December 9th, 2008
Greenville: Home to another Car Manufacturer?
An upstart automotive manufacturer made a stop in Greenville yesterday, exploring the possibility of locating its headquarters, R&D, and production facilities near the CU-ICAR campus. You may ask, How can there be a new startup when the Big Three are circling the drain? Carbon Motors Corp has found a way by designing the E7, the first purpose-built law enforcement vehicle that intends to cut fuel costs and emissions by 40% with a high-tech diesel engine. And lets throw in some technology that will keep our first responders safe and give them the advantages that our military has in combat, like built in infrared cameras for night vision and radiation detectors. And lets do it without the burden of union costs and a dealer distribution system. And just for fun, lets make it run for 250,000 miles. You know what there are a lot of law enforcement agencies that are very interested in this product.
Greenville made one of the seven tour stops of the Pure Justice Tour that will be heading to Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and California. The CEO William Santana Li, is a former Ford Motor Company executive, as are others on the team. He stated clearly that a location has not been chosen for a 2012 start, but that CU-ICAR offers a lot of synergies in continuing research and development. A right to work state and a clustering of auto parts suppliers in the area who already support BMW would also be an attractive part of the puzzle. It has been estimated that Carbon Motors will generate about 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the first 10 years; that's a pretty good start to rebuilding an economy.
Salvation Army's Downtown Greenville Community Center
Grading has begun at the downtown Greenville site of the future Salvation Army's Kroc Center. The highly acclaimed community center had to make some cutbacks in the original plans due to construction cost increases, but is still on track to make a big splash with the community. Officials originally estimated that the cost per square foot would be about $160/sf, but it now looks to be more like $267. In order to accommodate those numbers, the project has made several adjustments. The building will be a one story instead of the planned two. The golf training facility has been cancelled and the aquatic and child-development center have been cut back. It will still have a 6-lane pool for SAIL-type competitions, but the extra pools have been eliminated. Land on the other side of the Reedy River is still being considered for tennis courts, but that location is still up in the air.
C2 Re-Zoning in Greenville SC
The future of a wedge shaped parcel of land that acts as the gateway to Greenville on Wade Hampton Boulevard is taking shape. Greenville County Council has voted to rezone the area bounded by Stone Avenue, Park, Church Street, and Wade Hampton to be C2 instead of C3. That restricts the property use and assuages the fears of some nearby residents that the triangular parcel at Wade Hampton and Stone might be used for a big box retail store. The move extends the Stone Avenue protective corridor that borders the historic North Main area. Steven Timmons, the owner of the land, says that he is at least two years away from developing the parcel.
Furman YMCA Interactive
The High Noon series of political discussions by Furman Professors will continue on December 11 at the FYI (Furman YMCA Interactive) center in downtown Greenville's West End. The topic for the 11th will be The Stock Market: Can We Make Heads or Tails of It? The 18th brings Oil/Energy: Are We Hostage or Kingpin? The FYI is located near Falls Park at 612B South Main St above the Go Fish Shop, and is a cooperative between Furman University and the YMCA. The YMCA will also use the FYI center for a teen center that will be open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, starting in late March of 2009. They will provide shows focused on arts, music and photography as well as college counseling and drop-out prevention seminars.
Weather
It looks like our Upstate will get a good cold soaking over the next few days and though Thursday night. Indeed, it will be a bit cold with the lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s. If were fortunate, we might get 2-4 inches of rain that will help fill up the local reservoirs.
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November 25th 2008
Project Covenant
Project Covenant has finally been revealed by Upstate development officials. American Titanium Works LLC is a startup company that has developed a new cost-efficient method to produce titanium, perhaps at 25% less cost than current methods. They plan to build a 400,000 square foot plant near the Wal-Mart distribution plant in Laurens County as well as have a presence at a research center at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. 320 jobs are projected to be created at the Laurens plant and about 30 more researchers at ICAR. The plant will take about three to four year to reach full production of titanium ingots and a variety of alloys. This puts another feather in the hat of Upstate manufacturingby having a supplier of titanium in the Upstate, you can expect to attract other companies that use this material on a regular basis. The ICAR research center also provides an opportunity to collaborate with auto manufacturer BMW and bearings manufacturer Timken who have a presence there.
