Urban Spartanburg

@urbanspartanburg

News and thoughts about development in this small Southern city

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Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 15d

A theoretical view of French Broad River Park.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 15d

Sasaki is an interdisciplinary architecture, planning, landscape, and design firm with offices in Boston, New York + Shanghai. With expertise in disaster resilience planning, the firm is redesigning Asheville parks and greenways along the French Broad River following their devastation from Helene.

The City of Asheville, North Carolina, has selected Sasaki to help rebuild its public parks and greenways along five miles of the French Broad River following the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024.

Asheville has always had a dynamic relationship with nature, shifting over time from manufacturing and extraction to embracing the natural environment as a defining reason people choose to live in the city. Working alongside the City and community, Sasaki will reimagine the riverfront to restore beloved park amenities while designing a resilient landscape that works with water and the changing climate.

Anna Cawrse, Sasaki Principal and Landscape Architect, touched on the importance of the project and its impact for the city. “Asheville’s natural beauty is one of its greatest public assets, and the community’s passion for the French Broad River is tangible. We are honored to partner with the city and its residents to rebuild the park system, creating resilient public spaces that celebrate both recovery and connection.”

The team will focus on bringing back the programs most loved by the community while creating a more resilient system that works with water and adapts to future floods. The project will be primarily funded by the FEMA Public Assistance Program, the HUD-sponsored Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, and other local grants and capital funding sources.

Sasaki is beginning with a detailed assessment of current conditions and robust community engagement to shape the design plan. Construction will proceed in phases, allowing select outdoor spaces to remain open to the public during the process.

This work builds on Sasaki’s experience with post-disaster reconstruction and resilience planning in waterfront communities across the United States, including recent efforts along the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana; the Lake Monona waterfront in Madison, Wisconsin; and the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 15d

New Church Street bank building posted on cityofspartanburg.org/501/ ahead of upcoming public meeting.

"The proposed building in Spartanburg is based on Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union's newest prototype branch design and reflects a modern, customer-focused approach to community banking. The architecture is intended to create a welcoming and highly visible presence while incorporating durable, high-quality materials appropriate for the urban character of North Church Street."

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 19d

MBRT small-business incubator GM Clay McDonough: “I see a place that naturally becomes a part of people’s weeks, where people with different stories and backgrounds and ideas come together and build something bigger than any one of those single businesses.” www.postandcourier.com/spartanburg/...

The incubator will feature nine commercial units made of repurposed shipping containers: four for food service, four that will be retail and one that will be a bodega, officials have said. Each will be operated by a small business in the Power Up Spartanburg program, and other small businesses that aren’t yet ready for a storefront might get the chance to sell their products in the bodega unit. Although only nine entrepreneurs who applied will initially get to operate units within the incubator, others will soon follow. Leases are only expected to last one to two years before a new business moves in.

The project is set to be part of a larger development at 351 E. Henry St., near the Thomas E. Hannah Family YMCA, that will also feature additional restaurants, event spaces, outdoor seating and more.

The nine container units are planned to be situated in a semi-circle around the Henry Street side of the existing building on-site, renderings show. Inside the building will be three or four additional restaurants, which will open up into the courtyard between the container units, according to Jenkins.

Power Up Spartanburg is an initiative of OneSpartanburg and Spartanburg County, and the city of Spartanburg is also a partner in the incubator project. For example, there’s set to be additional public parking added to the site for the rail trail, according to Deputy City Manager Mitch Kennedy.
He said the city wants the site to be a third place — that is, a place outside of home or work where people can gather.
“It is another step towards building a downtown that is vibrant, inclusive and connected,” Kennedy said.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 19d

Did you know the City of Spartanburg is working with the rideshare platform Via on a "microtransit" pilot program called SpartaGo? Rides start at only two dollars. Learn more at city.ridewithvia.com/spartanburg

SpartaGo is like a shared taxi, but better with convenient, affordable, on-demand rides. SpartaGo is the city’s easy and affordable microtransit service. Simply book a shared ride on your phone, and a comfortable vehicle will pick you up. It’s the perfect way to get around the city, on your schedule, for one low rate.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 19d

This park in downtown Cary, NC designed by Houston's OJB Landscape Architecture was built on lots bought by the city over decades, forming connected spaces. Elevated walkways, water features + rain gardens help ecologically mitigate floods. The hugely popular park has become a boon for the downtown.

Downtown Cary Park By OJB Landscape Architecture in Cary, North Carolina

Popular Choice Winner, Public Parks & Green Spaces, 14th Annual A+Awards

Over 20 years in the making, Downtown Cary Park offers a renewed sense of civic pride to the residents of Cary, North Carolina. Balancing urban activities with the natural beauty of The Piedmont, Downtown Cary Park is the new beating heart of the community.

Showcasing the extraordinary natural beauty native to North Carolina and the Piedmont, this downtown urban park design balances active programming with a unique botanical experience. Shade gardens, perennial gardens, wetland and aquatic plantings, pollinator gardens, native meadows, and many more plant communities are on display throughout the seasons. A series of outdoor rooms are knit together by multi-dimensional vantage points, including elevated walkways, meandering paths and water features that take advantage of the change in grade across the site. The diverse programmed “rooms” were derived from an extensive community engagement planning process.

