Everything Greenville SC BLOG

Health Complex Development; Little Theatre has new Position

A new fitness center is being built next to  Brookwood Church and visible from I-385.  It will feature a healthy-food restaurant and a variety of exercise areas, including inside and outdoor walking tracks, gymnasium, fitness floors, youth fitness room, conference hall, and rooms designated for yoga, and cycling.

The Little Theater on Heritage Green will be getting a development director in 2008.  Don Watson, who has worked at BB&T bank for 32 years is stepping down to work with the theatre in the newly created position.  The Little Theater has been in operation since 1926 and produces five plays annually and Christmas production.

Greenville Events, Christmas Festival Downtown

Link: Greenville Information, Real Estate, realtor.

St Francis Holiday Festival Holiday Village in Piazza Bergamo Nov 23-Dec 22 operating Fridays 5:00-9:00 PM; Saturdays 2:00-9:00 PM; and Sundays 2:00-6:00 PM Festival of Trees Nov 23-Dec 25 Visit www.stfrancistrees.com for more information

West End Coats and Carolers Thurs, Nov 29 5:00-8:00 PM 659 S Main St (The Cook's Station Parking Lot) Come enjoy carolers, Santa, the Fire Truck, Kids' Crafts, Cookies, and more! Bring gently used winter coats to donate to local charities. Free to the public.

Greenville Poinsettia Christmas Parade Sat, Dec 1, 6:00 PM Main Street from Broad to Elford Come join in on the fun as 80 parade units stroll along Main Street. Parade will feature community groups, businesses, and marching bands. Special guest: Santa Claus! The Blue Star Mothers - Upstate Chapter and the City of Greenville sponsor this great Greenville tradition. For more info, call 467-4484.

More Businesses moving into Greer, South Carolina

Link: Greer Real Estate agent - Greenville Real Estate, realtor.

Another Copper River Grill will open on Wade Hampton Boulevard in Greer, it’s fifth in the state.  It will feature traditional American cuisine in an Alaskan mountain lodge atmosphere and is expected to add about one hundred jobs to the area.

Construction on the Plex Upstate site for indoor recreation has been delayed while the developer drums up more investors.  Located at the corner of J. Verne Smith Parkway and Old Buncombe Road in Greer, it will offer volleyball, soccer, inline hockey, flag football, lacrosse and basketball facilities.  Two of these complexes are already open in the Columbia area.

Redevelopment Along Pleasantburg Drive

Link: Greenville Real Estate agent - Simpsonville Real Estate, realtor.

Redevelopment efforts along S. Pleasantburg Drive are coming to fruition. On Pleasantburg near Laurens Road People’s National Bank has already opened and construction has begun on Forest Park, a 53,000 square foot neighborhood center that will be anchored by The Fresh Market.  The Fresh Market will relocate its quality based perishables and grocery items from their store on E. North Street to the Laurens Road location in order to be closer to their Augusta Road customers.  Completion of Forest Park is expected in the summer of 2008.  The Forest Park site was formerly Vince Perone’s restaurant, a well known establishment started in 1961 that attracted big-name entertainment and was one of the top showplaces in the Southeast.  Other Recent developments along this corridor include the renovation of the Carolina First Center (formerly the Palmetto Expo Center) and Greenville Tech’s purchase of McAlister’s Square and installation of the University Center. 

There will be a new twist to the popular Roper Mountain Holiday Lights this year.  Previously, the event was drive through only, but attendees can now park their car in the lower lot and walk to the amphitheater where you’ll find a Winter Wonderland, Santa Claus, a pony-pulled sleigh and concessions.  The driving route will be shortened, but there should be a lot more fun to be had with the new walk-around format.  The program starts on Thanksgiving night and ends December 30.

A new gated apartment community, The Preserve at West View, has been announced on South Buncombe Road in Greer that plans to take advantage of new jobs created by the Greenville Hospital Medical Complex that is currently under construction.  The complex will also be close to the Greenville Spartanburg International Airport as well as BMW.  The Preserve at West View will have 216 units renting from $675 to $875 per month.

Techtronics of Pickens is adding Jobs; Anderson County Comprehensive Zoning

Link: Anderson County

Techtronic Industries Co. LLC is adding 140 seasonal jobs to its plant in Pickens where they make pressure washers for distribution through The Home Depot.  The business is very seasonal in nature, peaking in March through July, and the new workers will be on the payroll of a staffing company.

District 6 in Anderson County that includes Powdersville is ramping up for district-wide zoning.  The first reading was well supported and now it’s a matter of how it will be zoned.  The second reading is set for November 20, with a third public reading scheduled for December 4, 2007.

Greenville Real Estate Development

Link: Greenville Real Estate agent - Simpsonville Real Estate, realtor.

A local Upstate developer is planning to develop 162 acres next to Heritage Park in Simpsonville with a mix of 340 apartments, 365 townhouses, and 215 single family residences.  The property is located between Heritage Park, Bryson Elementary, the Bryson Meadows subdivision, and Para Chem Southern Inc. industrial site.  Included in the plan is land that would be donated to the Heritage Park that would provide 1100 additional parking spaces.  Five acres would also go to Para Chem to act as a buffer.

