Projects & Developments in York/Lancaster/Chester Counties

[Spartan]

Wow, thats huge. Thanks for the update!

[wellington]

Plans to redevelop former Celanese site moving forward

The complex will take 10 to 15 years to complete. Plans include:

-- An outdoor shopping center facing Cherry Road similar to Birkdale Village in Huntersville, N.C., where stores and restaurants are built around lawns.

-- A business park with roughly 4 million square feet of industrial space, larger than any other park in the Charlotte area. Rock Hill's Waterford Business Park, by comparison, has 124,800 square feet.

-- Homes on wooded land near the Catawba River.

-- Football and baseball fields for youth sports and, potentially, an outdoor bicycle racing track known as a velodrome.

The property is widely considered to be York County's best available place for new companies and one of the best between Charlotte and Columbia. The reason is location -- in full view of I-77 and close to railroad lines, Rock Hill and Fort Mill.

Maybe this would be a good location for a minor league ballpark -- easily accessible to both Fort Mill and Rock Hill.

I'm not that fond of Knights Stadium. You'd hate to see the facility go to waste or get torn down, but its a rather sterile place to watch a game. A more intimate facility would be better for a Rock Hill team.

[sonofaque86]

Medical supplier coming to Rock Hill

The unnamed company is building on a 12-acre site at the eastern end of Dave Lyle Boulevard in Waterford Business Park. The $8 million project calls for a 121,000-square-foot distribution center that would employ 66 workers with average salaries of $40,000, city documents show.

[krazeeboi]

I like what's coming to the former Celanese site, but I also cringe in knowing how it will detract activity away from downtown.

[rockhilljames]

OK, does anyone have any information on the grocery store going up on the corner of Mt. Gallant and Cleanese? I had heard that was the site of the Lowe's Foods, but there's a Food Lion sign out front! That would be the third Food Lion in Rock Hill and very close to the Food Lion on India Hook.

Anyone know what's up with this? I would have thought they would have at least built a Bloom!

[krazeeboi]

Mt. Gallant and Celanese? It must not be exactly at the corner, because there's the used car lot, the gas station, Covenant Presbyterian, and the Walgreens at all four corners. Is it a little further down? I would be surprised if a Food Lion is going up there.

[rockhilljames]

It's behind the church on Mt. Gallant. If you cross over Celanese on Mt. Gallant going towards the lake it will be on your right. They are taking out two of the older houses on Celanese (right before the church) to cut an access road.

So no, it's not technically on the corner, but it's right there.

[rockhilljames]

Oh boy, more information. It's not only a Food Lion, it's a Dollar General as well!!!

Color me excited. One Food Lion, 4 strip mall buildings (one a Dollar General!!) and four outparcels for what one can only hope will be fast food and gas stations.

I love this town.

link for site specs and drawings

[krazeeboi]

I am really surprised by the choice of retailers there...REALLY surprised. How in the world did the city let that happen?

[Spartan]

Why are you surprised? Is that a wealthier part of town?

Here's a question for y'all- at what point do you disallow this type of development from happening? I agree that its crappy generic sprawl, and that this site is probably a good candidate for a mixed use development of some sort. But when do you say no to this type of development? Rock Hill is not exactly known for its mixed use sites (granted that York County has its share), and for a town in Rock Hill's position, do you say to development that would generate more taxable income that could allow them to do better things elsewhere.... perhaps a project downtown?

[krazeeboi]

Well, this particular part of town isn't necessarily wealthier, but there are some solid middle-class homes within a few miles radius. I just wasn't expecting to see what is almost bottom-of-the-barrell retail in that spot. I honestly don't know what the city could have done to attract more quality retail.

[Spartan]

My question wasn't so much about the retail component so much as it was bout development patterns in general. We al hate to see sprawl, but that led me to start thinking about what a city could really do to change it. I suppose the easiest answer is to "just say no" and wait until something better comes along. That's been Charleston's philosophy... but then, they are Charleston, not Rock Hill.