Eagle Springs Golf Club
The Carolina County Club is about to see a big make-over with the announcement of the new development Eagle Springs. The 27-hole course will be reduced to 18 holes and the whole community will be restructured, including a new clubhouse, to provide an upscale experience. Additional land recently purchased at the southwest corner of Scuffletown and Jones Mill Roads will be used for single family lots, and more estate lots will be added at the southern part of the existing course.
The $40 million development will include more than 400 homes ranging from $175,000-600,000 and will be located around a popular traditional neighborhood concept. It will have a town center that could include grocery store and other retail and commercial businesses. The golf course improvements are scheduled over the next ten months, but it may take until the end of 2009 to get started on building any new homes. Fountain Inn is excited too because they plan to annex the all of the property, a move that will continue to establish the Scuffletown area of southern Greenville County as a quality planned high growth area.
Pelham Road Development
The proposal for a new CVS on Pelham and Hudson Roads was blocked by Greenville County Council, which made opposing residents ecstatic. The controversial proposal has gotten a lot of press over the past weeks, and squeaked out a narrow denial on a 6-5 vote. The corner backs up to established residential communities, but is also at a busy intersection that borders the Greenville Hospital Systems Patewood Campus and the nearby St.Francis Hospital. Bob Taylor, the county councilman who represents the area voted for the project after agonizing over it. He commented that if the County Council voted this project down, there would be a real possibility that the city could annex the land and approve something less desirable. The CVS plan proposed putting six of the nine acres into a conservation easement, which according to Taylor might be the best thing that could happen on that corner. Time will tell what will become of this busy intersection.
Weather
The cold snap that has been upon us for the past few days is easing with some clouds that will bring some showers to the Upstate this week. It should clear again for Thanksgiving with some cool nights in the 30s and cloud up again over the weekend.
Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all from The Cunningham Team.
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November 11th, 2008
New Manufacturing Business Likely
The Upstate area continues to attract new manufacturing businesses, particularly ones connected with the auto industry. The latest big news is that an unidentified company will build an engineering facility at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. They will also put in a manufacturing facility in Laurens County and add a significant number of jobs there. Laurens County is just south of Greenville and not far from the rapidly expanding Simpsonville & Fountain Inn area. The opportunity is known only as Project Covenant at this time. There's a bundle of incentives that the state and county will kick in, which still need to be voted upon and approved at county level. That's two big projects for Laurens County in the last month; it was recently announced that Fitesa, a Brazilian non-wovens textile company is building a plant there.
Greenville in the top 100 Art towns?
Greenville has been working hard at establishing the city as one of the best art towns in the United States, and recently had a visit by John Villani, author of The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Museums, Festivals, Lodging, and Dining. Villani is generally considered the leading authority in this area and the fifth edition to his book is expected out in the fall of 2009. It sounds like Greenville will make the book, but we're not sure what ranking if any it will have. Villani noted that the city has set up the right kind of infrastructure and elected officials that support the arts. Greenville also has special resources that make it stand apart, including the Reedy River and a can-do cooperation on the big picture items. When the book comes out next fall, well see how we stand against the top ten cities with a population of 30,000 to 100,000. Santa Fe is at the top of his list, with Beaufort, Charleston, Hilton Head, and Asheville coming in on a regular basis.
