Wade Hampton Blvd Motel to go up for Auction

[vicupstate]

Wade hampton Motel goes up for auction

I sure hope something positive happens with this site. The road frontage is quite large. Not sure of the acreage but it would be significant.

I would think this has great potential for a Grocer-anchored project. It would be a great place to bring in some affordable housing with a retail element.

Other ideas?

[adrockc2]

It might make a good location for a multi-modal station.

[linkerjpatrick]

Wade hampton Motel goes up for auction

I sure hope something positive happens with this site. The road frontage is quite large. Not sure of the acreage but it would be significant.

I would think this has great potential for a Grocer-anchored project. It would be a great place to bring in some affordable housing with a retail element.

Other ideas?

Their was talk about a Bloom store going up at the Intersection of Stone, Church and Wade Hampton. I think this plot of land would be a better location. i think the intersection above would be a better location for a resteraunt on the hill overlooking Wade Hampton. Speaking of resteraunts downtown really need another class or resteraunts that could accomodate business/networking meetings. I the current president of local business network chapter and our current meeting place is at Perkin's on Woodruff Road (I didn't chose that location, it was already set up by the previous leadership) however most of our members work in or near downtown. About the only space right now that has that kind of space is the Ham House and no one in the group was too keen with going to the Ham House. (although it would have been fine with me)

[vicupstate]

According to the County GIS site, the motel is on 5.45 acres. Also, there is an adjoining site (same side as W.H. only towards DT) that is 16.75 acres.

Either one or both of these, could be a MAJOR revitialization project for this corridor. Timmons Park isn't that far away either. This also isn't far at all from the Element project that has it's own thread.

Interesting......

[StrangeCock]

This whole situation has been sketchy from day one. Sounds like Billy Mitchell Part Two. While I agree that the place is nothing but an eyesore, the city is making quite a habit of playing fast and loose with peoples' property rights.

Is there any doubt that this won't end up in the hands of the Hughes Brothers? Another shady sweetheart deal for the good ole boys...

[goodbye]

I hope it does end up in the Hughes' hands. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Townes Plaza at RiverPlace was precisely the right move on Main Street. Now we don't have to hear the whining of Mr. Mitchell.

[StrangeCock]

Don't get me wrong. I am not a Billy Mitchell fan. And I would love to see something really nice there (I pass it everyday to and from work).

I just like to see things work out fairly. It's discomforting to see people being railroaded by a well-oiled machine they are powerless to stop.

[breed]

Don't get me wrong. I am not a Billy Mitchell fan. And I would love to see something really nice there (I pass it everyday to and from work).

I just like to see things work out fairly. It's discomforting to see people being railroaded by a well-oiled machine they are powerless to stop.

The news stories are covering it from the point-of-view of the owner, which they should... but I'd be interested in seeing the city's rationale for the move.

[one1pound]

There's rumors that the neighboring 16.75 acres is already owned by a "friend" of the city. Most likely the 5 acres of the motel will end up in the hands of the same guy.

The motel is definetly a burden on the city, no doubt. However, the owner was denied fair process.

Someone has hands.

[crescentmoon]

There's rumors that the neighboring 16.75 acres is already owned by a "friend" of the city. Most likely the 5 acres of the motel will end up in the hands of the same guy.

The motel is definetly a burden on the city, no doubt. However, the owner was denied fair process.

Someone has hands.

And just what wasn't "fair" about the "process"? Looked to me like the situation was handled both appropriately and legally. The newspaper will sensationalize any situation and if that's your only source then I can better understand your comment. Just remember, the press doesn't always cover these kinds of stories from the beginning. A lot of things happen in cases like this long before they get to court and become public knowledge.

[vicupstate]

There are several buildings that make up this closed Motel. The northern-most building has a large orange "D" spraypainted on each end. The owner of record is Pinnacle Bank of SC. The deed is dated from Jan. 2009. This is right next to the multi-story housing project that appears to be finishing construction.

Does anyone know anything?

[vicupstate]

The entire main building of this motel now has orange painted writing but with different letters besides "D". I guess the entire building will be demo'ed.

[btoy]

by friends of the city do you mean Canal Insurance/Timmons family?

[vicupstate]

Demolition has begun and appears to include the entire site, as they started with the back-most building.

