Spartanburg Reporter

Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on November 8.

Live. Work. Play.

For years, those three words have represented the goal of transforming Downtown Spartanburg into a vibrant, 24-7 destination, home to residential options, gathering places and entertainment possibilities, mixed-use developments and office product.

New residential opportunities mean more people downtown, and more people downtown more often. A vibrant, daily atmosphere downtown leads to more support for businesses from visitors and residents, and the potential for new investment to capitalize on the ongoing momentum.

“Those kinds of residential projects follow job creation. Spartanburg County has a legacy of industrial development success, which sets the table for housing development, and we’re seeing that in the City of Spartanburg,” said OneSpartanburg, Inc. Chief Economic Development Office Katherine O’Neill. “As growth continues, more people come downtown, more amenities come downtown, and all of Downtown Spartanburg benefits.”

What’s Under Construction

• The Charles, an apartment complex currently under construction, will expand the footprint of residential options available in Downtown Spartanburg. The Charles will offer 208 apartments located between Daniel Morgan Avenue and Liberty Street, near the Spartanburg Marriott and Barnet Park.
• Silver Hill at Barnet Park represents the first new homes to be constructed in Downtown Spartanburg in more than 40 years, offering 19 single-family homes and 10 townhomes.
• Robert Smalls at Midtowne Heights is an affordable, multi-family housing development that’ll consist of 190 townhomes and will replace the Norris Ridge apartments in Spartanburg’s Highland neighborhood. Norris Ridge residents will be given priority, with affordable rent accounted for, to live at this new development, which is part of a larger revitalization effort in the Highland community.
• The Fitzgerald, located at the intersection of Kennedy, Union and Advent Streets, will directly connect downtown and its living opportunities to Spartanburg’s recreational opportunities thanks to The Daniel Morgan Trail System, a 50-plus mile trail system being brought to life by Play. Advocate. Live Well. City officials worked with Lat Purser and Associates, Inc. to make sure 10% of the development will be designated as affordable units.
• The Schoolhouse Lofts are part of the conversion of the historic Mary H. Wright Elementary School, Spartanburg’s first African-American school, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The project will lead to 53 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, with 20% of the units qualifying as workforce housing.
• Northside Townhomes, another Northside project, will add 47 3-bedroom townhomes in three phases. In total the project will include 130 units, 25% of which will qualify as workforce housing in the Northside.
• The Lively Drayton Mills, near the historic, renovated mill complex, will feature 297 units upon completion, 31 of which will be workforce housing.

This Growth Has Been in the Works

The OneSpartanburg Vision Plan outlined a goal of 1,000 multi-family housing units in Downtown Spartanburg.

At the end of 2020, nearly 500 units were under construction citywide, and work continues on increasing these kinds of projects as Spartanburg aims for a further diversified economic development repertoire.

“Residential choices go hand-in-hand with economic recruitment and unique amenities to build a vibrant downtown. What we’re seeing now is exciting as vacant properties and underused areas get a new life that further jumpstarts Spartanburg,” O’Neill said.

What’s Existing in Spartanburg

• 142 Social brought 18 one-bedroom apartments and select two-bedroom units to 142 Magnolia St., with retail space on the building’s ground floor.
• The Palmetto Lofts overlook Morgan Square from the Palmetto Building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Magnolia Lofts offer studio and one-bedroom apartments with contemporary layouts from another historic downtown building.
• Church Street Lofts, inside the renovated Schuyler building, features 88 apartments.
• Library Commons has an array of one-and two-bedroom apartments available with all of downtown within walking distance from its location at the corner of East Broad and South Liberty streets.
• The landmark Montgomery Building is home to 63 total apartments along with Sidewalk Pizza, Pharmacy Coffee, boutiques and more.
• The historic Aug W. Smith Building, was renovated and now holds 45 apartments on its upper floors. Its ground floors, overlooking East Main Street near Denny’s Plaza, are home to Spill the Beans and Spartanburg Methodist College’s SMC Studio.
• Bon Haven, recently completed, offer 1- 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, representing a market-rate expansion of the residential options available on Spartanburg’s Northside as part of its community revitalization effort.
• The Ellington, also recently completed, is an apartment complex dedicated to residents ages 55 and up at an affordable rate. The complex consists of 50 one-and two-bedroom units.

Original source can be found here.