Meeting of Mayors
I attended a meeting the other day that had all the mayors of the smaller cities in Greenville County sitting at one table. The attendees included Gary Long of Fountain Inn, Rick Danner of Greer, Don Godby of Mauldin, Dennis Waldrop of Simpsonville, and Rebecca pro tem of Travelers Rest. They all had something to say about their communities and what their plans were for the future. The common thread was the balancing act while attempting to keep their small town feel, but growing enough to bring in business and new jobs. Annexation was a key point for all the cities and whether bringing the new areas into the city would generate enough income to support the services that would be supplied.
Fountain Inn has been focused on the downtown area and bringing in foot traffic. They have added a farmers market that has 36 bays and runs 8:00-12:00 on Saturdays, but ended in October. The former high school has been converted into the Civic Center that will house the Cultural Arts Foundation; several shows and musicals are scheduled. Mayor Long alluded to fantastic soul food at the Civic Center and invited everyone to join in. Keep an eye out for ice skating on Main Street in Fountain Inn this holiday season.
Greer has been the second fastest growing city in the state since 1970. Rick Danner reported that the highly publicized mall project at Highway 14 and I-85 is on hold for while, due to economic pressures. Several factors have slowed the progress of this development; the site is hilly and difficult to work, there are airport environment restrictions, and the site is bordered by the freeway and new Spartanburg Regional Hospital. Perhaps the biggest factor was the controversy over state tax incentives for extraordinary retail sites. This applies for businesses such as a Bass Pro Shops that can generate a lot of consumer demand and interest by other businesses that are considering the development. Governor Sanford rejected the application, stating that it gave the large businesses an unfair advantage over smaller ones. That discussion probably delayed the project as much as a year and a half. However, several of the options on the land are coming due early in 2009, so you can expect to see how serious the developers are about the land purchase.
Mauldin has been growing pretty quickly too, and population as grown 29% over the last seven years. They are planning a highway 276 / Main Street makeover that will make it a more attractive boulevard. They recently renovated the old elementary school on Butler Road and turned it into the Chamber of Commerce. Project Teal is slated to come in soon and is projected to bring in 1000-1500 jobs. The retirement community that had gotten approval for a parcel of land behind Mauldin High School at Corn and Miller Roads is on the back burner. While the demand for such a community is ever increasing with the aging population, economic pressures have slowed the development.
Simpsonville is set upon preserving its small town feel in the main street area, but has had to balance that with rapid growth in other areas such as Five Forks, Fairview Road, and West Georgia Road. There have been some recent annexations along the West Georgia near I-385, on Neely Ferry Road, and at Harrison Bridge and Hipps where there is talk of an office park.
Travelers Rest is focused on the natural beauty of the city and to help preserve it, they passed an outdoor lighting ordinance so you can still see the stars at night. Several companies have started up on Main Street that will attract visitors. They include the Caf at Williams Hardware, the Leopard Forest Coffee, and Main Streets first bed & breakfast, the Magnolia Inn.
The Swamp Rabbit Trail goes right along Main Street in TR and although it is not officially opened, the gravel track sees a lot of pedestrians every day. The section between TR and Furman University will start to be paved soon, so look for that on the near horizon. There was some discussion about a trolley running from downtown Greenville to TR, but that project looks unlikely for some time. There are a series of trestles that will not support the load of a trolley, and at this time, there is no funding to effectively replace them.
Downtown Greenville Office Space
There's an excess inventory of class A office space in downtown Greenville and it will probably increase over the next year. According to a Grubb & Ellis report, the vacancy rate is about 14% in the downtown area with twice as much sublease space available than direct. Much of the space is located in the Bowater Building and the Poinsett Plaza. Bowater is mostly empty, but did see the law offices of Nexsen Pruet Adams Kleemeier LLC expand and take over the entire fourth floor.
There are a couple of projects and events that will also increase supply of office space. Carolina First will begin a phased move out from the Poinsett Plaza as their new facility near Millennium Campus comes on line next year. The Main @ Broad development which is well under way will bring in about 65,000 square feet of office and retail. And, another mixed-use project at Main and Washington Streets is planned that still needs a major tenant.
