Ground is broken at the old Coca-Cola bottling plant near Winthrop. Here’s the plan.
Redevelopment of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant in Rock Hill is underway.
The Warren Norman Company announced they’ve broken ground on a project called The Perch at the corner of Cherry Road and Oakland Avenue. It includes the more than 5,000-square-foot bottling plant site and a new two-story building at more than 22,000 square feet.
The site near Winthrop University will include restaurant, retail and office space. The company is leasing space now and teased a coming announcement for the former bottling plant, but hasn’t yet stated any tenants that will be there.
Last fall the company applied with the city to rezone the property to allow more commercial uses. Plans then showed more than 15,000 square feet of restaurant space and 11,000 square feet of retail or office space. That plan showed the project facing Cherry but with access from Oakland and College avenues.
Plans now include a site with an artificial turf for outdoor and lawn games. It will have the ability to host live music and events. Warren Norman Company partnered with Winthrop faculty and students to brand the site, settling on The Perch concept.
In 2015 Rock Hill City Council approved new zoning for the former bottling plant to allow then-owner Winthrop to market it for sale and redevelopment. There were several nearby plans at that time, Herald archives show, for redevelopment surrounding the school to create restaurants and commercial space. Winthrop bought the bottling company site in 2003 and used it for some time as storage and performing arts space.
Coca-Cola bottling in Rock Hill dates back to 1906. The building by Winthrop dates back to the early 1940s. It’s now based on Mauldin Drive.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 11:24 AM.