[teshadoh]

Rock Hill like most cities have long embracced shopping centers, but I admit I'm surprised about a Dollar General & a Food Lion going in there. At least since the 80's Rock Hill had been planning for the Celanese exit at 77 to be a vastly improved entrance into the city than it had been. Sadly, I think we were a lot better off when we had a putt putt golf & 2 roll-a-rinks open instead. Still, there is so much road traffic there that I would have thought more retail interest would exist. Or maybe it's just the current state of the economy in SC?

[krazeeboi]

A children's museum is being proposed for the two-story vacant lobby of the People's Bank Building downtown. The museum would use 3-D exhibits, colorful shapes and play equipment to create what organizers tout as a "whimsical playland" honoring the late artist Vernon Grant, creator of the Rice Krispies characters Snap, Crackle, and Pop--and also a native of Rock Hill.

[queensguy06]

I searched and couldn't find anything, so apologies if this has already been mentioned. Back in December Rock Hill received a $400,000 grant from Lindsey Graham for a trolley feasibility study. The trolley would run in the downtown area and possibly up to Winthrop. Anyone have anymore information on this?

[Spartan]

I remember seeing it on a plan a few years back, but I don't have my copy anymore. It was largely conceptual at the time, so I'm glad to see it moving forward with this analysis.

[krazeeboi]

BusinessWeek magazine has named Rock Hill as the best city in SC in which to raise kids for the 2nd year in a row.

[RugbyPike#11]

It looks like Rock Hill is considering BRT from downtown Rock Hill, down Cherry Down, and up US 21 to Charlotte, as a mass transit option. I'd prefer to see commuter rail extending Charlotte's North Line through Fort Mill and ending in downtown Rock Hill. The textile corridor/downtown Rock Hill would seem to support dense TOD, and there's a lot of undeveloped land on the existing rail that could be built from the ground up as TOD. I looked for the detailed study but I couldn't find it.

http://www.ci.rock-hill.sc.us/userfiles/file/Planning%20Services%20Webpage%20Documents/Transportation/RFATS%20Exec%20Summary_final%202-23-07.pdf

[krazeeboi]

I agree about commuter rail, but BRT in the meantime is a good option.

[Spartan]

Commuter rail would be the more logical choice. BRT can be a wide range of things, and to do it right would probably cost more than commuter rail. I'm glad RH is thinking more seriously about transit thought.

[RugbyPike#11]

It's hard to be sure from the executive summary, but I get the feeling that the bus would operate in mixed traffic on Cherry Road, and that a dedicated bus lane would be built when 21 is widened. I'd still prefer the commuter rail line, especially since you could run a train all the way between Rock Hill and Mooresville (assuming the north line is built in Charlotte), but I'd still be pretty happy with BRT. Then again, if I move back to Rock Hill like I expect to do in the next few months, I'd probably use 82X and I doubt BRT would save much time on that trip in the short-term. On the other hand, as Charlotte grows out towards Rock Hill, highway traffic will probably get more congested, and BRT would probably move much faster than mixed traffic lanes.

When I get back in town this summer, I'd like to get my hands on that detailed report.

[krazeeboi]

It's also about time that Rock Hill seriously consider implementing a citywide bus system.

[Spartan]

It looks like Rock Hill is going to get a mosque downtown. I know other cities have mosques, but this one will feature a minaret, which is to my knowledge the only one in the state that has one (though I admittedly know very little about mosques in SC).

I couldn't find anything about it in the Herald.

Observer Article

[krazeeboi]

That will certainly be a different sort of addition to the downtown landscape.

In other news, plans are moving forward for the site of the former Celanese industrial plant at the edge of Rock Hill, that would include homes, shops, and restaurants. The centerpiece would be a $4 million velodrome, an Olympic-class stadium for cycling. Along with the velodrome there would be a BMX Supercross track and a Cyclocross course. A walking trail along the riverbank is scheduled to open later this spring, with major construction to start sometime next year.

[Spartan]

I was wondering if that project had died. I'm glad to know that it did not.