The City of Greenville Design Review Board has approved with conditions a certificate of appropriateness for a revised project at 55 Camperdown Way.
The board granted approval to Wakefield Beasley and Associates for a four-story mixed-use building on property bounded by the Main Street bridge, Japanese Dogwood Lane, the Reedy River and the Bowater parking garage.
The project is part of the transformation of the eastern banks of the Reedy River and along Falls and Broad streets, an area being referred to as the East Gateway District.
The DRB approved the certificate of appropriateness with conditions including that developer Centennial American Properties submit final site design for final approval; that the project comply with city stormwater requirements; that public easement to the river is provided; and that a balcony be incorporated into the southwest corner of the building at its Main Street level.
The 55 Camperdown Way project sparked controversy when it was first proposed, something that developer Brody Glenn acknowledged. Opponents of the original plan said the building was too big for the site and were concerned about its impact on the river.
“I know there’s opposition, but those people are opposing because they care about our town,” Glenn said. “We understand how important this property is. I want you all to understand how much we care. We listened.”
The new plan modifies the building footprint to provide a more open pedestrian access to the river and scales back a planned ground-level restaurant space. The facade was moved further from the bridge and angled to open views of the river.
The ground-level facades were changed to include more glass, and at least portions of all three arches of the bridge will be visible to pedestrians on the trail by the river and likely from the Liberty Bridge. Evergreen trees now obscure the third arch. The first level of the office tower will now have the same elevation as the sidewalk on the Main Street bridge.
“Overall, the massing of the building, the revised building footprint and the revised building elevations appear to meet the applicable design standards,” the city staff said in is recommendation. “The design is an improvement from the original proposal.”
One dozen people spoke against the proposal at the DRB meeting, while one supported it. Most of the opponents expressed concern about how the building would affect Falls Park and the river, a key component in the revitalization of downtown.
“The building looks really good,” said Sally Williams, a resident of RiverPlace. “It would look great somewhere else.”
The DRB approved the certificate of appropriateness with a 4-1 vote with Mitch Lehde voting against.
The 55 Camperdown Way project is one of many projects either underway or proposed in the East Gateway District. Centennial is redeveloping Camperdown, the Greenville News site. That site will feature a hotel, retail, office and multi-family. Plans also call for construction of a Grand Bohemian hotel at the current site of the Wyche law firm.
