Greenville City Council approves $26M purchase for proposed Falls Street plan

The Greenville City Council approved four land purchase agreements totaling six acres along Falls Street for what they are calling a “transformational” mixed-use development.

The council authorized City Manager Shannon Lavrin to enter agreements to purchase the property at a cost totaling $26 million. The project will include a hotel-led conference center, Class A office space, multi-family residential units, underground parking and expanded public space to open a new gateway to Falls Park.

“It fits what downtown Greenville is all about, with the water and the trees, the park space,” Mayor Knox White said in a news release from the city.

Funding for this initiative will be drawn from a mix of sources that are required to be spent on tourism-related projects, including bonds against hospitality tax, state and local accommodations tax, parking revenues, and, if necessary, additional available cash on hand, according to the news release, which added the purchase will not require a tax increase.

Council members offered their support for the project, which aligns with the council’s long-term economic development strategy.

“The conference center will support small business,” councilmember John DeWorken said in the release. “Our mom-and-pops are going to thrive.”

Councilmember Dorothy Dowe framed the land purchase as the first of many steps to be taken. She applauded the potential for the project to reclaim parking lots and transform them into green space. “It aligns with the priorities we adopted,” she said in the release.

Located in a central, walkable corridor, the project would activate underutilized downtown property. The development also will support local and small businesses and provide additional public space for residents by integrating with Falls Park, Main Street and the Swamp Rabbit Trail, the release stated.

“I’m excited about the concrete that we are turning into active green space,” councilmember Tina Belge said in the release.

White said a luxury hotel will be part of the mix.

“This will be a hotel conference center operated, managed by a luxury hotel that we’ll be announcing soon, with a mix of uses of apartments, lots of retail and restaurants,” he said in the release. “And it will fit the size and scope of our downtown, contributing to walkability and green space.”