Hughes Investments’ River’s Edge development to include apartments, hotel, restaurant and retail
The shape of downtown Greenville is to be transformed yet again.
On what is currently a parking lot behind a small hillside on the corner of River and Broad streets, developer Phil Hughes is proposing a mixed-use development with apartments, a courtyard area with outdoor seating, retail space, a restaurant and a hotel.
Named River’s Edge, this would be the only apartment building in Greenville’s central business district located on the river with access to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, said Hughes. It will also have expansive mountain, city and river views.
The hill will be graded to make room for the development, said Mark Peters of Britt, Peters and Associates, an engineer working with Hughes Investments on the project.
“It’s now time for River Street to come alive,” said Hughes, who described the location as “perfect” next door to Centre Stage. The area will offer tenants and visitors an attractive mix of entertainment, living space and hotel space all within walking distance, he said.
There’s an abundance of underdeveloped property along River Street, Hughes said, and his company owns a good portion of it. He has big plans to transform the entire area and calls River’s Edge “a stepping stone to where we’re going to be.”
Hughes is “taking extra steps to build a quality development” and expects construction to take about a year. The 144 studio, one- and two-bedroom units, along with two penthouses, will be built with steel and concrete, incorporating six-inch walls for soundproofing via an “infinity” building system that entails using the walls and studs of the units to hold up the next concrete floor.
Apartments will have nine-foot ceilings, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances and be Energy Star-efficient, he said.
Besides the adjacent retail and restaurant space, residents will have access to a barbecue area, on-site gated parking (including eight garages available), indoor bike storage, trash chutes, Wi-Fi in common areas and 50 on-site storage lockers. A pool may also be in the works, depending on finalized plans, he said.
The size of the units will be the most attractive feature, Hughes said, with studios around 500 square feet and two-bedroom units around 1,100 square feet.
Two-bedroom apartments will have balconies and smaller units will have eight-foot windows. Some will open onto a European courtyard area that will have an interior traffic circle and grassy area, he said.
The development will include about 8,000 square feet of retail space, with 4,000 of that going to the proposed restaurant. Discussions are already underway, but it is too early to release details, Hughes said, adding that he highly prefers “someone local.”
The hotel will be a boutique hotel yet to be named, and Hughes anticipates it to fit in with the adjacent eight-story building. When asked if downtown can handle another hotel, Hughes said Greenville is currently “one of the strongest hotel markets there is.”
Hughes is now working with the city on finalizing the plans and says city officials have been “enthusiastic and positive” so far. The plans will be reviewed at the Sept. 5 Design Review Board meeting.