The Downtown Greenville Development Initiative (DGDI) has been working under the new leadership of Kym Petrie to attract tenants from outside the Greenville area. With this kind of economic climate, there could be some good deals to be had for office space in the desirable center of Greenville.
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October 28th 2008
Woodruff Road Real Estate and I-85 Area Facelift
For shoppers and commuters on Woodruff Road near I-85, you can expect to see a facelift coming in the next six months. Wholesale dealer BJs is closing and local developers plan to reconfigure the existing building, adding 116,500 square feet of retail space. Academy Sports + Outdoors will be the anchor tenant and occupy about 86,000 sf. The BJs gas station will be demolished and retail space will be built that fronts to Woodruff Road. This section of Woodruff is across I-85 from the bustling Shoppes at Greenridge and The Point. We have recently seen the nearby Greenville Mall be partially demolished to make way for a new Costco and other businesses as this portion of Woodruff gains momentum. The developers of the BJ project have also been involved with the Leatherwood Plaza downtown and office space at the Field House next to the Drives baseball stadium. For more information on developments in this fast growing area of Greenville, please contact The Cunningham Team.
Max Heller Statue in Downtown Greenville
Max Heller was the visionary mayor of Greenville in the 70s and is responsible for the movement to revitalize downtown Greenville into what you see today. In the next few months, the city will honor Max with a statue at the plaza across from the Hyatt Fountains. Max Heller managed to escape Austria in 1938 before Nazi occupation, founded the Maxon Shirt Company here in town, and was mayor of Greenville from 1971 to 1978. We have a lot to thank Max for, and not least is the quality of life that Greenville is known for.
Greenville County's Greenville Tech is Growing
Greenville Technical College is now the second largest undergraduate campus by student population in South Carolina, according to 2007 figures. Thats ahead of Clemson University, but behind USC Columbia and Greenville Tech only has Freshman and Sophomore level classes! (This does include all the campuses of Greenville Tech around Greenville county.) Greenville Tech specializes in technical degrees for students where there is a high demand for jobs. Health care is very popular, but other technical degrees are also available. The school has also been successful in preparing students for a transfer to four-year school.
NINE TIMES Wilderness Open to Public
The recently acquired Nine Times wilderness land tract in northern Pickens County will be available to the public sometime in 2009 and will reveal a rare botanical and natural diversity. The pristine area is located off scenic Highway 11 near Lake Keowee waterfront property and has the mountains of the Blue Ridge looming nearby. In an effort to thwart developers of high end communities in the area, Upstate Forever acted quickly to purchase the property and preserve the former Cherokee hunting grounds. The 560-acre tract was then transferred to The Nature Conservancy for safekeeping, with Upstate Forever retaining an option to purchase the remaining 1650-acres.
Wonderful FALL WEATHER for Halloween
The weather looks pretty clear this week, but colder with lows in the 30s a we see our first real cold snap. Highs will be in the 50s with some warming for the Halloween weekend. Do not forget to change your clocks for Daylights Savings Time on November 2 and fall back this weekend.
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October 14th 2008
Donaldson Center Airfield Re-Branding
The airfield that has been known as the Donaldson Center is re-branding itself with a new name to reflect its unique position in South Carolina aviation. It will be known as the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center, or SCTEC. The community no longer hosts only aviation business like Stevens Aviation and Lockheed, but also hosts three pharmaceutical companies and several chemical and technology businesses. The 2600-acre park is at about 75% capacity with 80 businesses on the site and indicates a trend that SCTEC is becoming an aviation and economic hub for the southeast. Greenville Technical College also offers FAA approved aircraft maintenance training programs that help support the aviation employers of SCTEC.
Verdae Development Opens New Phase
A new phase of the Verdae development is starting to open up and will offer 100 attached homes in an active-adult community. This type of accommodation fits the needs for seniors looking for independent living communities and provides a central location with a lot of conveniences nearby. Legacy Park and a village-theme shopping area will be close too, both on the Verdae development. Amenities will include walking trails and access to an exercise center and clubhouse. The Cunningham Team specializes in senior relocation (SRES designee) and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about retirement communities in the Upstate. Click here for to request more information.
