Downtown Projects & Developments

[westsider28]

Big news today: Dottie's Toffee is expanding and moving to Morgan Square!  They're moving to 155 West Main (white building at the corner of W Main and Spring), which will add some life to a currently "dead" area.  As well as a retail store, they will have a demonstration kitchen where people will be able to see the toffee being made, and they will serve ice cream and other dessert options.  This is awesome!  Places like this are really popular in other cities, especially with kids and families.  The new location should be open in February.  Great to see a home-grown business having success and growing!

[Spartan]

That's awesome! I didn't know this company existed, but it seems like a win for everyone to have them in such a prominent space on Main Street.

[Sparkleman]

They are currently in the space on Spring St. where William Cribb started Cribb's Kitchen not that long ago. It seems to be a good place to start out if you are a restaurant with plans to move when you get bigger. Almost like a restaurant incubator.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Sparkleman

[westsider28]

City Council approved the low bid for the Wall Street festival street project.  The street will be primarily closed to vehicles with posts that can be lowered to allow traffic, if necessary.  The street will have brick pavers, street lights, and string lighting.

 

On a related note (they can take advantage of outdoor seating on the street), Hub Diggity Dogs will reopen in the new 201 Wall Street building!  They will have an expanded menu.  They will occupy two spaces on the ground floor (~1000 sq ft) between Health in Hand Juice & Smoothie Bar and a retail space without a tenant yet.

 

Great to see these retail spots fill up before the building is even complete!  I guess this shows the demand for small spaces downtown. (I think that has been mentioned on these boards in the past)

[hub-city]

So glad Hub Diggity is coming back.  I look forward in the spring to walking and grabbing a dog and then stopping by Dottie's Toffee for some candy or ice cream.

[Spartan]

This is great news, and an awesome addition to downtown. Wall Street is the perfect place for this type of pedestrian street. I'm impressed that the City was able to make it happen.

 

I'm interested to know what the rents will be for the apartments there. It's a pretty good location. As long as the prices aren't exorbitant I think they will be very popular. 

[westsider28]

Construction on the Wall St festival street is underway!

[Spartan]

I moved the discussion about the West Main Street hotel to this thread:

 

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/topic/116812-west-main-street-hotel-talk/

[westsider28]

I took a few photos of the Wall Street progress this weekend.  It looks like all the sub-surface stuff is done and that they'll be putting in pavers pretty soon.  They also expanded the sidewalk on Broad between Wall and Spring (photo 3) into what was previously unused road space, so that's nice.

 

Also, renovations of the City View apartments on Henry St by the new owners are well underway.  Looks like they're replacing rotted wooden cornices and maybe doing something with the windows.  It's nice to see this historic building getting refreshed.

[Spartan]

Nice. The Wall St project is very exciting. It's great to see all of that progress in such a short time.

 

I didn't realize the cornices on the City View apartments were made of wood. Thanks for the updates!

[westsider28]

Demolition of the HBJ building is progressing.  They're doing it methodically over several weeks to protect the adjacent building.  The little attached side-building was demolished a few weeks ago.  I'm still sad that it's coming down (and wish they could at least save the facade to integrate into a new building), but I understand and accept the reality.  It will be weird to see the side of that 80s-era BTC building exposed there.  I hope we get a new building on the site soon.

[westsider28]

Here are a few photos of Wall Street progress from a few days ago (plus a pic from today from Health in Hand FB page):

 

 

A lot of work going on at the junction with W Main.  And today they apparently started putting in white brick to divide the "sidewalk"-brick (parallel) from the "road"-brick (diagonal/chevron).  I think they'll likely finish up this week.  Can't wait to see the finished product.

[westsider28]

A small, yet significant development downtown: after ~15 years being vacant, the Sandwich Factory building has finally been sold!  I saw in a Facebook post from Andrew Babb (real estate broker with NAI Earle Furman, who sold it) that there will be two 2-br, 2-ba apartments upstairs and that they're working on getting a restaurant for the ground floor!  Getting this building filled, along with Dottie's Toffee and Wall Street developments, will be great for the lower part of Morgan Square!

