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.