Developers propose 200 unit apartment building and hotel in West End, residents concerned about size

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The area around Rhett Street in downtown Greenville has seen a lot of growth and change over the last few years. Now there’s a new project on the table.

This one comes from a Spartanburg developer. It doesn’t have a name just yet, but it’s a hotel and apartment project all in one. Wednesday evening, developers held a community meeting for West End residents to take a look and ask questions.

The developers said they wanted feedback no matter how harsh, and that’s just what they got. Residents at the meeting expressed concern over the size of the project as well as traffic. It’s still very early in the process, but based on resident reactions, the developers might go back to the drawing board.

“I’ve seen major changes in the area,” said West End resident Diane Keller. Keller has lived in the area for more than 59 years. She says the neighborhood she knew has changed quickly – especially with the height of buildings.

“I remember a time when I could look over and see trees and stuff you just don’t see that,” said Keller.

She and dozens of other West End residents packed Wednesday night to get a look at the next big project. It’s a 154 room hotel with 248 apartment units.

Proposed for the 1 acre property right behind the McClare apartments development. Public, residential parking and traffic were concerns but by far the size was the biggest talker

“Is there anything y’all can do where it’s not just a big block?” one resident at the meeting asked developers.

It’s nine stories high, with below ground parking. Developers say they added 15 to 25 foot ground buffers from the street to the building to help with the mass. They say it’s on par with conversations they’ve had with city officials about what’s an appropriate size.

Some residents disagree.

“We’re not really blaming you, we’re blaming the city for allowing this to happen over and over again,” said another resident to developers.

Others brought up the high costs of the units. Developers said it’ll be high end prices similar to Deca apartments, which start off at more than $2,000 for a studio according to their website.

“The city needs to come up with something to help the poor rather than approving a lot of stuff that’s gonna help the rich,” said Keller.

This is just the beginning, developers said they hope to take the feedback and create something that works. They’ll be submitting the project to the city design review board on October 6th.

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