Key areas include a plaza that marries a pavilion with marketplace and restrooms with an interactive water feature; a children’s experiential and inclusive play environment that creates opportunities for non-prescriptive play; the great lawn, a flexible gathering place for large community events and concerts; and the gathering house and garden for both special events and quiet contemplation. Active and social recreation areas and courts are placed adjacent to the Bark Bar, a restaurant within the dog park.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 28d

The wonderful old Ciclops Brewery location on Saint John is going to be home of a new drinking establishment, according to the filing of a new Alcoholic Beverage License in Spartanburg.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· 29d

Grain District Office Building rising. Photo credit: westsider28

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jul 2

What would you differently for this new hotel on Church Street?

Preliminary design rendering for Home2 Suites in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 26

Another Greenville development, this time from MHK Architecture.

"A four-story building is planned for a tiny triangle of land along downtown Greenville’s busiest road.

MHK Architecture is proposing the structure on 0.09 acres of land bordered by Academy and North Markley streets and adjacent to the railroad tracks.

Jeremy Driskell, one of the architects on the project, said he enjoyed working with the unusual West End location.

“It’s automatically challenging. It’s automatically fun. It’s unique,” Driskell said. “We’re trying to put something on there that’s hopefully nice for the city.”

Once the team discovered there was a unidentified commercial building in the same location as late as the 1950s, they drew inspiration from the past.

“Let’s imagine this building as if it was there many years ago, and then we added on to it, and some of that is bringing in some rough materials like steel and concrete and old brick,” he said.

Plans call for an 8,900-square-foot building. The top three floors will be residential and the ground floor will have parking and office space.

The condos will have 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms with about 2,000 square feet for each floor. A 300-square-foot office is planned for the first floor. According to Driskell, an architect studio reached out about leasing the space but no final decisions have been made regarding tenants. Additional parking for the office will be off-street.

This building design will go before Greenville’s Design Review Board in August or September. MHK anticipates construction will be wrapped up in less than two years."- Upstate Business Journal

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 23

From the grapevine: "Next DRB meeting, a request for Preliminary Conceptual Approval for a Home2 Suites at 234 N Church St. It's the site where Montgomery Development proposed an office building. Developer is Pinnacle Partnership (who did the hotels by the mall); the applicant is RAD Architecture."

234 North Church Street in Spartanburg South Carolina. This is the site where Montgomery Development and Colliers proposed a 3-story office building several years ago.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 22

A post in memory of architect Lorcan O’Herlihy, the founder of LOHA who died last week at 66. His firm accumulated more than 200 awards, earning Fast Company’s Most Innovative Company in Architecture for 2025. Here's an infill multifamily structure he built in Raleigh, NC called South E8.

A photo from Raleigh North Carolina. From Architizer: "As Raleigh’s growth has accelerated, so has the pressure on its residential neighborhoods to accommodate density without losing character. LOHA’s response on a single lot previously occupied by one house is South E8—four units arranged through a carefully considered massing strategy that integrates roof decks, inviting shared outdoor spaces, and a material palette that transitions from brick at the base to metal panel above. The project is a template for how infill housing can increase density while respecting the grain of the streets around it — and look cool while doing it."

"What made his work genuinely significant, though, was never the accolades — it was his insistence that housing at every income level deserved formal ambition and civic purpose in equal measure. By championing urban infill, he also put forward a vision of architecture that is inextricably bound to the impact it has on its wider context. “I’m convinced that social equity and cultural evolution are crucial issues to architecture,” he said. “Architecture is a social act, and the role of the architect is to do work of consequence, but not forgetting artistry.”

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 19

The remarkable work is from DP3 Architects and Perkins & Will. Hopefully they can push back against the expected conservative architectural opposition.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 19

Looks like Apple Park.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 19

And the new Bon Secours arena renovation.

Bon Secours Wellness Arena in South Carolina is set to see $282 million worth of upgrades, including a new facade and an amphitheater.

Renderings show new lobbies, terraces, and entrances to enhance experiences for people attending events at the Greenville arena located in the block surrounded by North Street, Academy Street, and Church Street.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 19

Greenville gets government buildings that will look like this. Spartanburg gets an oversized plantation house.

From Greenville Online "In May the city of Greenville unveiled plans for a major renovation to city hall on South Main Street.

The renovation plans focus on creating a more welcoming and transparent hub for the city, replacing the buildings dark facade with light, glass exterior.

The new design will also relocate city council chambers from the 10th floor to the ground floor, increasing access for the public, the city said."

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 18

Now open!

The new Fairfield Inn in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 16

After:

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 16

Before:

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 16

A crumbling Best Western Plus in Clemson might be replaced with this from Revel and Dwell Design Studios.

The 1310 Tiger Blvd project designed by Dwell Design Studio out of Atlanta would replace the existing Best Western Plus Hotel with a 7-story mixed-use student-focused multifamily complex with approximately 226 units and 752 beds. The project will also include a 15,000 sq.ft. retail component, and a 6-story 566 space parking garage, mostly hidden. Revel Company is in charge of the retail design and Ironwood Design Group is the landscape architect. Seamon Whiteside is the engineer.

Urban Spartanburg@urbanspartanburg· Jun 15

According to her Instagram, her wallpaper is installed in the new Starbucks at the intersection of 29 and I-85. (We take it that the global coffee behemoth is feeling the heat from local competitors Pharmacy, Spill The Beans and Fretwell and thus has decided to up its design game.)