Residents and city leaders push back against another Wade Hampton storage unit proposal

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The city’s got big plans for Wade Hampton boulevard—specifically the portion of the road that leads into downtown. They want to make it more pedestrian friendly, but a developer wants to build a unique storage unit project that some say doesn’t fit into the plan.

This battle isn’t new. Developers have attempted to build a storage unit on this piece of property  for six years, each time residents have pushed back against it—this time it may be too late.

“We’ve already got two storage facilities just with an eye shot. the last thing we need is a third storage facility” said  City Councilmember John Deworken, who represented District 1.

The proposed development is a mixed-use project. 4 stories of storage space in the back with restaurant and medical office space too. It was approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals this month. The project developer sits on that board.

“I was very disappointed that the Board of Zoning Appeals did not take into consideration, the strategic plan that was put together by 1000s of neighbors,” said Deworken.

In a 2019 Wade Hampton Strategic Plan adopted by the city—thousands of neighbors gave input on how they wanted Wade Hampton to look.

“Restaurants and retail to office space to multifamily” said Deworken, naming a few aspects the project included.

The plan also includes streetscape work, traffic modifications and revitalizing current properties.

“The end result is you’ve got high quality businesses that are want to locate on Wade Hampton Boulevard” he said.

Businesses yes—but the plan specifically says “no” to more storage units. And Deworken says he has received dozens of messages from his constituents.

“Yet, if you look right here, there’s another storage facility within a quarter of a mile and there’s a second storage facility just a block from that,” he said.

The developer says there’s still a “strong need” for storage space in the area and the other businesses his space will bring.

“We’re looking at all options on what we can do to ultimately stop a storage facility from being located here”

The Board of Zoning Appeals approved the project because it does fall in line with GVL2040 guidelines. but Deworken is working with city planning staff to stop the project because it violates the Wade Hampton strategic plan. We’ll keep you updated as things progress.

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