The Gateway Site

[vicupstate]

I am actually okay with it not being mixed use.  Think about it, any retail there would be in no-man's land because it feels so out of the way from the action on Main, and there is nothing beyond it except the arena.  For the rent which would be charged, I don't see retail being successful there.  Office space could work, but I think it would be hard to get in and out if you are a client-driven business.

 

I hate that this is only four stories, but having several buildings there will still dramatically change a site which has been an eyesore for over 15 years.  I would have loved something "wow" there, but at this point I'll gladly take this.  Plus, more rental units downtown seem like a great idea.

I agree.  Mixed use on this site is a challenge at best. I would love for it to be taller, but if the architecture is strong, I'm okay  with it.

[vicupstate]

From Gville News:

 

 

Even as construction workers build two apartment complexes in downtown Greenville, out-of-state developers are planning two more.

Phoenix-based Alliance Residential Co. plans a four-story apartment complex where the Greenville Memorial Auditorium used to be, according to an application on file at City Hall.

At another downtown site, between the Reedy River, Reedy View Drive and Westfield Street, Flournoy Development Co. of Columbus, Ga., plans about 300 apartments, a Flournoy executive said Tuesday.

Apartment complexes are already under construction at the corner of McBee and Spring streets downtown, and at the corner of Rhett and Wardlaw streets in the West End.

At the intersection of Broad and River streets, bulldozers have been grading land for another proposed complex.

And that doesn’t count apartments announced for the corner of Church Street and University Ridge, the corner of North Main and Stone Avenue and other downtown locations.

At the former Memorial Auditorium site, redevelopment would fulfill the long-held hopes of Greenville city officials.

The triangular property, next to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, is bounded by North Church Street, East North Street and Beattie Place. It has been called the “gateway to Greenville” because of its prominence at a key entrance to downtown, the arrival point for Interstate 385 traffic.

After Memorial Auditorium was demolished in 1997, city officials spent more than a decade trying to encourage redevelopment of the site without any luck.

A plan for a federal courthouse died after judges complained about the site — squeezed between two one-way streets — and parking, security and accessibility issues were raised.

In January 2008, a group of local businessmen bought the vacant lot from the Greenville Arena District, the public entity that used to operate Memorial Auditorium, with plans for a residential and hotel complex more than 20 stories high. But that development never materialized.

Now Alliance Residential and a company called Everlane Development want to build the Broadstone Gateway Apartments on the property, according to an application to the city’s Design Review Board.

The proposed apartment complex would include two courtyards along North Church Street, a parking garage, 1,500-square-foot pool, leasing office and fitness center, according to the plans.

There would also be a grove of 10 trees at the corner of Beattie Place and East North Street.

Executives with Alliance Residential or Everlane Development couldn’t be reached.

Nancy Whitworth, a deputy city manager who oversees economic development and has met with the developers, said applying to the Design Review Board is “all part of their due diligence that they are going through to make sure all of the pieces of this puzzle can come together.”

“They have expended quite a lot of time, quite a lot of money and effort to this point, so we’re quite hopeful and optimistic that this can happen, because I think they’ve done a great job.”

Greenville Mayor Knox White said the development plan is one of the best he’s seen for the site. “We hope this one is the one, but we’ll see,” the mayor said.

[GvilleSC]

The renderings and drawings look better than I expected. Well laid out on the site. This should go along way to slowing people down on East North Street. I wouldn't mind seeing this built.

[Danmire]

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PlanningZoning/PlanningApplications/Applications/2014/FEBRUARY/DesignReviewBoard/02-06-2014/CA-14-29-NorthChurchStreetandEastNorthStreet-BroadstoneGatewayApartments.pdf

 

Submittal to the DRB for the new apartments.  I like them.  I like the scale and i think they will be good welcome to downtown.

[vicupstate]

I like !  It fills the site very well. 

[sc smitty]

The cylinder tower strikes again

[StrangeCock]

Gotta say...I really like it.

 

They way it fills the entire site, it's going to look pretty massive.

Edited January 22, 2014 by StrangeCock

[Gville29601]

Gotta say...I really like it.

 

They way it fills the entire site, it's going to look pretty massive.

 

I totally agree. I hope this moves along quickly. 

[gman430]

Even though it's only four stories tall, I actually really like this proposal.

[ausrutherford]

A lot better than seeing an empty lot and buildings sitting there doing nothing. 

[Daulaw]

Looks like the same architecture on most of the new downtown buildings. So much for new and innovative design concepts.

