Friday, September 13, 2013

Stone Ave Development & Swamp Rabbit Trail Homes


Corner of Stone Avenue & North Main

Stone Avenue Development

The big open lot at the corner of N. Main and Stone Avenue is under consideration for development by The Beach Company, who are out of Charleston.  They have proposed a multi-use plan that includes 226 apartments adjacent to commercial / retail space and a three-story parking deck.  The plan also includes a community pool and park that will diversify the area where the downtown Historic District begins to edge up against the commercial space of the city. 

The project is still in design phase, and there is a lot of discussion with the North Main Community Association, who would like to see softer transitions between the apartments and single family residential on Rowley St.  The community would also like to see a high-end market that would anchor the retail space.  The association represents residents in a trendy area of older homes, very popular for the proximity to the downtown attractions.

Stone Ave is located just off the north side of downtown Greenville and certainly needs an new look to make it more attractive.  Its redevelopment has been hot topic over the last few years as the City proposed a Stone Avenue Plan which called for a narrowing of the road to two lanes and more parking.  However, Stone has plenty of traffic since it shunts drivers around the city center; this has caused concern from local business owners.  The Plan is still a work in progress, so time shall determine how the new look will progress.

Swamp Rabbit Trail Subdivision

With the decline of the recession, new home building is rolling strong again in the Greenville area. There are plenty of new homes to choose from, however, one unique subdivision is the first to provide direct access to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, which has been huge draw for pedestrians and bicyclists.  Running from downtown Greenville out to Travelers Rest, there have been limited land opportunities for development, but Addison Homes has managed to offer home sites directly on the trail, just south of Furman University off Watkins Bridge Road.  Their homes will feature “energy smart” homes which will be solar capable and able to produce more energy that they consume. 

The Swamp Rabbit Trail has seen a tremendous increase in usage, but many people must drive to access it. Studies have shown that traffic on such metro trails depends on how close residents are to the trail.  In response, Greenville County has added spur trails, links and sidewalks for resident to gain easier access without the drive.  An interesting proposed side trail will link to a new park and amphitheater at the old Travelers Rest High School. 

Wet Summer Weather

It’s been one of the wettest summers in history, with 53 inches of rain at GSP airport year to date.  That’s enough for the Upstate to be declared a primary natural disaster by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The excess rain has certainly wreaked havoc on crops this year as well slowed new home construction. But, Labor Day is behind us, the rainfall has eased off, the days getting shorter, shorter, and pleasant fall weather is setting in. We are all grateful for a respite from the daily cloudbursts. Highs this week in the 80s with lows in the 60s.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Cancer Survivors Park to Break Ground this Summer

Patients First, a nonprofit, is spearheading the Cancer Survivors Park to be built in downtown Greenville. The park will be located between Church and Cleveland Streets (see map)

The park will have it's blessings-of-the-grounds ceremony on June 1st (tomorrow) and groundbreaking in the fall of 2013. The park will go up in three phases. The total cost will be 4.5 million built with private donations. The park will be turned over to the city of Greenville as part of the swamp rabbit trail upon it's completion. 
The park was conceived as a place where people affected by cancer, survivors, current sufferers, and family can come for solace. The Greenville park will feature a labyrinth (popular for calming the mind and body) created out of stone similar to the rock used in other parts of Falls Park. A bell will be mounted that anyone can ring to celebrate joyful moments - cancer free reports to birthdays. 

The website will be up soon at this addresshttp://www.cancersurvivorspark.org/

View Larger Map of downtown Greenville SC
A park of this type greatly enhances the real estate values of the area because people want to be close to it. While downtown Greenville, SC needs little to encourage people to live near it, parks of this type are also looked at by major corporations and businesses moving into the area as signs that the community is thriving, involved and concerned. To contribute to this park check at the website above for more information.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Greenville SC in Top Ten for Outside Magazine & Need Your Help to WIN

To VOTE just go straight to this facebook page: VoteGreenville

Greenville SC is in the running with Outside magazine for the nation's best active town. You can make this happen. Every year Outside magazine allows people to vote on the "Best Active Town" in the nation after selecting the top ten. This year Greenville has made the top 10 and now it's up to us.

Outside magazine is a nationally known magazine covering outdoor activities, gear, sports and the environment. The magazine is a must have for outdoor enthusiasts and one we have subscribed to for years. For more details go to http://www.outsideingreenville.com. It has details about not only voting, but sending in photos when you are around town by using #OutsideinGville. The added detail might weigh in more then just the number of votes since we are up against cities like Boston.

To VOTE just go straight to this facebook page: VoteGreenville

Here are just a few of the reasons we love living in Greenville SC




Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Downtown Greenville SC & Upstate Growth

Downtown Commercial Space
The new Project One high rise in Greenville is nearing completion and several companies already located in the city’s center will relocate to the new site.  That means that about 250,000 square feet of office space will be vacant in the next 12 months and although vacancy rates will rise initially, City officials are excited about the level of interest from businesses considering a move downtown.  Downtown Greenville is seen as the regional hotspot and many suburban tenants are eying the possibility acquiring more space downtown that was previously unavailable and where the number may have not worked before. 

The City’s grown has been pushing away from the North end of Main Street toward the West End over the past few years, but Project One and the re-branded Hyatt Hotel as part of the NOMA (North Main) Tower have pushed the attention back up to North Main.  The city also hopes to expand westward out toward Heritage Green and the main library, but that will probably be a few years out.

