A new year has brought renewed commercial activity to the Upstate. New projects are being announced every week, and it’s getting harder to keep track of what’s going where. To help, we’ve compiled a list of some, but definitely not all, of the most anticipated developments, and what you can expect to see from them in 2020.
Former Allen Bennett Hospital
Address: Wade Hampton Boulevard and Memorial Drive, Greer
Announced: January 2017
Status: Completed
Upstate car dealer Jim Benson opened his expanded Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership on the former hospital site in December 2019 after paying Greer more than $3 million for the 10-acre property. Greenville Health System had gifted the property to the city in 2010, and the city subsequently spent years trying to resell it for redevelopment. The city was able to sell the property in 2011 to Cardinal Real Estate for $1.4 million, but the company filed for bankruptcy less than a year later, and the site was returned to Greer.
American Spinning
Address: 300 Hammett St. Ext., Greenville
Initially announced: February 2016 Revised: August 2019
Status: Undeveloped
This project is named after the 300,000-square-foot American Spinning mill. Once completed, it will add 315 apartments and 48,000 square feet of commercial space, according to an application from Detroit-based Contour Cos., which bought the mill and adjacent properties in April 2019 for about $9 million. A connection that would extend the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail through the property is also proposed. The parcels had previously sold in 2016 to a Virginia-based investment group with plans to build 230 market-rate apartments, but the project stalled and was never completed.
The Avant
Address: 712 S. Main St., Greenville
Initially announced: January 2015 Revised: November 2017
Status: Not started
Permitting for this six-story luxury condominium development is expected to begin in May. The project was delayed by more than a year to obtain LEEDS certification, but the concept remains the same. It will feature 12 condos anchored by a still-unnamed ground-floor commercial tenant. Amenities include an 80-foot waterfall feature and automated “Lift Glide” garage. Three of the 12 units have already been sold, said Karen Turpin of Marchant Real Estate, and one condo is under contract for $2.3 million.
BridgeWay Station
Address: Along Interstate 385 south of Butler Road, Mauldin
Announced: August 2017
Status: Not started
This project will be on 40 acres between Holland Road, Bridges Road and a Prisma Health distribution center. It will consist of nine mixed-use buildings with over 1 million square feet of apartments, offices, shops, restaurants, two hotels and a movie theater. Charter Spectrum’s office building will be incorporated into the village. A public park with an amphitheater and pedestrian bridge to connect with the Swamp Rabbit Trail will also be part of the development.
Burdette Central
Address: East Curtis and Main streets, Simpsonville
Announced: March 2019
Status: Under construction
Named after the historic Burdette Hardware building that once sat on the property, this 27,000-square-foot, mixed-use project currently houses Sidewall Pizza and Kaffeine Coffee and Roastery. Smoqued BBQ is expected to open on June 1, and up to 10 more retail, restaurant, entertainment or office tenants are expected to fill in the remaining spaces. Construction is expected to be completed by mid 2020.
Grand Bohemian Greenville
Address: Falls Park
Announced: October 2016
Status: Under construction
The 187-room luxury hotel broke ground in April 2019 and will feature 30 suites with balconies, the signature Poseidon Spa and an art collection curated by Richard C. Kessler, chairman and CEO of The Kessler Collection. The hotel, evoking the look of a rustic lodge, will also offer indoor and outdoor event spaces, a two-story restaurant and bar and pool with views of the Reedy River Falls. It’s set to debut in early 2021.
Judson Mill
Address: 701 Easley Bridge Road, Greenville
Announced: November 2017
Status: Undeveloped
Developers recently secured a $31 million loan to fund this ambitious mill renovation featuring 204 apartments, a community pool, fitness center and courtyard. Plans also eventually call for 215,000 square feet of office space, 106,000 square feet of industrial space and up to 12 acres of retail. The current owners, Judson Ventures LLC, purchased the 36-acre mill and surrounding parcels for $6 million after the mill ceased operations in 2015. The loan will fund the first phase of renovation, which is focused on the multifamily development.
Lakeside Lodge
Address: 13500 Clemson Blvd., Seneca
Announced: November 2017
Status: Nearing completion
Construction on the four-story, 118-unit resort condominium hotel on Lake Hartwell is projected to finish this spring after its target opening date was pushed back due to rain. Condos are a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedrooms and include all the amenities of a high-end resort such as 24/7 concierge service, a farm-to-table restaurant and bar, pool, outdoor amphitheater and Clemson-themed football field.
Memorial Auditorium Site
Address: 400 N. Church St., Greenville
Initially announced: January 2014 Revised: January 2018
Status: Undeveloped
Hotelier Rajesh Patel and Kana Gateway LLC purchased the former Memorial Auditorium site in January 2018 for $3 million. A mixed-use development, including a branded boutique hotel, is planned, though no announcements have been made. The 1.8-acre site has attracted a number of proposals over the years — most recently an apartment complex with underground parking — but none have made it to construction. City leaders had started to refer to it as the “Bermuda Triangle” of downtown Greenville.
