Anderson Developments

[GSP Tiger]

In over a week of demolition, the service department has been razed. The showroom is a shell, but it should be gone any day. It would be nice to have photos of the new stuff going up.

[interestedexpat]

^ It would be nice to have lots of Anderson photos. But seeing as how I live in Thailand - I can't do it . Anyone??

[GSP Tiger]

I'm frequently visiting Anderson. If I have my camera, I could do it. I would like a photo tour of Anderson's downtown.

[Spartan]

The Chiquola is looking good these days.

[interestedexpat]

^ any photos you guys can come up with would be appreciated. I get glimpses of the downtown every once in awhile one of the photographers for the AIM will get a good one at a festival. I'm less desperate as we near summer 'cause i'll be in town for a week in July. it's mid-winter that I begin to feel out of the loop.

[interestedexpat]

A little bit of culture... Anderson film company to screen film at Cannes Film Festival this year!

The local company's film "Unbridled Justice" focuses on the life of Manse Jolly.

Read the story here.

[interestedexpat]

Anderson looses some jobs. Article Here.

Santens shuts down. 250 jobs gone. But the Econ Develoment Office says they've got more coming in. An announcement at next week's County Council meeting is pending for one new Employer. The Econ Dev guy said it's an "unusual business" that will be new in the county and will move into an existing building.

He also hinted that there are other things in the works.

[GvilleSC]

Anderson looses some jobs. Article Here.

Santens shuts down. 250 jobs gone. But the Econ Develoment Office says they've got more coming in. An announcement at next week's County Council meeting is pending for one new Employer. The Econ Dev guy said it's an "unusual business" that will be new in the county and will move into an existing building.

He also hinted that there are other things in the works.

It's never good to lose jobs, but it sounds like Anderson has a few things in the works.

[krazeeboi]

Question: What role does Anderson University play in the greater Anderson community? What is its economic impact on Anderson?

[interestedexpat]

Honeywell just announced they are closing operations in Anderson. That's the third big manufacturer this year Anderson is loosing. All three total about 553 jobs since January.

Not a good thng. I have to confess that I'm really dissatisfied with Anderson's economic recruitment. I think the new director of the office is really good, but I feel like she's working upstream. Local politics, I fear, is killing Anderson.

The key brightspot is downtown revitalization and the development of the retail market.

[GSP Tiger]

Manufacturing is not presently strong in Anderson. I wonder if Clemson's research business park or the distribution sector can land more entities.

[Pringles]

According to WYFF, Anderson Mall will be getting a new, large anchor tenant. Dillard's has announced they will put their first Anderson store at the mall and it will open in the fall of 2008. It will join JC Penney, Sears, and Belk's as the primary anchors of the mall.

Late to the party, but this has been talked about Now to the good stuff. The Women's Belk store is making room for the men's product in the old store. I see product being shuffled past me every day and the Men's store is really starting to look like a shell. Kinda like a store in its last days of going out of business. The new home store looks like it is just days away from opening. I thought at first it would be one big store, but it's going to be clothing in the old store and Home stuff in a separate, but contiguous store (You can't get to the home store from Belk, but they are side-by-side.)

I got a memo from mall management advising me not to be concerned if there are fires/fire dept. activity in the bingo building. Anderson FD will be practicing fire drills in that building prior to its demolition (that space will be used to replace the parking lost by Dillard's.) At least a third, if not half, of the Men's Belk wing is now vacant. As it stands, Enoch's Karate has moved to the former Tri-County Tech spot. What is now the management office and the old theater, as well as everything from Enoch's toward Belk is going to be gone. How they're going to do that is beyond me, but it should be interesting. I should probably start bringing my camera to work

Victoria's Secret is going to be bigger than hell whenever they finish their thing, construction continues there. Bath and Body Works intrigues me. Originally I thought they would just be between Rack Room Shoes and Hot Topic, but there is a second wall on the entrance between Sears and JCPenney. Is it going to have two entrances? I wonder this because they are blocking in the old stockroom door and actually knocking a new doorway to the left of the old one. That doesn't sound like a stockroom to me.

Someone asked in this thread if the mall is stepping things up? The exterior was power washed a couple months ago. The Sears parking lot was repaved. There is something going on next to the new water tower (I'd love to hear WTF that is.) Rumor has it that the hallway kiosks are going to get replaced with nicer looking fixtures. Even the Coke machines have gone from sitting beside a store to having their own little housing. Things are happening, and I think the fact that a 34 year old mall can attract the kind of development that is happening says volumes about the future of Anderson. Mom and pop shops (Crosby's hotdogs is one that comes to mind) are being run out. I'm a "glass half full" person, but this mall's going places.

Edit: This is not official in any way, it was just passed on to me by mall employees. I was told that Simon's people told mall management to "clean it up or knock it down." Funny that all these changes are suddenly happening.

Edited May 22, 2007 by Pringles

[Spartan]

Question: What role does Anderson University play in the greater Anderson community? What is its economic impact on Anderson?

Good question. Anyone?

My perception is that its not a major role. It would be like Spartanburg Methodist College is to Spartanburg, if you're familiar with it. Its there, its not a bad school, its impact on the community just isn't very large.

[GSP Tiger]

Article: New roads to create better access to Clemson Boulevard

Anderson Independent-Mail (5/13/2007)

With the rumored Kohl's and Starbucks Coffee at the former Upstate Chevorlet and Cadillac dealerships and the future east west connector, two new routes are being considered to adjust traffic flow off Clemson Boulevard.

