Greenville Skyline

[goodbye]

Correct. It is a positive move to attract younger professionals into downtown.

[breed]

I agree that the high-end market DT has been saturated, only so many people can afford condos in the 300k to 1.85M range. But (as has been pointed out many times in this forum) the mid to lower range idea hasn't really even been explored.

I definitely think there is a demand out there. But one thing to keep in mind... in general, new construction is going to be higher-end, as the high prices of high-end products are usually the only thing that can make new construction profitable, especially where land prices are elevated in a downtown area.

The mid-to-lower range market is often supplied through renovations of non-residential spaces and older residential ones. This range is also more often supplied through the rental market as opposed to the condo market. The extended period of low interest rates has allowed even the entry level housing user to consider purchasing. Historically, this has not been the case.

Elevated construction costs makes things more difficult for the mid-range market, as even the renovations are coming in at higher price points than they otherwise would.

[distortedlogic]

Was looking at some of the skyline pics in the south forum, almost all of those cities have us beat by a long shot. Even the smaller cities listed like Shreveport, Jackson, Montgomery, Knoxville have better skylines.

[g-man430]

How long will our skyline take, well let me sing it to you:

Oh, Oh, Oh

For the longest time

Oh, Oh, Oh

For the longest time

-Billy Joel

Edited May 20, 2006 by g-man430

[distortedlogic]

[goodbye]

I still find it interesting that Greenville was erecting structures like the 17-story Woodside Building back in the 1920s and '30s, but today is finding it very difficult to get even a single building over 8-stories out of the ground:

[RestedTraveler]

And ... to top that off ... the Woodside Building has since been demolished.

It'd be nice if all of these competitive proposals would just somehow work together to make sure that one gets built. Just one to kick it all off. One lynchpin.

Although the comparison between Greenville and Dubai is a far stretch, I think it's safe to compare Greenville to Downtown Orlando. Downtown Orlando sat for several years with proposals coming and going and no buildings ever coming out of the ground. Meanwhile, the suburban sprawl just kept sprawling and sprawling and sprawling and traffic got worse and worse in Orlando. Then, around 1999, came the announcement that the lynchpin was the Waverly. Since the Waverly was erected (and successful), several other projects came along and are currently under construction. The same could happen here, possibly, but it will take some time.

Like it or not, the sprawl will continue here. Although it's not the best solution in the long run and is the cause of many other problems (transportation, traffic, etc.), the fact remains that it is still (for the time being) affordable. Furthermore, it's more affordable here and now than in most other parts of the country. This will result in a great influx of companies and people moving into the area and sprawl will beget more sprawl.

There will, I suspect, eventually be a "saturation point" that is reached and developers and prospective tenants will then turn their focus to urban solutions. The timing may be a bit off and the conditions and climate may not be as favorable for condo towers to be developed here now, but who knows? Most of what I'm spouting here is pure conjecture on my part.

[GvilleSC]

I wish the woodside building were still around!

[distortedlogic]

Anybody know hoe tall the woodside building was in feet? I kinda like the building to the left of it with all the arches, that would be neat.

[goodbye]

Anybody know hoe tall the woodside building was in feet? I kinda like the building to the left of it with all the arches, that would be neat.

I think developers got today's project on that location right. I personally like Wachovia Place on the corner (Sticky Fingers) better than the old building you mentioned. But the Woodside Building is a totally different story. As for a height, I'll have to check around for that info.

[whitehourseview]

Anybody know hoe tall the woodside building was in feet? I kinda like the building to the left of it with all the arches, that would be neat.

I believe the building with the arches was a hotel.

[distortedlogic]

I was going to put this post in the drive thread (with the other Greensboro comments), but it is more appropriate here. The picture of the stadium in Greensboro with the skyline is a perfect example of what I am talking about. There is absolutely no reason why Greensboro's skyline should be thatmuch more impressive than gville's. Not counting the Marriot, there are 4 highrises in the photo. Only one of them is a box. The other three are very well designed, different, and put their own unique impact on the skyline. These are the type building we need to see more of her ein Gville, not more boxes, or more brick structures with a thousand small windows.

Edited June 7, 2006 by distortedlogic

[krazeeboi]

And even the box is about to undergo a massive renovation, becoming a 10-story condo tower:

An amazing transformation from a plain old box.

Edited June 7, 2006 by krazeeboi

[Greenville]

^ Impressive!

[goodbye]

I was going to put this post in the drive thread (with the other Greensboro comments), but it is more appropriate here. The picture of the stadium in Greensboro with the skyline is a perfect example of what I am talking about. There is absolutely no reason why Greensboro's skyline should be thatmuch more impressive than gville's. Not counting the Marriot, there are 4 highrises in the photo. Only one of them is a box. The other three are very well designed, different, and put their own unique impact on the skyline. These are the type building we need to see more of her ein Gville, not more boxes, or more brick structures with a thousand small windows.

In the highrise department, Greenville is definitely behind the "competition," so to speak. I find it very easy to bite my tongue on this issue when I am enjoying the city and its charm in person. What Greenville lacks in height, is made up a thousand times in beauty and charm - something unique and attractive enough to make most other cities eager to duplicate. So basically, while I am anxious to see Greenville build a few necessary new towers, I see something greater here than almost anywhere else.

[Greenville]

Skyline pictures really do not do Greenville justice. It is such a wonderful city on street level. I don't think many cities, regardless of size, can compete with us on street level! When it comes to skyline, though, we need some major work! Hopefully that will come soon.

[whitehourseview]

What is the occupancy rate of the Landmark (Daniel), Wachovia, Liberty, and Bank of America building?

[krazeeboi]

Skyline pictures really do not do Greenville justice. It is such a wonderful city on street level. I don't think many cities, regardless of size, can compete with us on street level! When it comes to skyline, though, we need some major work! Hopefully that will come soon.

How do you think cities like Charleston and Washington feel? LOL I know those aren't the best comparisons since those cities are more well-known, but I think the point stands. Some cities with the most impressive skylines are utterly abysmal at street level.

[gs3]

Skyline pictures really do not do Greenville justice. It is such a wonderful city on street level. I don't think many cities, regardless of size, can compete with us on street level! When it comes to skyline, though, we need some major work! Hopefully that will come soon.

[gs3]

And even the box is about to undergo a massive renovation, becoming a 10-story condo tower:

An amazing transformation from a plain old box.

This look really great! I'm in Winston Salem / Greensboro a lot on business, and both cities are definitely moving along with downtown revitalization. I'll check this out the next time I'm up there.

[breed]

What is the occupancy rate of the Landmark (Daniel), Wachovia, Liberty, and Bank of America building?

Of those buildings, occupancy is lower than the downtown average, which is 86.8%

[deltad22]

Of those buildings, occupancy is lower than the downtown average, which is 86.8%

I noticed that the BB&T sign is missing from the landmark building today, anybody else notice this or am I going crazy?

[RestedTraveler]

I noticed that the BB&T sign is missing from the landmark building today, anybody else notice this or am I going crazy?

It was removed back around the time of the Greek Festival. There's a post here somewhere about that.

[GvilleSC]

It looks naked without the red sign...

[RestedTraveler]

I thought it was white?

Still, it does look rather sparse. I'm glad I got some photos of it while it was up there...it was only there a couple of years before they took it down.