New Park from Two Public Entities
The Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority and the Greenville County Recreational District have teamed up once again to establish another quality public park. This time its the old Pelham Mill on Highway 14, not far from south of I-85. The park will include a dog park and 1.3 mile walking trail and will renovate the historic mill building. Former projects taken on by these entities include the Pavilion fields, the Brushy Creek Soccer Complex, Lake Conestee Nature Park, and the environmental training center at the Guilder Creek waste-water treatment plant.
Greening of Greenville Symposium
Southern Living has aligned themselves with Furman University and others, announcing the creation of the Green Umbrella, an effort to coordinate community groups with the intention of protecting Greenvilles environment. The first symposium, Greening of Greenville, will be held at Furman on October 24 and focus on how citizens, developers and neighborhood communities can work together to keep the Green in Greenville. You also get a tour of the Furman Cliffs Cottage which is LEEDS certified. Click here for the agenda.
Awesome fall weather is expected this week with high in the low 80s and lows in the 50s. It will be sunny and clear and a great time to check out the trees that are taking on their colors, especially in the mountains.
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Oct 4th
Special Foreclosure Edition - see our new foreclosure page
While Greenville has held its own in terms of real estate values, foreclosures have increasingly entered our market and are in demand by astute buyers.I would like to point out the following properties which we deem to represent substantial value in today''s market.Since these homes are potentially good purchases and will probably sell quickly, I recommend that if you are interested in these homes or other foreclosures, you contact us without delay. Scroll down to see select listings.
The Pelham Road corridor is roiling again in controversy with the announcement that a developer is seeking rezoning to put in a CVS at Pelham and Hudson Roads.The hot spot is across the road from Greenville Hospital System''s Patewood Campus and is a busy cross roads on the residential east side of Greenville. Local residents are concerned about the transition of the area to commercial zoning and how that will affect traffic and home values.The intersection is already busy and a hard look needs to be taken by County Council at how to grow the area.
After a slow start in leasing its new mixed-use space, downtown Greenville''s McBee Station is starting to add tenants.The unique development, just east of the Church Street bridge on McBee, initially signed Publix and Staples as anchors which have supplied needed services to the downtown Greenville shopping arena.Contracts are now in place for a Majik Touch Cleaners, Go Tri Sports, The Joint (chiropractic), Hampton Clothing (women''s boutique), and DesignonTap (kitchen & bath).A high end furniture store, linen store, smoothie shop, and another restaurant are in the works too.Currently, Mary Beth''s Restaurant and Urban Nirvana (spa) are the other tenants.The complex also offers one, two, and three bedroom condominiums over the retail space as well as apartments on the south side of the parking deck.
The Upstate of South Carolina is beginning to get on the map for startup high-tech companies, thanks to the SC program "Launch".It has provided "seed capital" for such 14 such companies; 12 have gotten $200,000 and two have received $100,000.Ivenca LLC of Greer is the most recent, and combines chemical technology invented at Clemson University with former Milliken scientists to bring chemical process innovation to the textiles market.The Launch program fits into Greenville Chamber''s new logo, "Business Driven", which promotes and supports the area as an innovation center of the new south.
Select Foreclosure Homes For Sale in Greenville SC
1209 E Washington St.
# 102$322,000
400 Mills Avenue # 402
$200,900
603 Greening Drive
$196,900
Fall weather is here! You can expect mostly clear weather this week with highs around 80 and lows in the 50s.