[GvilleSC]

What other buildings do you have in mind? Good news is that this is head and shoulders over the new 98E McBee apartments' design. That might give City Tavern a run for its money in terms of awful aesthetics.

Edited January 23, 2014 by GvilleSC

[RiverWalker]

Looks to me as though access to the pedestrian overpass to the arena will be all but exclusive to residents of the project. Am I wrong?

Edited January 23, 2014 by RiverWalker

[goodbye]

This would provide excellent urban infill on a challenging piece of prime real estate.  The overall design is far from bland and offers enough variation to offset any potential monotony.  Most importantly, the layout would significantly enhance the surrounding city-scape despite having only four floors.  This is the type of development common in larger, more densely urban cities.

[GvilleSC]

Looks to me as though access to the pedestrian overpass to the arena will be all but exclusive to residents of the project. Am I wrong?

I don't see anything indicating that...

[gman430]

Looks to me as though access to the pedestrian overpass to the arena will be all but exclusive to residents of the project. Am I wrong?

The city would never let that happen. Public funds were used to build that overpass so therefore it will remain public.

Edited January 23, 2014 by gman430

[MAJIKMAN]

I don't see anything indicating that...

 

I thought the same thing. Looks like full access all the way around.

[Greenville]

This looks outstanding!  Given the challenging location of the property, as well as the shape, I think they have done a phenomenal job.  It will have a huge effect as you come into Greenville, and perhaps be more appealing than a 20 story highrise there.  I'm excited to see the impact it has on that immediate area.

[GvilleSC]

This looks outstanding! Given the challenging location of the property, as well as the shape, I think they have done a phenomenal job. It will have a huge effect as you come into Greenville, and perhaps be more appealing than a 20 story highrise there. I'm excited to see the impact it has on that immediate area.

This could have an impact on the Pettigru historic district and might promote more residential use in that neighborhood. Now we just need a good urban project for people entering the city from the north/Poinsett Hwy.

[StrangeCock]

This could have an impact on the Pettigru historic district and might promote more residential use in that neighborhood. Now we just need a good urban project for people entering the city from the north/Poinsett Hwy.

 

Would love to have someone put in a big development on that block from QT to the history museum.

[apaladin]

^{Have to admit, I like it!}

[ausrutherford]

Maybe this can help some of those empty lots on the other side of E. North across from BSWA

[vicupstate]

From the Greenville News:

 

Downtown’s momentum makes the redevelopment of the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium site more feasible than it has been in the past, according to a developer that plans to build nearly 300apartments on the long-vacant property.

 

Alliance Residential Co. expects to break ground later this year on the 257-apartment complex, said Bob Weston, a managing director with the Phoenix-based company.

The site, bounded by North Church Street, East North Street and Beattie Place, has been vacant since Memorial Auditorium was demolished in 1997. Other developers have explored the property numerous times over the years, but their plans never materialized.

Now, however, there’s a new factor in play, according to Weston.

“I think the difference now is how much momentum has been built in downtown Greenville,” he told GreenvilleOnline.com viaemail.

“It’s a much more desirable place to live and work, and the appeal of being downtown has increased substantially. That kind of change certainly helps the financial feasibility of projects like this.”

Weston said his company plans to break ground on the four-story development in the third quarter. The apartment complex should be open for business a year later, he said.

Weston declined to say how much Alliance Residential would charge for rent.

The complex would include two courtyards along North Church Street, a parking garage, 1,500-square-foot pool, leasing office and fitness center, according to plans on file at City Hall.

“We will absolutely be walkable to downtown,” Weston said.

Alliance Residential is working with the same architect that designed the Poinsett Corners condominium complex next to the Peace Center downtown, Weston said.

The plans go before the city’s Design Review Board on Feb. 6

[gman430]

Looks like this proposed development has gone through some design changes: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PlanningZoning/PlanningApplications/Applications/2014/MARCH/DesignReviewBoard/03-06-2014/CA-14-29-NorthChurchandBeattiePlace-GatewayApartment.pdf Glad to see the redesign of the round element at the end of the complex.

Edited February 19, 2014 by gman430

[Greenville]

Looks like this proposed development has gone through some design changes: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PlanningZoning/PlanningApplications/Applications/2014/MARCH/DesignReviewBoard/03-06-2014/CA-14-29-NorthChurchandBeattiePlace-GatewayApartment.pdf Glad to see the redesign of the round element at the end of the complex.

 

This looks even nicer than the original.  Great job!