United Community looks to expand its presence in downtown Greenville as a key partner in the future Falls Park Conference District.
The city of Greenville unveiled plans for the $500 million redevelopment project in early March. More than six acres on the east side of Falls Park are planned to be transformed into a vibrant, mixed-use district featuring a conference center, hotel, office space, multifamily residences and retail offerings.
Lynn Harton, chairman and CEO of United Community, recognized the redevelopment potential of this area while searching for the future site of the bank’s downtown headquarters. United Community purchased a 1.89-acre parcel at 200 E. Camperdown Way for the project in December 2020.
The bank also closed on an additional 2.3 acres of land along Falls and Webster streets for $6.3 million in May 2021, according to the Greenville County Register of Deeds. Harton said the extra parcels were purchased to support United Community’s future growth and to control what would be constructed across from the new headquarters.
“We love this location. We love the setting. We love the proximity to downtown, and we didn’t want that to change in a negative way,” Harton said.
The Furman Co., a Greenville-based real estate development firm, worked alongside McMillan Pazdan Smith and Harper Contractors to develop the $65 million headquarters. The approximately 200,000-square-foot office building, named the United Center, took approximately two years to construct and opened in March 2024.
Surface-level parking lots with 169 spaces were created on United Community’s additional property across from the headquarters. Harton said multiple developers have inquired about purchasing these extra land parcels over the years. It wasn’t until Steve Navarro, president and CEO of The Furman Co., approached with a unique redevelopment opportunity that the bank considered selling.
At the time, Navarro and his team were putting together a proposal for the city, which was seeking new ideas for creating a downtown conference center. Harton supported The Furman Co.’s idea to transform not only the bank’s property but the entire city block next into a new mixed-use district.
“If you know Steve, he’s incredibly detail-oriented, which you need for this kind of project,” Harton said. “I think he’s done a fantastic job, and I think he’ll do a great job with this, as well.”
Expansion plans
United Community was announced as one of the partners for the Falls Park Conference District in March. The bank plans to create Class A office space for its employees within the new mixed-use district. Harton said the additional space will allow the approximately 90 employees working at the bank’s East Broad Street office to move closer to the United Center. It also gives the bank room for future growth.
“We’re effectively full at Broad Street and have limited space here (at the headquarters),” Harton said. “I would not be surprised to see that we need to find some additional temporary space while we get this one going.”
Harton believes the new Class A office space would be a great tool for talent recruitment. He said the bank’s employees would also benefit from the other planned elements of the Falls Park Conference District, such as the additional green space, restaurant and retail options.
In March, Greenville City Council authorized the purchase of United Community’s 2.3 acres of property along Falls and Webster streets for the Falls Park Conference District. The city purchased the parcels for approximately $8 million. Harton said they expect to close on the property over the summer.
Read more about the Falls Park Conference District
United Community plans to reinvest the funding from the property sale to purchase two office pads within the Falls Park Conference District. Harton said the office pads will be built atop a new partially underground parking garage funded by the city. According to the city, the 1,420-space garage would serve office users, hotel guests, conference attendees and other downtown visitors.
Design details
Design details are up in the air for United Community’s new downtown offices. The bank is still determining whether to create one or two new buildings on the purchased office pads. Harton said they are considering working with the architects at McMillan Pazdan Smith – the Greenville-based firm that designed the United Center – to design the new office space.
“We’re trying to get our high-level design needs to the team,” Harton said. “We don’t need to have the exact details on the way the building looks. It’s more like what size do we need out of the gate so that everything can be scaled and they start then doing the design work. You would think by the end of the year we’d have some pretty good clarity on the final details.”
Harton expects the first office building to be around 100,000 square feet with employee workstations, conference rooms and other office features. Unlike the bank’s headquarters, the building would not include a new United Community branch. The project is also anticipated to be less expensive than the seven-story headquarters since it would not require structured parking.
It will likely be a couple of years until construction begins on United Community’s new downtown offices, Harton said. According to the city, the new parking garage will be the first element constructed as part of the redevelopment project.
Construction of the Falls Park Conference District will remove the surface-level parking lots used by United Community’s employees. Harton said that as part of an agreement, the city will be responsible for providing parking for the bank’s employees while the project is underway. According to the city, the Falls Park Conference District is anticipated to be completed in late 2029.
United Community facts
United Community operates 200 offices across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. The bank announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Blairsville to Greenville in 2021.
Falls Park Conference District details
More than six acres of property east of Falls Park in downtown Greenville are planned to be redeveloped into a new mixed-use district, consisting of:
- A conference center
- A hotel
- Class A office space
- Multifamily residential
- An underground parking garage
- An expansion of Falls Park
The project will be completed through a public-private partnership with The Furman Co. serving as the master developer. Other announced partners include the city of Greenville, United Community, Auro Hotels and Hines.
Source: The City of Greenville