The "Beltline Connector" would connect Brown Road to Beltine Boulevard, which will be part of the east west connector.

The "Clemson Connctor" would connect the east west connector out to the intersection of Clemson Boulevard and Liberty Highway at Best Buy.

***

The Beltine Connector is the only one that should be built. It would provide a main road to access the rear of the immediate centers. The Clemson Connector is not needed, as it should be incorporated with the proposed Kohl's center.

One idea that should be considered is realigning the US-178 traffic into Clemson Boulevard. Increased traffic around Wal-Mart and Brown Road makes the route congested at times. This can be resolved: (1) US-178 will be rerouted onto the SC-28 and access Clemson Boulevard via exit and entrance ramps. (They do not exist yet on the east side for Liberyty Highway bound traffic.) (2) Liberty Highway would be truncated to Brown Road, and dumping out at Civic Center Boulevard. (3) The existing intersection of Liberty Highway and Clemson Bouleveard would be reconfigured to prodive traffic signal access for Best Buy and Wal-Mart traffic.

Edited May 23, 2007 by BoDragon

[interestedexpat]

Good question. Anyone?

My perception is that its not a major role. It would be like Spartanburg Methodist College is to Spartanburg, if you're familiar with it. Its there, its not a bad school, its impact on the community just isn't very large.

My perception (I haven't actually lived in Anderson in a few years) is that Anderson University is a good neighbor but not a major player. Growing up, we had occasion to go to the college very rarely - although those occasions did exist.

I will say this... it ws smaller then. It has grown a lot in the past few years. I wonder if it's starting to play a larger role? Part of not being integrated well is that campus is a little isolated. Close in to town, but unless you are going to AU most people have no need to drive by.

[Spartan]

So they're actually going to make Beltline a beltline! Excellent. I dont know about the Clemson connector, but the Beltline connector is sorely needed.

[GSP Tiger]

Kohl's would have direct access to Target's signalized intersection at Clemson Bouleveard. The center could porbably be built with an access road intersecting the beltline connector.

If they could make a beltline to Belton and Williamston, commuting would become a relief. Nothing new yet remains on the east west connector.

[interestedexpat]

Anderson is about to announce a new balloon festival scheduled for Labor Day weekend. It appears that FWA is doing much better in Simpsonville. The Anderson event will likely draw many of the same balloonists, but a different crowd. From what I hear - the balloonists love Anderson because it's more rural, but that makes drawing the crowds needed to sustain FWA more difficult. Look for this to be another great event for the upstate.

[interestedexpat]

There were some interesting events announced for Anderson in the coming years in today's newspaper.

*The Southern Classic Volleyball Tournament, which Anderson held in March, is returning in March 2008. This fills a lot of hotel rooms (400) and it's a fun spectator sport.

*Dragon Boat Upstate Festival in October. I was surprised to find out that the upstate had Dragon boat racing. This is cool because it is multi-cultural. And speaking as someone currently living in Thailand (which has a big Chinese pop) these races are a ton of fun!

The CVB is also working in the following.

*The 2008 state high school wrestling championships

*The 2008 Motorcoach Association of South Carolina board meeting and bus driver rodeo

*The 2009 Gold Wing Riders Rally

*The fall 2007 Sustainable Agriculture Conference (this one is particularly cool because it's progressive and environmentally friendly. A reputation that Anderson would do well to cultivate).

*The 2008 Exotic Animal and Reptile Show.

I was pleasantly surprised with the stuff in the works.

[interestedexpat]

An automotive supplier is expected to receive an incentive deal at tonight's Anderson County Council meeting. They plan to invest 7.5 million and create 50 jobs. I think they are planning to locate in Piedmont.

This on the heels of an announcement last week that a Canadian company was bringing 70 jobs and 5 million to Piedmont (G'ville County side).

Piedmont looks to be a pretty attractive place to put a business in recent weeks.

[interestedexpat]

Anderson City Council voted to annex the development coming to Clemson Blvd which is said to have Kohl's and Starbucks signed up. That's a good move. It's across from the current Lowe's building.

Anderson County Council agreed to incentives for Watson industries moving to Piedmont. So that's a go. The guys with Watson say they plan to hire significantly more than the 50 people in the agreement. These jobs are apparently pretty high paying as well.

[interestedexpat]

There is money in the Anderson City budget to hire someone to focus on Downtown entertainment and events. I think this is probably a good move. Focused attention on finding ways to make the downtown area a destination, keeping it in people's minds will really help continue the renaissance.

[erm1981]

I live in piedmont right now and it is growing pretty steadily. A good many housing projects have been built.

[interestedexpat]

I live in piedmont right now and it is growing pretty steadily. A good many housing projects have been built.

Neighborhoods are booming all over Anderson County at present. Greenville is pushing growth to the East, Anderson's central commercial cooridor and Clemson are pushing growth to the North and Hartwell lake is pushing growth to the West.

South Anderson is the only section of the county not really expanding in terms of housing at the moment.

Downtown is continuing to make little noises. A West Benson street redevelopment is moving along with their first tenant. A downtown icecream shop targeting families with kids. Good move.

That Benson Street area near Main is becoming quite charming.

[GSP Tiger]

Anderson Independent-Mail (18 June 2007): Anderson City Council approved the purchase of land to build a four-level parking structure at West Whitener and Murray. The ground level will offer commercial/retail space, and up to 260 parking spaces are planned. Edited June 19, 2007 by BoDragon