Downtown Projects & Developments

[Spartan]

Yeah it's on their website. It comes with a private cocktail waitress and "27 premium drinks."

The places like this in Charlotte have the same operation, except its $400. You get a bottle or two of liquor and a waitress. If you go with 10 people then it works out alright if you're into that kind of thing. So, for Rome it would add up to $25 a person for a waitress and 2-3 drinks a person, which is basically what you would pay for that many liquor drinks + tip anyway (with good quality liquor).

The price isn't the issue, IMO. My big question is the atmosphere. What kind of vibe is it going to have? If they can pull off the pretentious club thing and people buy into it, then it will work. I'm not 100% sure if Spartanburg can handle that kind of thing, but I hope I am proven wrong.

[Spartan]

This is a good article about the progress that is being made in creating an identity for downtown Spartanburg.

HJ Article

[Sparkleman]

I was invited to the grand opening party at the new Yogalicious yoga studio on Friday night. It formally was on the 2nd floor of the old Belks building but now has moved across the street and up a little and is street level between Diamond Jewelers and Carolina Cash. The building is very impressive and looks like something you would see in a big city. The owners have made it comfortable but very practical for their needs. Some of Spartanburg's heavy hitters were there including the "George". There also was some conversation kicked around about other projects and their status. The person that owns the building that Yogalicious is in is one that wants to see downtown succeed and was willing to lease her building at a favorable rate. She in fact told me that this usually is not the case downtown (as I have heard many times before).

Is was also whispered some that the blue bloods of the town want to see Rome fail miserably because they are scared of the element that it might bring. The guy has now spent 950K and has been forced by the city to get every license known to mankind as well as 2 mil in insurance. He is determined to push forward though and wants nothing better than to prove the city wrong.

I also spoke with some folks about the guy that wanted to open the hot dog stand about a year ago. That conversation set off a furor over how he was denied.

All in all though it was a very good evening at a great Spartanburg establishment after which I had dinner with my wife at Lime Leaf which has to be the best restaurant in Spartanburg. Even better when we got there, they asked if we had a reservation.

Edited September 20, 2010 by Sparkleman

[roads-scholar]

I was invited to the grand opening party at the new Yogalicious yoga studio on Friday night. It formally was on the 2nd floor of the old Belks building but now has moved across the street and up a little and is street level between Reys Jewelers and Carolina Cash. The building is very impressive and looks like something you would see in a big city. The owners have made it comfortable but very practical for their needs. Some of Spartanburg's heavy hitters were there including the "George". There also was some conversation kicked around about other projects and their status. The person that owns the building that Yogalicious is in is one that wants to see downtown succeed and was willing to lease her building at a favorable rate. She in fact told me that this usually is not the case downtown (as I have heard many times before).

Is was also whispered some that the blue bloods of the town want to see Rome fail miserably because they are scared of the element that it might bring. The guy has now spent 950K and has been forced by the city to get every license known to mankind as well as 2 mil in insurance. He is determined to push forward though and wants nothing better than to prove the city wrong.

I also spoke with some folks about the guy that wanted to open the hot dog stand about a year ago. That conversation set off a furor over how he was denied.

All in all though it was a very good evening at a great Spartanburg establishment after which I had dinner with my wife at Lime Leaf which has to be the best restaurant in Spartanburg. Even better when we got there, they asked if we had a reservation.

Good report, Sparkleman. I haven't been to Lime Leaf yet but have heard all good reviews thus far.

[Spartan]

The person that owns the building that Yogalicious is in is one that wants to see downtown succeed and was willing to lease her building at a favorable rate. She in fact told me that this usually is not the case downtown (as I have heard many times before).

I'm glad to hear that some people want Spartanburg to succeed. I've heard that about the rents downtown for years.

Is was also whispered some that the blue bloods of the town want to see Rome fail miserably because they are scared of the element that it might bring. The guy has now spent 950K and has been forced by the city to get every license known to mankind as well as 2 mil in insurance. He is determined to push forward though and wants nothing better than to prove the city wrong.