Inland Port
Jim Costelo of Americas Research CBRE predicts that growth in Greenville will exceed larger metro markets such as Atlanta and Charlotte, partially due to the manufacturing base in the Upstate.  The Upstate has more industrial retail space than Columbia and Charleston combined, with about 60% of that being used for actual manufacturing rather than distribution. To assist the local manufacturing community, the South Carolina Ports Authority is establishing an “inland port” in Greer, which is scheduled to open later this year near GSP International Airport.  Its purpose is to speed up delivery of goods by creating a contain transfer station between rail and trucks 200 miles inland from a congested port.  It has major implications for goods being shipped around the entire Southeast region, especially as ports receive increased traffic when the Panama Canal expands.
Image credit: mycola / 123RF Stock Photo

Current Weather
Spring is here! After unseasonable sunny highs in the mid to high 70s this past weekend and scattered thunderstorms Monday night, we are expecting mostly sunny conditions with highs in the 60s the next few days. A chance of rain on Friday will bring a drop in temperature for the upcoming weekend.

Monday, January 28, 2013

New Outdoor Retailer Coming to Greenville




Outdoor Retailer Cabela’s is coming to Greenville

Outdoor gear chain Cabela’s has chosen Greenville for their flagship store for the southeast and put a retailer that rivals Bass Pro Shops right into the middle of the growing Woodruff Road area at Magnolia Park.  The rest of the old Greenville Mall will be demolished to make room for the 100,000 square foot retail site, which will feature a “gun library”, indoor archery, and a deli for those shoppers in need of sustenance.  Cabela’s has 39 locations in the U.S. and Canada, but the nearest to the southeast are in Bristol, Virginia and Gonzales, Louisiana.  With the nearest Bass Pro Shops in Concorde, NC, Myrtle Beach, SC, and Atlanta, GA, Cabela’s expects a lot of local shoppers plus those from outside South Carolina.  The chain expects to hire about 235 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers and be open by the spring of 2014. 

Menin Development continues to add stores to Magnolia Park, with construction underway for a Toys R Us/Baby's R Us superstore that will replace those brands now at Haywood Rd near the Mall.  Jared Jewelers and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill are also getting ready to move into a new building under construction.  Menin also announced that there will be 500,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and entertainment at Magnolia by the end of 2014. They also plant to have a 180-room hotel in the area as well. Magnolia Park is located on the East Side of Greenville. View more about this area and the homes available for sale by clicking here.

What about the nearby Interstate traffic?

Yes, the Woodruff Road retail corridor has been expanding and with it has come the busiest traffic in Greenville County. At the heart of this area is the I-385 and I-85 intersection that handles about 100,000 cars per day.  The South Carolina DOT announced last November that they have a plan to revamp the intersection into a four-level interchange, similar to the one in Atlanta at I-85/I-285.  The bottom two levels will function as they do today, while the third and fourth levels of the interchange will direct I-85 traffic northbound and southbound on I-385 respectively.  This project will be the first 4-tier interchange in South Carolina and is scheduled to begin construction in 2014, with a 3-year completion plan.

The interchange project is separate from the widening of I-385 that has been underway from Simpsonville northward up to the interchange.  That project has been underway for a couple of years causing the typical confusion for commuters, but has finished up and things are moving pretty well along that portion of the highway.  The widening project should fit well into the new interchange so that our biggest traffic problem will be running smoothly by 2017. 

Current Weather

It’s been a pretty mild winter so far with nice warm temperatures. Last week we finally hit some colder weather with lows down around freezing and a touch of winter weather. This week we will see a warming trend and a chance of thunderstorms mid week.  

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Google and NAR Team up for Study of Home Buyers

In early January 2012 NAR (National Association of Realtors) and Google worked on a study to determine the internet habits of home buyers. The results were impressive in some areas and to be expected in others. One of the hot new areas was in mobile device usage to search the internet for homes.  Mobile devices, which includes smart phones and tablets, used for searching increased 120% from 2011 to 2012.
Internet searches as a whole increased 22% on Google for home buying related searches in 2012. One-fifth of these were done on the aforementioned mobile devices. So what percentage of home buyers used the internet to search for homes? The study says a whopping 90% searched online at some point. The 22% increase in 2012 we mentioned pales in comparison to how much real estate related searches have increased over the past 4 years...ready?...253%. Yes, internet searches for real estate have increased 253% in the past 4 years- during the recession. 

How do real estate searches begin usually? 69% start with the shopper searching for a local term such as "Greenville SC Real Estate." In fact in Greenville SC, the search term "Greenville SC Real Estate" is by far the most searched real estate term. 

Did home shoppers also use offline channels? Yes, most (89%) used a real estate agent, 53% used yard signs, 46% attended open houses, 28% looked at print ads and 19% used a home book or magazine. Three months was the usual amount of time it took for shoppers to purchase a home after starting their search, but most engaged a Realtor after about three weeks. 

Where to videos fit into the home shoppers search? Most shoppers, 86%, wanted to look at videos of specific communities more then anything. Next major use of videos was to tour homes, 70% and the venue people used most often to view videos was YouTube, no surprise there. 

The age group which most used the internet to buy/sell a house was the 25-34 aged group. Although seniors had 14% searching online and  all age groups are fairly represented as using the internet to home search. The bridge between online and offline searching seems to be Realtors with 88% of buyers using an agent. Other channels, yard signs, open houses and print advertising, lagged far behind Realtors as the means people used to find a home offline (in the real world). 

All in all the study was fascinating and can be found at Realtor.org, but it really tells us what we already knew. The mobile devices are coming on strong and here to stay and of course that the internet is a force to be reckoned with. We here at The Cunningham Team have respected the power of the internet for years. Which is why our site Http://GreenvilleSCRealEstate.net comes up at the top of searches and all Listings have video tours and are showcased on YouTube.