[hub-city]

That is great!!  I haven't understood why a restaurant hasn't moved in there yet.  Hope they can find a tenant soon.

Edited February 5, 2015 by hub-city

[westsider28]

An art gallery, H+K Gallery, is coming to 151 West Main (between new Dottie's and old Abby's) in the spring.  Good to see more businesses coming to lower Morgan Square.

 

Also, lights are up on Wall Street.  They're LED and look pretty nice.  I thought there was supposed to be string lighting (to make it a true "festival street").  I hope they're still going to do that.  Also not sure how they're going to block off the street, as there don't seem to be places in the ground to put bollards (like the pocket park).  But overall, the street's looking good.

[spartanburgh]

_{The street will be closed on each end by bicycle art sculptures.}

[westsider28]

Nice summary article about downtown development in the paper today.  Most of it we already know, but there were a few nuggets I hadn't heard of.  Firstly, Andrew Babb (who did the 314 South apts by the Rail Trail) is apparently in the planning stages for a new mixed-use development along Kennedy Street.  Secondly, Royce Camp has 8 of 9 apartments in 201 Wall Street leased, an informal agreement with a tenant for the final retail spot in the building, and he's moving forward with plans for another mixed-use development in downtown.

 

Wow!  2015 looks to be one of the most exciting years for DT development in a long time (maybe ever)!

[mainonmain]

By my count, there are about a dozen downtown projects and potential businesses in the due diligence phase right now. This is beyond mere "kicking the tires" stuff: either active plans on paper and nailing down (re)development costs, and/or active contract/lease negotiations. Not all of them will come to fruition, even at this advanced stage — you never bat 1.000 on these.

But we could be on the verge of a flurry of announcements.

Edited February 15, 2015 by mainonmain

[westsider28]

I was checking out some properties on GIS and stumbled across a site that may be home to Royce Camp's next DT development (mentioned a few posts ago).  It's actually 3 parcels at the SW corner of Spring and Kennedy/Harris (near City View Apts) which were all purchased on 12/19/2014 by Midtown Properties LLC (owned by Royce Camp, as mentioned here).  Actually, I saw a Bobcat had cleaned some undergrowth at the edge of the site recently, which is what prompted me to check it out on GIS.

 

Looks to be about twice as big as the 201 Wall Street site.  But if parking was included, the building might be a similar size.

 

Now to figure out where Babb's project is...    (Kennedy/Harris may be the next hot street, I guess.)

[mainonmain]

I think Camp might have designs on a different site first. Babb's project, if the final pieces come together, will be a knockout.

[spartanburgh]

Andrew Babb's project, will go at the NW corner of S. Converse and Kennedy St., in the grassy area

beside the parking garage. Royce Camp is not going on the corner of Kennedy and S. Spring St. His

project is proposed for Main St.

[westsider28]

Ah, great to hear!  Thanks for the info, guys.  Thought I had things figured out, but was way off.  Oh well.

 

I've thought for a while that the lot by the Kennedy deck would be perfect for development (adjacent/attached parking, SCC across the street, Rail Trail extension soon).  That's awesome!

 

Spartanburgh, could Royce Camp's be a renovation of an existing building?  Like the old Bishop Furniture building that you mentioned as a possibility in the Wish List thread a while ago?

 

I'm pumped about all this development news!  Really exciting time right now!

[spartanburgh]

No, Bishops is by another developer, but that potential has grown quiet of late. Royce Camp's site

is on W. Main St. in what would be a brand new building very near the new hotel.

[westsider28]

Hmm, I see.  There are limited sites on West Main near the hotel.  Seems like it would have to be on a parking lot.  Maybe adjacent to Carriage House Wines?  I know he redeveloped that building years ago.  I doubt it would be west of the RR tracks.

 

I have to say spartanburgh, your sources have been clutch.  Glad to have you sharing the insider info on here!

[spartanburgh]

I've heard that's the place!! It should have underground parking and 3-4 floors on top

of that. It would be interesting to see the new hotel going up on one corner and this

project going up on the opposite corner at the same time, and at the same intersection!!! 

The City will have to approve the development.