Everything Greenville SC BLOG

Greenville Transit Authority under County Control

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

The city of Greenville is step closer to taking control of daily operations of the Greenville Transit Authority (GTA), instead of hiring an independent contractor.  City Council recently passed a measure that gives City Manager Jim Bourney authorization to work out a deal on GTA daily management that would not require formal approval by County Council.  In order to reach this point, City has to pledge to work with County Council, and consult transit experts in the long term. This move comes months after County Council scrapped a plan to dissolve the GTA all together and leads the way to bringing the transit system up to speed.  The City also agreed to a $240,000 renovation of the downtown transfer station that will utilize 80% federal funds with a 20% city match.

The Greenville Country Club has reopened their original Riverside course with a $4 million makeover of greens and bunkers that will eventually bring it up to par with their celebrated Chanticleer course.  The club has gotten itself back on course in the last few years, starting in 2001 with renovations to Chanticleer’s turn house, tennis courts and golf course, which resulted in a Golf Digest ranking it number seven in this year’s South Carolina courses.  The improvements have made the club more competitive and more than 200 new members joining since 2006. 

Spartanburg County approved a $44 million investment that will create “the world’s largest food-grade plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant”.   New United Resource Recovery Corporation anticipates creating 100 new jobs and processing about 2 billion plastic bottles annually, and hopes to cut 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over a 10 year period.  Coca-Cola also announced it will invest in the project, which is expected to be completed in 2008.

Greenville Moves firestation & manufacturing Adds line

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

A new fire station at the corner of Godfrey and Batesville roads will replace the current Pelham-Batesville station located at Five Forks.  The 5,500 square foot building  will maintain the current Class 3 ISO rating and will service the new residential developments in the growing area.   The department plans to sell the facility on Woodruff near Five Forks.

Calder Brothers, manufacturer of specialized paving equipment, has purchased a complementary product line from a South Dakota company and will be adding jobs to their Taylors base business. They have just completed a new 120,000 square foot factory behind the Wal-Mart on Wade Hampton Boulevard and expect to nearly double the number of units produced.

Upstate Scenic areas being enhanced and protected

Link: Things to do in Greenville County South Carolina.

Along the scenic northern section of the Upstate where the mountains rise into North Carolina, the Federal Highway Administration will give $250,000  to open a welcome center and museum at the intersection of Highways 11 and 25. The Greenville Chapter of the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway Association is the recipient of the funds and will need to raise at least $60,000 in matching funds before they can begin to transform the historic Blythe-Hagood-Goodwin house into the center. 

Also along Highway 11 and toward Lake Keowee, the SC Department of Natural Resources has purchased 361 acres that abut the Laurel Fork Heritage Trust area in the Jocassee Gorges, located in northern Pickens County.  The $2.4 in funds came from Heritage Land Trust Fund and the acquisition will protect the land from future development.

The old U.S. Finishing Plant, formerly a textile processing site, located off Old Buncombe and Blue Ridge Drive is having trouble being redeveloped after a fire destroyed it in 2003.  It was recently under contract with a local developer, who had to pull out because of costly DHEC requirements on potential heavy metal contamination of the site.  The 7.5 acre parking lot adjacent to the plant is still under contract and will be converted into a shopping center.

Greenville resolves flooding issues

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

Flood prone areas in the Lake Fairfield and Del Norte subdivisions have seen 14 homes demolished or moved from areas where silting of Brushy Creek has created havoc in the past.  It is first part of a homeowner buyout plan by the county using the storm water fee portion of property taxes and will continue into the Kingsgate and Wellington Green areas, where 29 more homes are targeted. The county has identified 129 homes for future buyouts that will have to be negotiated with the homeowners.

Anderson County Bassmaster Classic still on

Link: Anderson County Real Estate - Anderson County Lakefront Properties

The Bassmaster Classic is still on for Lake Hartwell February 22-24, 2008, even though the lake level is 13 feet below normal.  Officials are monitoring the situation to ensure that the event will be safe for the boaters, particularly launching the boats.  Obstacles such as sandbars could be a hindrance, but there will be less water for the fish to hide in, which should please the anglers.  More than 1000 hotel rooms have been booked in Anderson and the event is expected to have an economic impact of approximately $22 million.

Harrison Center Office Park Underway; Pelham Mills Park Opening again

Link: Things to do in Greenville County South Carolina.

Harrison Center, a new 42,000 square foot business and office park is underway on the highway 25 corridor near the Donaldson Center in southern Greenville County.  According to the developer, the ideal blend of tenants would be high quality restaurant and retail type stores with a couple of business offices.  Eastenal, an international fastener distributor will occupy a 14,000 square foot building, one of the two buildings being built.

Pelham Mills Park, a recreational park near highway 14 and the Enoree River, just south of the Villages at Pelham, will re-open in 2008.  It is the site of one of the first textile mills in the Upstate and has an additional 14 acres along the river that will eventually offer walking trails.  The park closed in 2003 while a waste-water treatment plant was built nearby, and initial efforts will be to restore the mill buildings and clear the overgrowth.

Simpsonville improvements

Simpsonville City

The city of Simpsonville has as new slogan and mission statement, “Character protected.  Community perfected”.  The downtown area’s $700,000 streetscape project is about 60% complete and includes laying underground utilities, installing traffic lights with black fluted poles and adding carriage style lampposts.  The new outdoor amphitheater at Heritage Park is also getting a structural steel stage covering, something that didn’t get done during the rush to meet the 2007 Freedom Weekend Aloft deadline.