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9/23/08
Were starting to see revitalization along Church Street as a natural extension to downtown Greenville.Developer Bob Hughs announced he will transform the old Cameron Barkley Co. warehouse building at the corner of Church Street and University Ridge into office space for Next and add about 24 single bedroom condos.The Next group is a group of technology entrepreneurs organized by the Greenville Chamber to create synergies among technology firms and attract employees to the area.The site overlooks the Reedy River between just downstream from Falls Park and is across Church St. from the County Square buildings.Expect to see new developments as the city follows a master plan that will create a tree-lined Church Street as it heads toward Augusta Rd.
Teachers in Greenville now have a new incentive to purchase a home, thanks to the Community Foundation of Greenville which has made $5,000 available per buyer toward the purchase of a home.Teachers who have not owned a house for the last three years can now be eligible to purchase a home located in Greenville County, and if the buyer stays in the house for five years, there is no payback of the loan.For more information, please contact The Cunningham
Team.
The multi-family housing market sector in Greenville has been pretty stable over the past few years and still enjoys a robust market, in part to out-of-state investors who see predictable returns here.According to Bill Crawford of Crawford and Associates Inc., there are approximately 5,263 units under construction or in the planning phase in the Upstate, which shows the anticipated demand in the next few years.Recently, Furman University purchased the adjacent Vinings at Duncan Chapel in a hedge against running short of dormitory space on campus.Other large new complexes include Alta Brookwood in the Mauldin area and the Alta Crescent project in Greer.
Greenville County has installed two new methane-fired generators at the old Enoree landfill which has been closed to additional dumping and now functions as a transfer station.The generators put a boost into local energy production with a capacity to power 2000 homes.The process also reduces the amount of methane released into the atmosphere, a gas that has been linked to the greenhouse effect.
Nice sunny weather is expected early this week with highs in the mid 70s, but rain is likely on Thursday and Friday with some clearing for the weekend.
9/16/08
Local developer John Boyd has allied with Cousins Properties Inc., announcing a bold project that will put two 11-story towers at one of the most important locations in downtown Greenville.The project would take almost the entire block bordered by South Main, Washington, Laurens, and Piazza Bergamo in the heart of the downtown corridor.The current buildings that formerly housed Woolworth, C.Q. Fashions, and Young Fashions would be demolished with the new structures adding 200,000 square feet of office space, a full service hotel with 125-150 rooms, and a retail section fronting Piazza Bergamo.The piazza has long been targeted for a make over, and the City is excited to kick start that project.Centrally located, Bergamos courtyard features local events and has a grassy area in the back adjacent to the Bank of America building and the Richardson Street garage.
Also fronting on Piazza Bergamo, a unique Dunkin Donuts store is scheduled to open at the former site of Loose Lucys.The store will differ from a standard Dunkin Donuts facility and will feature two floors with upscale leather seating and a fireplace.It will be the 21st of 37 stores that Kainos Partners plan to open in the Upstate.
Greenville County Council departed from their typically conservative stance on fixing a public transit program that is widely deemed as inadequate, voting to help fund a county wide transit program and a new bus. It comes after testimony from Rick Sumerel of Verdae Development Inc. that the area bounded by Woodruff Road and Laurens Road will need more public transportation in the future. That area includes the Verdae development, CU-ICAR at the Millennium Campus, The Point, the South Financial Group, the new Saint Francis Hospital, the Global Trade Center, and Magnolia Park that have rapidly developed the area. By matching the $25,000 contributed by the City of Greenville to finish the last portion of transit master plan, the project becomes eligible for 80% federal funding. Theres a lot going on in the Verdae area; if you have questions about real estate values or what is available, please contact The Cunningham Team by clicking here.
Dont forget that Art in the Park takes place this week at Fluor Field.That event goes on Saturday through Sunday and has plenty of activities for the whole family. It looks like the weather will be nice for the festival with highs in the 70s, but rain does look likely earlier in the week.