For some reason this doesn't surprise me. Old guard doesn't want change... typical. I hope Rome succeeds just to spite them. GET WITH IT SPARTANBURG!!!!

Speaking of which, last time I was in town I drove by there, and the windows are all covered with black material of some sort. I hope that is just temporary. Windows are important in a downtown business.

I also spoke with some folks about the guy that wanted to open the hot dog stand about a year ago. That conversation set off a furor over how he was denied.

That guy has a legitimate right to be pissed off. He posted on here a while back. This is another example of Spartanburg being unwilling to change. It's a freaking hot dog cart people. Watch out for the dangerous element they bring in too (ie: families out for a stroll). Families with kids are notoriously dangerous, so watch out.

[Sparkleman]

I was walking my dogs downtown last Saturday morning after hitting the Farmer's market and walked past Rome on the way to the coffee shop. The windows have black paper over them and I am not sure if it is permanent or not. However there is a sign on the door that says you can call for an appointment to be shown around the building. I later talked with a bartender at Dudleys and she said she had seen the inside and said it was actually pretty cool. She said it was a little over the top in spots (big statue of Julius Ceasar), but pretty ok. As long as there are no gangbangers down there, I don't think the city will have much to worry about. It sounds like the cost alone may keep the riff raff out.

The whole deal about the hot dog stang set off a collective WTF is Spartanburg doing (or not doing). Its still hard to understand that this was shot down.

[Spartan]

I sure hope so, given that he's spent almost $1million on it. I doubt if that kind of investment has ever been made on a single leased building space like this in Spartanburg.

[westsider28]

The City is going to demolish 2 city-owned buildings across Church Street from the library. Apparently, there is structural damage that makes renovation impractical. The lots will be grassed afterward.

GSA Business article

Google Street View of buildings

I guess this isn't a huge loss, since those buildings are pretty poorly maintained, generic 1-story structures. I wish something new would be built in their place. That whole city hall block needs to be redeveloped, really (see: not-yet-adopted master plan). However, I'm sure nothing is likely to happen there for a while with the economy as it is.

[hub-city]

Yeah, those two buildings both need to come down. i think the city would love to buy the nautilas fitness center and demolish it and try to develop the whole are, but i doubt that will happen.

[Spartan]

I'm usually not in favor of tearing down old buildings. The one closer to Nautilus has some character to it. The other one does not. I would also prefer to have structures there than unmaintained vacant lots.

[roads-scholar]

The City is going to demolish 2 city-owned buildings across Church Street from the library. Apparently, there is structural damage that makes renovation impractical. The lots will be grassed afterward.

GSA Business article

Google Street View of buildings

I guess this isn't a huge loss, since those buildings are pretty poorly maintained, generic 1-story structures. I wish something new would be built in their place. That whole city hall block needs to be redeveloped, really (see: not-yet-adopted master plan). However, I'm sure nothing is likely to happen there for a while with the economy as it is.

This entire block which includes city hall is PRIME downtown real estate that I hope someday will be redeveloped. Our present city hall, constructed in 1961, is the one building in Spartanburg we all LOVE to HATE.

[Spartan]

There has been talk of building a new City Hall over the past few years. I think it is still in the "study" phase, but rest assured that City Council is aware that the City needs a new building. I personally think that Spartanburg is large enough now to support having Fire and Police in their own buildings.

[westsider28]

The Bank Meridian building at 320 E Main St. has earned a LEED Gold Certification. The article says it's the first in Spartanburg to earn a gold rating, but that's not actually true. The Mary Black Foundation building right across the street is also gold certified. Anyway, it's one of only 12 gold certified buildings in SC, and one of only 2 owned by private businesses (non-college or institution). It's always good to see more buildings designed with a focus on sustainability. Isn't "The George" also seeking LEED certification? Judging from this building, the process seems to take a while.