Flournoy Development Co. has plans to put 700 apartments at The Point near Woodruff Road, but have run into a stumbling block with city planners.  The proposed layout for the apartment development would block a long standing street extension  between Market Point Drive and Carolina Point Parkway that was designed to relieve traffic around Woodruff Road and I-85.  A decision by the Planning Commission has been put off until December 13.

Yoder Stone Co. of Greer manufactures and distributes decorative stone facades used in residential and commercial structures, but they are not suffering from the well publicized nationwide housing slump.  They plan to add 30 employees in the upcoming year, with 80-100 more in the next three years.  While building sales are off in general, the higher end homes are still demanding quality stone and Yoder anticipates a steep growth curve which will enable them to market nationally and internationally.

Duke Power is asking Greenville Water System and Seneca to voluntarily reduce consumption from Lake Keowee by 20%.  Lynn Stovall of Greenville Water System reported that since demand from the summer has dropped, they are already below what is requested by Duke.  At this point, there are no plans for mandatory restrictions.

Kroc Center Qualifies for $52 million Funding! Mayors stay In

Link: Things to do in Greenville County South Carolina.

The Kroc Center has raised the necessary $15 million from local supporters to qualify for the $52 million Kroc grant to build the community center downtown.  The 90,000 square foot complex will share space with the new Whittenberg Elementary school and provide recreational and educational facilities to the public.

Most of the incumbent mayors held on to their positions in yesterday’s Greenville County elections as Rick Danner of Greer, Dennis Waldrop of Simpsonville, and Gary Long of Fountain Inn won their races.  Mauldin went the other way as Don Godbey defeated incumbent R.C. Jones.

The City of Greenville will be hosting meetings in each of the council districts in a effort to work with citizens on the Comprehensive Plan Initiative.  The meetings will examine the strengths, weaknesses, and stability of each district, as well as areas of opportunity.  Meetings are 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the following locations:

November 13, 2007 - District 1 meeting at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.
November 20, 2007 - District 2 meeting at Greenville High School.
November 27, 2007 - District 3 meeting at E. North Street Academy.
December 4, 2007 - District 4 meeting at Augusta Road Library.

Greenville County Zoning Issues

Link: Greenville Real Estate agent - Simpsonville Real Estate, realtor.

County Council meets today to take up the continued discussion on the controversial re-zoning issues in “planned design areas”.  At the heart of this meeting is the request by Dawgs at Pelham restaurant that is currently residential but close to other commercials properties. 

There will be an “Transit Economics 101” meeting at the Appalachian Council of Governments on Century Circle in Greenville on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.  This is an ongoing study of local transit as the Greenville Transit Authority comes to grip with restructuring its organization

Greenville Real Estate agent - Simpsonville Real Estate, realtor

Link: Greenville Real Estate agent - Simpsonville Real Estate, realtor.

Greenville County Council passed a measure to reduce the tax on aircraft from 10.5% to 4% in an effort to attract more corporate headquarters.  About 200 planes are taxed in the county with the average aircraft valued at about $50,000.  By attracting corporate jets which are worth much more, the tax base is expected to rise.  Full approval by the council is pending, but the change would go into effect by the end of the year.

The Design and Preservation Committee (DPC) set up in the 1990’s to ensure that new developments downtown meet aesthetic standards may be restructured for increased efficiency. There have been several conflicts recently with City Council and lawsuits challenging the decision making process, launching a campaign to rethink the current structure.  One possibility is to split the DPC into one board that would focus on residential and another that would look at the urban design of commercial projects.

Greenville has been rated as one of the Top 10 Markets to Watch for office space by national real estate brokerage Sperry Van Ness.  They report that economic diversification has helped offset the loss of manufacturing jobs in the area.  Greenville’s strengths include leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, healthcare and educational industries and have added to the stability of the Upstate.  The vacancy rate for office space in Greenville is expected to fall from 24% in 2005 to 16% by 2008.

In response to the continuing drought conditions in the Upstate, Duke Energy has announced that it will cut back on its hydroelectric power generation from Lakes Keowee and Jocassee.  It also put a ban on pumping water from the lakes for irrigation purposes, with the possibility of losing the pump or dock privileges as a penalty

The latest tropical storm in the Atlantic missed us by a long shot and we continue to have stellar fall weather.  You can expect clear skies this week with highs in the upper 50’s to mid 60’s and lows around 40.

Cherrydale not Growing as Expected

Link: Paris Mt. Development

While commercial growth has been active around the Cherrydale area, residential growth has lagged behind.   A preliminary county plan for the area presented October 30 at Furman University’s Younts Center, and will address issues such as initiatives for infill development, redevelopment, and the beautification of major area roads.  The current Cherrydale population is about 21,000 and is expected to grow at only 3.2% by 2012.