What could half a billion dollars buy in downtown Rock Hill? Look quick. It’s coming.
Anyone in downtown Rock Hill can see there are pipeline projects coming. They may not know just how many, and how much they’re worth.
“We’re now at up over half a billion dollars,” said Stephen Turner, economic and urban development director with the Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation.
The corporation met for its annual retreat in late October. Part of that gathering was an effort to bring all the major investors with ongoing developments together, to show the breadth of economic activity. Mayor John Gettys said present activity with the corporation is unlike anything it’s seen in its 33-year history.
“There’s a lot going on,” Gettys said, “and a lot for us to be thankful for right now.”
Investors, developers and others listened as a line of project leaders detailed hundreds of millions of dollars of recent, or committed, planned investment just in the Knowledge Park area. Plans leaders say the investments will change the nature of Rock Hill within five years.
Here’s how:
University Center
University Center at Knowledge Park already has $100 million invested. When it’s complete, it’ll account for $258 million.
“If you like what you see here, you’re going to love what you see over the next couple of years,” Turner said.
Skip Tuttle with The Tuttle Company heads up work at the former 23-acre, blighted bleachery property. When Tuttle came to what’s known as the 1939 Building, where economic development announcement after announcement happened Oct. 25, there was grass growing on the roof.
“A lot has happened over the last 18 months to morph this into an awesome space,” Tuttle said.
The 1939 site and the Lowenstein Building combine for a $53 million project and 450 jobs. In all University Center projects almost 800 new jobs. Already there are 340 people working at Lowenstein, Tuttle said.
“Many employers have seen the vision that we had,” he said.
Beside those buildings sits the $27 million Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. Tuttle calls it a game changer for downtown Rock Hill. Gettys calls it a constant force for economic growth.
“On the other side of that wall is 17 volleyball courts or 10 basketball courts — 170,000 square feet of pure economic activity that’s going to be let loose in about eight weeks, at the most,” Gettys said.
The University Center master plan shows a $20 million apartment building, two parking decks, The Weave, the Cambria Hotel, the Power Plant project, a $3 million open lawn public space and $22 million worth of student housing coming in 2020. Another $18 million in student housing, a $16 million apartment building, $15 million hotel and $3 million of retail space follow through 2022.
“This isn’t what Rock Hill is going to look like in five years,” Gettys said, pointing to an aerial view of downtown. “And certainly not what it’s going to look like in 10. All those smokestacks on the right are going to be filled with hotels and other buildings between here and there for people to live, work and play.”
Cambria
Included in the University Center area is the $16 million Cambria hotel site. Mike Wendel with Sand Hospitality said efforts leading to the Cambria started more than four years ago, and he went to pull his permit for it the same day economic leaders gathered.
“We expect to be substantially complete by the end of December of 2020,” Wendel said.
The hotel will have 110 rooms, meeting space on the sixth floor and a rooftop bar. There will be a bar and restaurant on the main floor and first-floor gathering space. The hotel will have a more than $1.2 million payroll with 25-30 full-time jobs.
“We could not ask for a better hotel partner,” Tuttle said. “You will all be very pleased with a full-service hotel being right here in the heart of downtown.”
Power Plant
The University Center area also has the former city power plant, which will convert into 55,000 square feet of Class A mixed-use space. It will have office, retail and residential. Construction on the $20 million project begins next year.
“It’s awakening will be absolutely beautiful,” said Tara Sherbert with Charlotte-based The Sherbert Group.
Her firm works financing and other details for major capital projects in the area, including what to date is the largest historic renovation in South Carolina of the kind University Center will be. Drayton Mills in Spartanburg combines apartments and a variety of commercial uses.
“University Center is much larger than this,” Sherbert said.
The Power Plant project will have a taphouse and smaller restaurants. Office and an event venue will be on the second floor, commercial or office on the third floor and eight lofted apartments on the fourth. The first floor will have food stalls, which follow a national trend in popularity.
“It allows flexibility,” Sherbert said. “It allows restaurants, start-up restaurants to come in and take various spaces in a community-activated way.”
The Thread
A 440,000-square-foot mixed use development known at The Thread will transform 220 White St., part of the former Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company site. It’s adjacent to the Lowenstein Building and next door to the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. It will have office, retail, restaurants and events when it’s done next year.
The Thread sits just about center of the Knowledge Park area of Rock Hill.
“That’s a lot of density,” said Brendan Pierce with The Keith Corporation. “That’s a lot of excitement. This becomes a place that is a 24-7 environment.”
A partner in the project in Springs Creative, which will move its headquarters to The Thread from its neighboring Cotton Factory site. The Thread accounts for $100 million in committed investment.
The Exchange
The former Good Motor Co. site in downtown Rock Hill will become a $45 million mixed use project called The Exchange at Old Town Depot. Construction should begin mid-2020. It includes 191 apartments and more than 45,000 square feet of various retail and business space. There could be restaurant or brewery space, too.
The site is more than six acres surrounded by Dave Lyle Boulevard, White Street and Oakland Avenue.
The Link
The Link, a $50 million project at the civic birthplace of Rock Hill at Dave Lyle Boulevard, Main and White streets, will put 280 apartments in a five-story building. It will have a parking deck. It also will be a stop along Storyline, a linear park planned to connect Fountain Park to Winthrop University via downtown Rock Hill.
Engage at Knowledge Park
The former Herald newspaper site on Main and Dave Lyle will become Engage at Knowledge Park. Plans at 132 W. Main St. include 224 independent living and 24 assisted living apartments for seniors. The site also has part of the elevated pedestrian bridge over Dave Lyle, as part of Storyline. Engage also includes a parking deck and park space, plus play areas for children.
“If you have things for the kids, then the parents will bring the kids to visit the grandparents,” said Aaron Conley with Third Act Solutions. “We really like that.”
The almost $62 million project will have restaurants, meeting rooms, a rooftop lounge, salon/spa areas. Conley said his group plans to close on the property in December and start construction in January. It could be open by 2021.
Oakland Auto
Construction should begin in January on redevelopment of the former Oakland Auto site on Oakland Avenue. More than an acre at 119 Oakland Avenue has an 18,000-square-foot former dealership building that will include most of the total 20,000-square-foot project.
“It’s a commercial project all the way,” said Mark Miller with Lat Purser & Associates.
Miller said half the space is taken, pending ongoing deals.
“We’ve agreed on terms for pre-leasing 50% of the project to three different tenants,” he said. “One of them is a barbecue tenant.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 12:00 AM.
