Greenville Summit $10M rehab preserves affordable senior housing

Greenville Summit, a 114-year-old building in downtown Greenville, is about to undergo a rehabilitation that city leaders say will keep its apartments “deeply affordable” for at least 20 more years.

The city of Greenville joined development partners, community leaders and residents for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Greenville Summit on May 19, marking the start of a major rehabilitation project on the building.

The event comes after the City Council’s Feb. 9 approval of a new 20-year Affordable Housing Special Tax Assessment — a move that ensures the Summit will remain affordable through at least 2046 and enables the project’s financing and construction to move forward, according to a news release.

“Today’s groundbreaking shows what’s possible when a city commits to preserving affordability as part of its growth,” Mayor Knox White said in the release. “Earlier this year, council took an important step by extending the Summit’s special tax assessment for another 20 years — ensuring that seniors can continue living in the heart of our city. This building is a Greenville landmark, but more importantly, it’s a home. And we’re proud to help protect it for decades to come.”

Built in 1911–1912 as the Imperial Hotel, the Greenville Summit was the city’s first tall building and remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the decades, it transformed from a grand hotel into a 101-unit affordable senior community, where residents pay no more than 30% of their income in rent. Last year alone, 381 seniors applied for one of the units; more than 90% of current residents earn below 30% of the area median income, and roughly 20% were previously homeless, according to the release.

“We are honored to steward the next chapter of the Greenville Summit,” Joe Eddy, president of JE Properties, said in the release. “This project brings together every level of government to preserve not just an historic building, but the stability it provides to more than a hundred seniors. With council’s support, we’re able to undertake a once-in-a-generation renovation that respects the property’s history while preparing it for the next 100 years.”

The $10 million rehabilitation project — supported by federal, state and local partners including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the state’s SC Housing and the city of Greenville — will restore the building’s historic cornice, repoint brickwork, replace windows, upgrade mechanical systems and renovate kitchens, bathrooms and flooring in every unit, the release stated. It also represents the first time in South Carolina that an existing Bailey Bill tax assessment has been extended to preserve affordable housing.

“Affordable housing for seniors doesn’t happen without strong partnerships,” Councilwoman Dorothy Dowe said in the release. “The Summit is a perfect example of federal, state, local and private organizations working together to create safe, dignified homes for our most vulnerable neighbors. I’m grateful for the city’s commitment and for the developer’s investment in ensuring these residents have the comfort and stability they deserve.”