Friday, December 11, 2015

Downtown Greenville Population to Double with new Apartments

According the a census in 2009, downtown Greenville's core had 746 residents but 2014 had jumped to 1,020.  That trend seems to be  continuing as large apartment projects are underway or planned to happen.  There are a few high end condos popping up like The Perimeter, but are dwarfed by the number of units the apartments are offering.  Young urban professionals are fueling the fire for downtown living and they are also investing in small mill village homes around the perimeter of the downtown district.  These mill homes are usually very small and need major updating, plus represent a risk since the neighborhoods are in transition, however, they are getting fixed up at a steady rate. So,  the downtown living area is expanding  not only to established areas like North Main and the Augusta Road area, but into less expensive areas as well.  

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Sundog over Greenville means snow is coming

We don't see this atmospheric phenomenon much around here. But ice crystals high in the atmosphere reflect light to make a rainbow around the sun. A storm is brewing!  There might be 3 to 6 inches of snow in Greenville by tomorrow morning. That's a rare and huge storm for our part of the world.

Real Estate showings in the Greenville, SC area will be slow on Thursday! 

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Annual Tree Restoration in Downtown Greenville

If you are in downtown Greenville next month, expect to see Schneider Tree Company working on the trees after February 2. They plan to make the impact as minimal as possible but given the nature of Main Street and the work do be done, there will be some added congestion.  But hey, it's worth it to have those awesome trees that distinguish our downtown to be in great shape.  This is the ninth year they have worked on a regular maintenance program.  They will be working on replacing declining maples, and improving the growing conditions of the rest.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

702 S. Main @ River Project moves forward with Luxury Apartments

The empty lot at the corner of S. Main and River Streets in the West End will be moving forward with a mixed use development that will include 40 luxury apartments.  However, the project has been altered from the original concept approved in 2008,which was one with architectural guidelines more in line with a registered historic district.  That has gotten a bit of is dissent from those supporting the historic mill town style, but Greenville City Council has approved the new, more modern look that will be more in line with other prominent structures in the West End.   The building will be six stories high and incorporate more glass and metal instead of the terra-cotta look of the previous design.

The prominent corner in the West End has been vacant since 2010 after the 1869 historic building was torn down because it was structurally unsound.  But the Great Recession slowed down progress and the project sat idle for five years.  Greenville's downtown area has since become a hotbed for development. And so, the march on this portion of Greenville continues as businesses and apartment dwellers push the demand up.  Directly behind 702 S. Main, another six-story apartment building, the Link Apartments, will be breaking ground soon.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Swamp Rabbit Trail and Laurens Rd Corridor

New Segment to Swamp Rabbit Trail

Greenville City has approved a $2.5M contribution to a new southern arm of the popular and economy-stimulating Swamp Rabbit Trail.  The new branch will run from Cleveland Park in downtown to the Millennium Campus in Mauldin on an old railway bed that parallels Laurens Road.  Greenville County still needs to build some bridges over Haywood Road, Laurens Road, and Verdae Boulevard by the end of 2016 in order to get the City’s funds.  The total estimated cost for the project is $6.35M. Click here for properties in around the Reedy River Park.

Swamp Rabbit Economics

A study in 2013 by Furman Professor Julian Reed shows that the existing Swamp Rabbit Trail had a $6.7M impact and that trail usage was up 24% over 2012.  Additionally, 25% of the users were tourists, average time spent on the trail was 1.5 hours, and it was busiest on weekends, especially during the late fall and winter. Those statistics are over a year old and are probably low for 2014.  Indeed, if you examine the trail in on any given weekend, you will note a lot of users that are spending money at restaurants, bars, and bike shops along the route.  Travelers Rest has seen a big surge in new businesses and is a popular place to start a trip or turn around if coming out from downtown Greenville.

Impact to Laurens Road Corridor

Laurens Road is a primary arterial to downtown Greenville and is distinguished by a plethora of automotive dealerships and older big box retail store that are partially empty as those businesses moved to Woodruff Road.  However, the Verdae Development Corporation has been ramping up construction on its 1100 acres just off Laurens Road.  They have 675 occupied housing units with more on the way, and have broken ground on a commercial space that will finished in mid-2015.  They are hoping for a restaurant to take some of the space and service the high end community. 

There is rumor that the big box stores will be renovated and updated to provide a more modern shopping experience.  The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), is located nearby on the Millennium Campus and has broken ground on $14M research building due for completion by the end of 2015.  So things are really happening along Laurens Road, and the Swamp Rabbit extension will only add to its popularity.

Current Weather

A winter weather break is finally here! After some grey and rainy days this past week the sun will be out in full effect Friday and Saturday with a change of morning showers on Sunday. Highs will creep up into the mid 50s for the next week and overnight lows will hover at just above freezing. Rain will return for a couple days at the end of next week projecting highs into the upper 40s for next weekend.