/tech-design/argo-ai-shuts-down-fate-of-planned-sctac-facility-uncertain/

Edited February 16, 2023 by GVLover