SPARTANBURG, SC | Easton Marketplace (mixed-use development)

[g-man430]

Easton Marketplace will include:
*a mix of national, regional, and local retailers.
*a village-style center
*restaurants
*other specialty shops
*280 luxury apartments
*140 single-family units
*completion in the summer of 2009
*will be annexed into city

Spartanburg Herald-Journal articles: http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.d...17&SectionCat= and
http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.d...09&SectionCat=

Greenville News article: http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbc...312/1003/rss04

Other information: http://www.capllc.com/properties/eas...partanburg.htm

Property package: http://www.capllc.com/images/propert...kt_package.pdf

Rendering:


Site plan:


Close up:

Upstate development considers all things green.
By: Gary Henderson-The Greenville Journal

The historic tension between environmental groups and developers made Upstate Forever's recent invitation to the table for discussions about a massive Upstate construction project seem downright groundbreaking. Just as suprising, officials involved with the project said, was that Centennial American, the Greenville company that plans to turn the former Lan-Yair golf course in Spartanburg into a 200-acre development of retail stores, upscale residences and luxury apartments, listened.

Angela Viney, director of the Upstate Forever office in Spartanburg, said the initial plans for the development were for "a very typical shopping center. We asked them to look at the alternate design. They agreed to all of it." That meant moving the retail stores farther back from East Main Street, changes at the entrance to the development to make it more appealing, the use of the seven existing ponds on the property for storm water control, additional green space and changes that would give the area "more of a village" feel.

Viney said the end result from the environment preservation group's collaboration with Centennial was a design unlike anything that exists in the city. The $100-million development will be called Easton Marketplace. It will feature 140 single-family homes; 500,000 square feet of retail space, three that are big-box style; restaurants; a multi-screen threater; and apartments that will be built by Spartanburg-based Johnson Development.

Months of discussions involving city government, county officials, the environmental group and the developer led to the unusual collaborations that evolved. Pete Brett, a 1994 Wofford College graduate and director of project development with Centennial, said he had an intimate connection with the site. He said the size of the development made it important to consider the impact and connectivity of the property to its surroundings. "We've tried to sit down with a lot of people," Brett said. "We look at it as a partnership."

Brett acknowledged Centennial has commitments from "quite a few" national, regional and local retailers, but he declined to disclose the names. "We don't do commitment releases," Brett said. "We leave that up to the individual retailers." Julie Franklin, Spartanburg's Director of Economic Development, said the project will bring about $160 million in capital development to the area.

Franklin said engineers are already beginning to evaluate traffic patterns in the Hillcrest area for the best ways to minimize the impact from the increased vehicle count that will come to the area as stores begin to open and after residents move into the homes. Easton Marketplace will generate a revenue stream of $1 million a year in new taxes for the first three years, Franklin said. It should be in the $2-million range within six years when build-out is complete.

Several concept designs for the property have been considered in the past, but officials say Centennial is the first "serious" developer. The area of the old golf course is outside the city limits. County council recently unanimously approved a property tax break of 30 percent on the site that will be effective for 15 years.

The development site will soon be annexed into the city. Chris Story, assistant county administrator, said the money generated by the tax reduction will be reinvested in infrastructure, public amenities and the relocation of a major power line that passes over the property. For two years, the area east of where East Main Street crosses the Lawson's Fork Creek has seen a boom in retail development.

Both Lowe's and The Home Depot opened stores. Out-parcel development has occured in three locations on the Wal-Mart Superstore site. Ross, Petco and Panera Bread all opened stores. And the Hillcrest Shopping Center and Hillcrest Specialty Row are getting a major makeover. Starbuck's is scheduled to complete construction and open late this summer or in early fall on the Hillcrest site as well.

Stephanie Monroe, the city's planning director, said Easton Marketplace continues with the laready strong growth that's been evident for some time on the city's Eastside. Monroe said the Eastside of Spartanburg has been in developers' sights for a long time. "The rooftop count that was occurring (on the Westside) has leveled off," Monroe said. "Now, the development we are seeing is going east."

Franklin said the city's large tract ordinance requires public input in this kind of development. "I don't want people to think while we spend a lot of time negotiating a project it doesn't mean the public is not part of the process," she said.