This site connects with the large recently-cleared site to the south. How these two large parcels redevelop will shape the Wade Hampton corridor to a very significant degree, for better or worse.

[vicupstate]

From the Greenville News:

 

Q: Is there any plan in place for the development of the property on Wade Hampton Boulevard that was formerly the Colonial Court hotel?

Amy in short: Though not quite as woebegone as the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium site, this is one property that's seen its fair share of fits and starts. Two prominent proposed projects failed, but there's hope on the horizon.

A bit more: A local developer has made an offer for the site at 755 Wade Hampton Boulevard that was once an epicenter of Greenville social activity and later a troubled spot eventually closed down by the city.

The potential buyer plans to redevelop the site into a retail-type use, said Larry Webb, principal at KDS Commercial Properties, which has been marketing the 5.5-acre site. Details of the proposal are not yet available.

The property has been on the market for $1.25 million, and the recently received offer is close to that price, Webb said.

It's not the first time the property, available since the former Travel Inn was forcibly shut down in 2007, has drawn interest.

The Phoenix Center proposed a drug treatment campus in 2009 but eventually abandoned the idea in the face of community opposition.

Just last year, a North Carolina developer planned a 109-unit apartment complex. Rob Johnston, of Johnston Properties, said he walked away from the plans after coming to loggerheads with the city over his proposal.

"I wasn't allowed to put the building where I thought it made a lot of sense for a lot of reasons, and the city wasn't even willing to listen to those reasons," he said.

Though the location is rich in history, its potential for future development has been somewhat limited.

"Economically, there's just not been a lot going on," said David Barnett, president and CEO of Pinnacle Bank, which has owned the property since 2007, following a foreclosure on the former Travel Inn.

"It's in view of the city. It's a nice gateway, but there's not been much in the way of new business there to really get traction," he said.

Both Barnett and Webb referenced the nearby CVS that closed after a few years as a sign that businesses have struggled to gain a foothold along the corridor that has seen little growth or development in recent years.

That wasn't always the case.

The Colonial Court opened on the site in 1951. Fronting the new "superhighway" connecting Greenville to Spartanburg, it found early success, thanks in part to a paucity of lodging and meeting options in downtown.

Over time, Colonial Court grew in size and reach to become a hub of Greenville society.

"For nearly two decades, the Colonial Court was unmatched in popularity," with 85 groups using its spaces for monthly meetings and its five banquet rooms regularly hosting wedding receptions, retirement dinners and more, wrote local historian Judy Bainbridge in a 2013 piece on the hotel.

Sometime early this century, the hotel became a Travel Inn that would be plagued by problems.

It was described by city leaders as a "hive of illegal activity," and its business license was initially revoked in August 2006, beginning a monthslong process that eventually led to the hotel's permanent closure in mid-2007.

Pinnacle Bank demolished the old hotel in 2011.

"We really want to get something in there that not only works financially for the bank but that is pleasing to the city and the community behind there," Barnett said.

Though green space might be preferred by area residents, a park is not a financially viable option, he said.

"It's going to be a business, and we've just got to find the right mix that enhances the value of that property for everybody, he said. "At some point and some time, I am convinced that's going to be the wonderful gateway the city wants it to be."

The land's proximity to downtown, while offering a picturesque view of the city skyline, may actually be its Achilles heel.

Webb called it a "no-man's land" — too close to downtown for suburban development, too far away for downtown projects.

"That end of Wade Hampton Boulevard over the years has had its challenges. Rather than retailers and developers moving toward this end of Wade Hampton, they've moved away from it," he said.

But he's hopeful the tide is turning.

"We think we finally have a good use that will fit there," he said. "We think we have a project now that is going to be consistent with what's going on in the city of Greenville."

Michael Kerski, planning and development manager for the city of Greenville, said a recent survey of area residents showed many were eager for more immediate access to stores and services.

"I think you'll see over the next few years a lot more development occurring in that area because the residential neighborhoods around there are getting denser," he said.

It will likely be several months before work actually begins on the site as the developer goes through the necessary review and approval processes, though Webb said the developer has already held preliminary talks with the city to confirm the proposed use conforms with the existing zoning.

The C-3 zoning allows for a variety of commercial uses, including retail such as grocery stores, Kerski said.

"It's designed to serve the neighborhood but also serve the larger area," he said.