[ ABOVE: Rendering for the multifamily development at 420 Grove Road ]
The first Greenville Planning Commission meeting of the new year saw a pretty full house with several items on the agenda and a bevy of neighbors anxiously waiting to provide input into several new projects across town.
A new subdivision proposed on Nichol Street to divide one 1.507-acre lot into five lots was postponed until the February meeting.
Perry Avenue parking lot
Next up was an application by the city to rezone 0.39 acres at Perry Avenue and Branwood Street from RM-1, single-family and multifamily district, to RDV, redevelopment district. The PC approved the application to be forwarded on to City Council. This will pave the way (pun intended) for the city to create a parking lot in the Village of West Greenville on the vacant site where City Hall once stood. The new parking lot will provide safe and convenient parking, said city officials.
Tindal Avenue suggested perseveration overlay district
The city presented this application to create a new preservation overlay district for Tindal Avenue. Last year, the Greenville County School District, which owns the Tindal Park property, listed the surplus parcel for sale, which prompted a Save Tindal Park campaign by area residents. After meetings held with the neighborhood, city officials determined Tindal Avenue residents might benefit from designating the street a historic district, which carries additional restrictions on what can be done with existing property and structures.
The 2.88 acres of the park property are part of the city’s Haynie-Sirrine Master Plan Redevelopment Area, which is a planned development. The parcel on Tindal is located in a “neighborhood edge zone,” which generally allows single-family homes and duplexes with maximum heights of two-and-a-half stories.
Tindal Avenue residents were divided on the issue, at about a 50/50 split, and voiced multiple concerns at the PC meeting. Several spoke in favor of establishing an overlay district, saying the community would “benefit from increased standards.” Other residents said that while they certainly don’t want to see an apartment complex on that property, they do not want to have to adhere to additional restrictions on their own property, like not being able to change to modern materials including window types or siding. “While Tindal Avenue is nice, that doesn’t make it historic,” one resident said.
After discussion, the PC board voted against creating the new district, saying it would have “put something into place that had very long-lasting effects.” The decision might also have been different if the area was truly historic and had been sought for that purpose, rather than purely to keep something from happening, said one PC board member: “To use this as a tool to solve a problem – that’s concerning.”
“If they don’t like what the school board is doing, they should get rid of the school board,” said another board member.
Multi-family development at 420 Grove Road
Next up was a request for a new multi-family development on Grove Road. The applicant, Peter Bouharoun, wants to create two new buildings with three townhomes on the 0.20-acre lot, which currently has one single-family home.
Changes had been made to the initial design based on feedback from the Design Review Board, which saw the application in its January 2016 meeting. Parking was redesigned and front steps were added to “appear more residential.” Bouharoun told the PC board that he envisions the townhomes as high-end rental property for student housing for the new proposed teaching hospital. No one spoke either in favor or opposition. The application was approved.
Multifamily development on Wade Hampton Blvd.
This application from Shouse Development was for a 61-unit, three-story townhouse development called Highview Townes on five acres at Wade Hampton Boulevard and Brookside Circle.
Shouse said he is developing the site for townhomes and affordable housing close to the urban core. That prompted a lot of discussion about what exactly is affordable housing. In this case, sale prices are expected to be in the $250,000 to $350,000 range, and units will range from 1,800-2,100 square feet.
Potential access to the new townhomes also prompted much discussion. Several people spoke in opposition to the project, most citing concerns about traffic along Gilfillin Drive. The road is narrow with deep gullies on both sides and could be an impediment for emergency vehicles, said a spokesperson for the nearby Vista Hills subdivision.
One board member said the project is a “significant improvement to what’s been proposed before. It might not be perfect but it’s not a perfect world.” The application was approved.
Northpointe
The application from Central Realty to rezone the 9.32 acres at Wade Hampton Boulevard, Stone Avenue and Column Street into a Planned Development District was technically postponed to the February meeting, but the PC board wanted to take public comment.
Mostly the PC reviewed and echoed the comments from the DRB meeting, which suggested that developer Central Realty redo the design on the rear of the Harris Teeter grocery store, improve the entrances and overall make the buildings “more elegant and not as monolithic.”
One resident said she is opposed to the closing of Column Street and is concerned the increase in traffic along Stone Avenue will add more than 1,000 vehicles each day.
Another resident who lives on Earle Street said he was concerned about the increase in noise from both the new development and the increased traffic. He would like to see a noise study completed.
City staff said traffic studies have been completed and while it’s hard to compare existing road conditions to the new road configuration, the overall traffic impacts are acceptable within the ordinance. The board agreed to table the application until the February meeting.
Renaissance Place on Pleasantburg Drive
This project also went before the DRB earlier this month, which gave its blessing to move forward. Already zoned as a planned development, the application is to modify the PD so applicant Betsch Associates can move forward on building a new dentist office on the site. Previous plans for the 5.2 acres had once included a Goodwill store, condos, restaurant pad sites and a future 5,400-square-foot office building. The entire planned development is still for sale, and while there have been inquires, the only piece being constructed right now is the dental office, said a spokesperson. Given the limited scope and the planned development already in place, the application seems straightforward, said the PC board, which approved the application.
The last item was some housekeeping for the PC. Board member Kelli Wilder is resigning from the board and City Council is currently interviewing to replace her. Also, the board appointed the chair and vice chair – Matt Johnson stays as chair with David Keller as vice chair.
