South Ridge (Church St. and University Ridge)

[vicupstate]

I stopped at the Certus Bank branch today, closed obviously, and I think it looks fantastic. You can't appreciate it fully from the road either. It looks contemporary and sleek. I've been thinking about a H.E. loan. The perfect excuse to get a closer look inside.

[vicupstate]

The Journal had an article about the HUD building on Augusta being 'for sale'.  I thought they were going to demo it, but I guess that will depend on who buys it.  Bids are due in about a week.

[vicupstate]

In the Upstate Business Journal, there is an article entitled 'A New Fate for County Square?'

 

The county has a line item in it's new budget to study the possibility of building a new office building of up to eight stories on the site. According to council chairman Bob Taylor, the idea has floated around for about a year. With the smaller footprint, the remainder of the site could be devoted to mixed use, condos or retail space. Council discussed partnering with Verdae to develop the site about four years ago, when the economic downturn materalized and iced that idea. Taylor said the county would not leave the site entirely to go elsewhere.

 

County square is 325,000 SF on 30 acres, and is 98% occupied.

[gman430]

Ahhh...so Project Skyline was Verdae then. Interesting. Eight stories of office space there would look great skyline wise being up on that hill. Any word on possible construction timeline from the article?

[ausrutherford]

Must be the new Civic Center...

[vicupstate]

Ahhh...so Project Skyline was Verdae then. Interesting. Eight stories of office space there would look great skyline wise being up on that hill. Any word on possible construction timeline from the article?

 

No timeline was given, or much else other than the history of the county's ownership of the property (bought in 1984). 

 

Must be the new Civic Center...

 

Are you referring to a new Convention Center? or something else?

[Gville2012]

Dont know when it happened, but noticed last week that Duke Energy finally took down the old street lights...

[GvilleSC]

Dont know when it happened, but noticed last week that Duke Energy finally took down the old street lights...

Wasn't that a sign that Greenville was spirally backward? Wonder what it will be now?

[Greenville]

The county square site would be perfect for a new convention center in terms of location relative to the rest of downtown.  Just out of curiosity, how big is the site?  If county offices were consolidated into a mid-rise building constructed on the site, would there be enough space left (after tearing down the current county square offices) to build a nice new convention center with parking, etc.?

[GvilleSC]

I wonder if the Governor's School would try to secure any more land during a County Square redevelopment. 

[vicupstate]

The county square site would be perfect for a new convention center in terms of location relative to the rest of downtown.  Just out of curiosity, how big is the site?  If county offices were consolidated into a mid-rise building constructed on the site, would there be enough space left (after tearing down the current county square offices) to build a nice new convention center with parking, etc.?

 

The site is 30 acres. I would say that is more than enough to do both (county administration building & convention center). However, convention centers are very expensive to build. The city would have to get a good price for the TD Center, IMO.

I think the possibility of a new City Hall being a part of the redevelopment, should be explored. It would bring a second mid-rise building to the site (thus significant density) and would allow the existing City Hall to be re-purposed toward more 24/7 activity, such as a restaurant-retail with a hotel or condos. Plus there could be some 'communal' sharing with the county building on things like board/council meeting rooms, etc.

[GvilleSC]

Downtown is much more than Main Street, but symbolically, I'd hate to see the City abandon the street, especially the CBD. The good thing is that their current building has a very small footprint and thus a small frontage which is withheld from other uses. 

[scgubers]

City Hall ain't going nowhere 

[gman430]

City Hall ain't going nowhere

Agreed. Same goes with TD Convention Center.

[ausrutherford]

Agreed. Same goes with TD Convention Center.

 

Don't be so sure...

 

As for City Hall, yea there are no plans to move. And if they did, it would probably be across the road.

[scgubers]

Same goes with TD Convention Center.

I think that might be a different story . . . We'll see though. 

[mallguy]

I think that something like (1) new county offices, (2) a retail component like Charlotte's Midtown complex, with a Target or the like, plus a family-friendly entertainment component and (3) maybe some office or housing space would work.

 

Bell Tower Mall was a dud, but it was a low-end mall that could have been parked anywhere in suburbia.  With the large crowds in Falls Park, I think that a new retail development that has a large entertainment component and is an attractive place to walk around and is integrated into the rest of downtown would do fine. 

 

Maybe adding a Jillian's and some other family-friendly attractions would be the key to success?

[vicupstate]

I understand there are no plans to move City Hall, but this is a good opportunity to do so. Moving it would have the affect of mentally 'expanding' the definition of what is in the CBD, IMO.  Many cities do not have City Hall on their Main Street, but elsewhere in the CBD.   The current building floor plate is tiny and ineffient, and the council chambers could be a ground level, which is a desire of at least Mayor White.

[mallguy]

City Hall is also ugly; aesthetics aren't enough to make a project happen, but I'd gladly see it gone.

 

I'd expect that City Hall could be remodeled, but it wouldn't make sense (to me at least) to tear it down and start over when there is already a large vacant lot across the street, north of the Greenville News building.

[ausrutherford]

The City wont move it off Main. 

 

As of now, the city was more on its plate than to include a new city hall (though it needs one).

 

The city is working on expanding fire service instead. Would you rather have a proper fire service or a new city hall?

[GvilleSC]

City Hall is also ugly; 

To each their own, but I wholeheartedly disagree. 

[btoy]

To each their own, but I wholeheartedly disagree.

I'm with you, I think it is quite attractive.

[ausrutherford]

No one in city hall likes the building from what I have met. No in facial design nor the current undersize.

[mallguy]

I'm with you, I think it is quite attractive.

That's fine-- certainly OK for people to have different tastes.

[Gville2012]

Alta Vista Neighborho​od Associatio​n confirmed plans for new development on Church St. (the parcel of land that is enclosed by Church and Houston Streets and Rose and Watts Avenues (right behind The Brio)). Primrose School of Greenville will be an accredited private preschool that provides a premier educational child care experience. The school will offer full-time care for children ages 6 weeks - 5 years old. Primrose of Greenville will also have an after school program for children ages 5 - 12 years old.

 

Also - per The Beach Company -  the mixed-use development on the corner of University and Church is "on track" and generally following its prescribed timetable. The Beach Company is working on and through all of the necessary plans, drawings, and "final details" for a project of this type, and hopes to have all completed and in place for presentation and consideration by the City of Greenville in late July or August. If all goes according to plan, and if all required approvals and remaining variables are secured and finalized, construction on the site could begin by late October.