There’s a new commercial development under consideration in Travelers Rest at Highway 25 and Little Texas Road. But don’t expect to see any brick and mortar construction going on until at least 50% of the space has been leased. The proposed 15,300 square foot retail space is next to the Walgreens already at the corner. While Travelers Rest, commonly known at TR in these parts, has been a sleepy little town in the past, it is gaining popularity because of its natural beauty and proximity to Furman University and the Cherrydale area of Greenville. Look to see additional growth in this area even with the current economic slowdown.
The new St. Francis hospital at the Millennium campus is ramping up to come on line by late 2011 with a futuristic approach. According to CEO Valinda Rutledge and the Greenville News, the center will include a holistic approach to healing and have gardens and an interior rain wall to help cleanse the spirit. There will be four floors and 230,500 square feet with the option to add more floors at a later date. St. Francis also expects to employ about 500 people at the site. The Millennium campus is in a rapidly expanding area of Greenville SC real estate near the CU-ICAR campus and the upscale Verdae development just across Interstate 85. There is a couple of new retirement communities Greenville in Verdae that will be well positioned for access to the new hospital.
With a need for affordable senior housing in the Greenville area, Georgia developer Ambling Companies, Inc. has plans to build several apartment complexes locally and take advantage of tax credits offered by the SC State Housing Finance and Development Authority. The first project is located at Traction and Easley Bridge Road near the St. Francis Hospital. If the tax credit deal is worked out, construction could begin in March of 2010.
St. Jude, has increased their manufacturing capacity in Liberty with a new plant that will employ about 300 over the next five years. They manufacture a microelectronic device that controls pacemakers, as well as heart valves, pacemakers, implantable cardio-verter defibrillators and heart-failure devices. Currently they are producing 50 of the control units per week, but expect to make about 2500 a week by year’s end.
For those of you missing the family entertainment getaway of Frankie’s Fun Park over the past months, it’s now open again after a $3 million renovation. Adults and kids alike will appreciate the 188-seat Johnny Rocket’s Restaurant, which is the centerpiece of the improvement. Other renovations include a new laser tag arena, six new mini-bowling lanes and large indoor jungle gym.
Low cost air carrier AirTran will supply flights from Asheville Regional Airport to Orlando, Florida starting June 11. That will give some competition to Allegiant Air which also flys to Orlando and other Florida cities from GSP.
Lear Corporation will be moving it’s Duncan operation into a new plant at the Greer International Business Park in May. Lear, an automotive supplier building seats for BMW, is the first company to locate at the privately owned park. The move to a larger facility will support BMW’s expansion that is still underway in Greer. The move will add jobs, but the official hiring process will not start until 2010.
Lee is putting on a Greenville SC First Time Home Buyer seminar in conjunction with other local business owners and would like you to come. See our website for more information...Greenville SC Real Estate. Check out this great neighborhood on the eastside of Greenville sc http://www.devengerplace.org