9/9/08
Mortgage rates fell sharply yesterday as the markets reacted to the U.S. governments takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two largest players in home mortgages.In general, rates dropped about %, with perhaps more to come.The government move basically guarantees that housing funds will be available and will specifically help lower and moderate income families qualify to purchase.It could also help home owners to refinance if there is still enough equity in the property.If you would like to know the current value of your home or think the lower interest rates could benefit you in a purchase, please click here to email The Cunningham Team.
Fall is just around the corner and September marks a transition in the activities of Downtown Greenville.Downtown Alive, the popular Thursday night live music series, is over for the summer.However, Main Street Jazz on Friday nights will continue through the 26th of September and Euphoria starts this weekend, bringing food, wine, and music for four days.September 29th will feature German food and beer plus the oom-pah music of Octoberfest for a one night stand at the Wyche Pavillion.
On the downtown art front, the Upstate Shakespeare Festival will run the Twelfth Night September 18-21. The same weekend, Art in the Park will shift gears for a bigger and better production, moving to Fluor Field.There will be 125 artists as well as the Juried Show and the Upstate Visual Arts MembershipExhibition.Art in the Park is the primary revenue generator for the Upstate Visual Arts that help establish Greenville as a hotbed for local artists.
Whether youre a newcomer or local, and wondering which of all the activities are best bets, email us and let us share our favorites.We love Greenville and like to participate!
Also at Fluor Field, the Greenville Drive, our single-A baseball team, has set attendance records for each of the last three years since it put in the new stadium.This year it averaged an attendance of 5,000 per game and it has only about 4500 seats!Many of the fans sit in the grassy field off the third base line and at the bar area down the third base line.Theres plenty of activity around the playground area too.
Expect highs around 80 this week with a good chance of showers on Wednesday and Thursday.It looks like Hurricane Ike will take its moisture into the Gulf and the remnants of Josephine will probably not rebuild in the Atlantic.September is looking up as a pretty fair-weather month.
9/2/08
The Greenville Convention and Visitor Bureau has announced the purchase of a 1.2 acre downtown site on the Reedy River that will house the GO Experience, a tourism resource that will give visitors an idea of how to take advantage of the many local activities.The land is located at the current site of the Alfred Williams and Co. office furniture store, a prime position just upstream from Falls Park and at the start of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.Architectural firm Studio Gang has been selected to design an iconic, innovative structure that is also environmentally sustainable.The second phase of the is the Blue Wall Center, which is to be located on the old Camp Spearhead off U.S. 11, and will become a gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will offer a more nature based introduction to the area and include hiking on 178 acres, interpretive displays, aviary, and a theater.With all the possibilities presented at these centers, visitors will quickly find out that they cant do everything in one weekend!Both projects are slated to open in the spring of 2011.
For first time home buyers in the Greenville area, things are looking up.Interest rates have dropped recently, there is a surplus inventory of homes on the market have created a buyers market, and the U.S. government has passed a new law that enables first time buyers to take a $7500 tax credit.However, a popular FHA financing program that enabled first time home buyers to purchase with no down payment will be discontinued in October.If you would like to take of advantage of this program before the deadline or just get more details, please click here to contact The Cunningham Team.
The Greenville Hospital System USA Pro Cycling Championships concluded this weekend and CEO Steve Johnson announced that the race would come back to Greenville in 2009.The race has been here for two years previously after leaving a long standing location in Philadelphia. The event attracts a lot of attention and having it come back for a fourth time really indicates city and community support.Dave Zabriskie won the Saturday time trial and Tyler Hamilton took Sundays 115-mile road race by 0.002 seconds.
The weather looks clear for the first part of the week with highs in the 80s.We should get some moisture toward the weekend when tropical storm Hanna approaches northern Florida on Friday.
9/26/08
An international company has its eye on Greenville for a $20 million development that would hire at least 1000 employees for a customer service center.County Council approved a resolution that would grant property tax breaks in exchange for the capital investment to place a regional North American headquarters here.Details on Project Teal are not available, but several Greenville area sites have been evaluated and two other states are under consideration.
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