Three major partners in Greenville’s planned Falls Park Conference District were announced March 12, including a local hotel developer and a Greenville-based bank expanding its headquarters.
The city previously selected The Furman Co. as the project’s master developer. The firm, which is based in downtown’s Falls Tower, will oversee the transformation of about six acres of real estate on the east side of Falls Park into a walkable, mixed-use district. More than $500 million in public and private investment is expected to develop the area, which will feature meeting, hotel, residential, retail, office and parking components.
Greenville City Council approved agreements to purchase the properties during its March 9 meeting. The land is located along Falls Street and East Camperdown Way, bordered to the north by Vivian Street and to the east by Church Street. Most of the property is currently surface-level parking lots.
The Furman Co. hosted a news conference March 12 to announce partnerships with Auro Hotels and United Community, both based in Greenville, as well as global real estate investment firm Hines. Steve Navarro, president and CEO of The Furman Co., said they sought partners that were not only additive to the project but to the overall Greenville community.
The centerpiece of the proposed Falls Park Conference District will be a conference center for business meetings and mid-sized conferences. Navarro said the single-story center would sit on approximately three of the six acres within the project area.
Greenville-based McMillan Pazdan Smith was selected as the lead architect for the conference center.
The conference center will connect to a high-end hotel tower developed by Auro Hotels. The hotel operator and builder plans to redevelop the Bowater Building and adjacent parking garage bordering Falls Park for the project. It purchased the property at 55 E. Camperdown Way in December 2024.
“Bowater Building will be an extension with the Falls Park Conference District, and we’re excited to be a part of it,” said DJ Rama, president and CEO of Auro Hotels.
Both the conference center and hotel are expected to feature direct entrances to Falls Park. A key component of the proposed development will be adding new public green space to extend Falls Park across Falls Street. Navarro said a half-acre to an acre of green space lined with curated retail is envisioned. The Furman Co. will serve as the retail partner for the development.
United Community also plans to create new Class-A office space for its employees within the district. In 2024, the bank opened its $65 million headquarters at 200 E. Camperdown Way – adjacent to properties being developed. Lynn Harton, chairman and CEO of United Community, said in a statement that the project will strengthen the Greenville community and create a more connected, energized environment for the company’s team.
The project will include a multi-story residential building with approximately 250 multi-family units developed by Hines. Paul Zarian, managing director at Hines, said the company was thrilled to be invited to join the development team.
“Greenville is a market that we’ve looked at for a long time,” Zarian said. “This was an opportunity not to just participate in one project, but also be part of something that’s bigger than ourselves.”
The city plans to invest approximately $135 million from visitor-supported revenue sources to build the conference center and a 1,420-space parking garage. Local and state accommodations tax funding, parking revenue and hospitality tax funding would be used to cover the cost of the public infrastructure.
The purchase-and-sale agreements approved by City Council for the approximately six acres have a total value of $26 million. The properties are currently owned by Timberland Holding Company LLC, United Community Bank, Design Development LLC, and Thryothorus Ludovicianus LLC.
The South Carolina General Assembly previously allocated about $19 million to create a conference center in downtown Greenville. Greenville County is not currently involved in the project.
Greenville City Manager Shannon Lavrin said the anticipated year-long design process for the Falls Park Conference District will soon begin and feature opportunities for public engagement. The project is expected to go through the city’s Design Review Board process. Construction could begin in early 2027 with an estimated completion in 2029.
