County Square, Judson Mill and River Street: Transformative developments ahead
As Greenville’s building boom continues, vacant land within the city is becoming harder to find, and large tracts of land are almost nonexistent. There are, however, some diamonds in the rough. Clean slates, if you will, of potential opportunities that have the ability not just to change downtown Greenville, but to shape the surrounding neighborhoods for years to come.
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Judson Mill
In operation as a textile mill since 1912 until Milliken & Company closed the plant last year, Judson Mill sits on 36.5 acres along Highway 123. The mill was originally called the Westervelt Mill, after J. Irving Westervelt, one of the mill founders. It was later renamed to honor Dr. Charles Judson, who was a professor at Furman University
While not directly in the downtown Central Business District, its proximity to downtown’s urban core and Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital makes it a great site for redevelopment, said Brian Young, senior vice president and managing broker with Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, which has the property listed for sale.
The property has been listed for about a year and interest has been pretty good, said Young. “It’s a massive site and is too big of a project for some developers, and the demographics have been a little bit of a challenge.” But Young says a regional developer is close to putting the property under contract, with an eye toward mixed-use with residential, office, medical office and retail while re-using existing buildings.
River Street
Along River Street, from West Broad Street to Falls Park Drive, is about five acres of undeveloped prime real estate. While not as large as the other two properties, its proximity to the Reedy River and downtown location offer great potential for redevelopment, experts say.
The county owns 1.176 acres, which was once the potential site of a now defunct visitors center. The property was listed for sale a few months ago, and the county is currently selecting the highest and best use offer for the property. A local developer owns the remaining 3.761 acres.
The property was one of two potential locations consultants focused on for a possible downtown convention/conference center, and while talks of a downtown conference center have stalled, the property could still be a solution.
County Square
At Church Street and University Ridge lies probably the biggest chunk of land in downtown Greenville that is ripe for redevelopment. The County of Greenville has amassed 38 acres, including its County Square building and property, the adjacent Family Court property and two properties across the street from County Square: The Health Department and 300 University Ridge (which includes the Department of Motor Vehicles). It’s no secret or surprise that, to many, the former Furman University site-turned Bell Tower shopping mall-turned county government offices at 301 University Ridge is somewhat of an eyesore.
It’s not just the sheer size of acreage that makes the property unique. A large portion of the property sits on a ridge, perhaps the highest site in downtown. Any tall buildings constructed would have amazing views of downtown Greenville and the surrounding area.
“Proximity and scale are huge drivers in potential development projects, and the County Square site offers up a lot of both,” said Blaine Hart, vice president of CBRE Greenville. “The location, access potential and proximity to surrounding neighborhoods, major thoroughfares and the heart of downtown are second to none.”
County officials previously announced that they want to build a new county building and perhaps partner with a developer for the remaining property.
“The county is not – and does not want to be – in the real estate business,” said Joe Kernell, county administrator.
He also noted that the county does not want to assume what kind of uses the property might have in the future.
“The size of the site really lends itself to various mixed-use opportunities,” Hart said. “Any sort of development here will likely be a new benchmark for Greenville and further justification that the ‘live, work and play’ notion is very much a part of the city’s continued growth and focus,” said Hart.
McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture is currently conducting a needs and space analysis. An overall redevelopment plan is not currently part of the scope of work – that will come later and will be a community-centered process with input from the city of Greenville, utility companies and other stakeholders, Kernell said. The current ballpark estimate is that the county will need a 300,000- to 400,000-square-foot building, maybe eight to 10 stories tall. But that could change depending on the needs assessment, said Kernell. “It’s important to get it right.”
The needs assessment is expected to be completed by the fall. The county may then issue an RFP to national and local developers for highest and best use ideas.