Herald-Journal article

List & map of LEED certified buildings in SC

[Spartan]

It's great to see more of this type of quality development happening. I would expect The George to apply for LEED certification too, since he did that with the 300 E Main project.

[westsider28]

As you may have seen, the Piedmont Blood Center at 175 Dunbar Street downtown will be closing after 35 years. The tough economy and lower demand for blood forced the closing.

Herald-Journal article

This is certainly unfortunate for the 46 employees losing their jobs. However, from a city standpoint, I never thought that the blood center was a good fit for downtown (at least not in that location). It's an ugly building, and because of the nature of a blood center, had little foot traffic. Hopefully the building facade can be overhauled, and a new business can move into this prime Main Street space.

[Spartan]

Agreed.

[Sparkleman]

Its going to take something big as this is a big space. If I am not mistaken its the old men's department from the Aug W Smith Co. Thats a lot of floor space from front to back.

[roads-scholar]

Its going to take something big as this is a big space. If I am not mistaken its the old men's department from the Aug W Smith Co. Thats a lot of floor space from front to back.

I see Mast General Store in this space. Perhaps its a larger footprint than Mast needs BUT this building WAS a department store at one time and should adapt easily.

[Spartan]

Wasn't the lack of space the reason Mast never came to town? I don't know if that's true or not, but if that's the case, then perhaps Mast may reconsider.

[hub-city]

I may have missed it, but does anyone know what is happening over at the county offices across from the auditorium? They are tearing up a lot of the parking lot and moving around a good bit of dirt, but I can't really tell wht they are doing.

[spartanburgh]

The demolition should have started with the building. I was hopful that the City and County could consolidate their offices and free up most of the exiting sites for better developments. I guess the "improvements" to the County offices means its not likey anytime soon.

[roads-scholar]

The demolition should have started with the building. I was hopful that the City and County could consolidate their offices and free up most of the exiting sites for better developments. I guess the "improvements" to the County offices means its not likey anytime soon.

The county administration building on North Church Street is the another building in town we love to hate. The other building, of course, is city hall. The county building is the former Sears department store.

I've always felt this parcel of downtown real estate could serve a much more productive purpose.

[Spartan]

Not having seen it, it sounds like they are just resurfacing the parking lot, which needed to be done anyway. In the grand scheme of things, that is a relatively cheap alternative and certainly doesn't preclude the County from moving out. Given the state of the economy, it will probably be a few more years before the City OR the County can do anything with their buildings.

[westsider28]

I just found an intriguing ad in Natural Awakenings magazine. You can check it out for yourself at www.upstatena.com (scroll to the bottom of the page and enlarge the November edition, then go to page 40 & zoom in). The ad is for a Grand Opening celebration of Upstate Green Central Station, "A green residential and retail complex, a green directory, and a green living showroom." This will take place on November 11, 6:30 - 8:30 pm in what the ad calls "The Phoenix," (formerly the Bishop building) at 174 E. Main Street.

I did some extensive Googling, but couldn't find anything about this development (only another website which confirms the launch party). Nothing about "The Phoenix" or "Upstate Green Central Station" (there is supposed to be an UpstateGreenCentralStation.com, but it's not an active webpage). It will be interesting to see if anything is announced publicly before November 11. I'd like to know more about this development.

[westsider28]

At the City Council meeting tonight, the council will consider awarding a contract on way-finding, gateway and music trail signs (H-J article).

It's about time. The council approved funding for the way-finding signs almost 1 year ago (page 3 of this article). I hope they award the contract and move forward with installing these signs. I think the way-finding signage will really help people feel more comfortable finding their way around downtown. I wonder what the design of the signs will look like. I may have to try to make it to the city council meeting and see if they have any drawings/renderings of the signage.

By the way, the music trail signs the articles mention look pretty cool. Check out the Spartanburg Music Trail website.