Mortgage Broker in Wade Hampton, SC

A site of five acres at 237 Wade Hampton Boulevard in Greenville is once again being considered for a storage facility. And again — still — neighbors don't like it.

The new proposal for a storage facility at the site is the second one since 2016. It includes a three-story mixed-use facility with a ground-level restaurant or retail space, office space, and indoor, conditioned self-storage units that would not face Wade Hampton Boulevard, according to plans before the Greenville Board of Zoning Appeals.

Some nearby residents say the development goes against efforts to transition the area surrounding part of U.S. 29, a major artery for the city from the Eastside and Spartanburg, from an industrial corridor to residential boulevard.

They say it wouldn't serve the neighborhoods around it and should be denied by officials.

"It’s a part of setting the tone for Wade Hampton. We’re trying to change the tone," said Donna Rhyne, a Dellwood neighborhood resident. "Putting it in there doesn’t attract the kind of stuff we want."

City councilmember John DeWorken doesn't support the project, either. Before DeWorken represented the district on City Council, he opposed previous plans for storage on this site as a resident back in 2018.

“I’m disappointed that we have in front of us yet another proposal for a storage facility when there are already two located within a block or two, and that is such an important gateway into our beautiful downtown," DeWorken said.

Developer Krish Patel is purchasing site in Greenville from Ron Rallis, according to plans

The city's Board of Zoning Appeals is considering the proposal and would need to approve the plans before the development could be built. The application is anticipated to go before the board at its next meeting at 4 p.m. Nov. 10, residents said.

The property hugs Richland Creek next to The Community Tap and across from Henry's Smokehouse near Mohawk Drive. Only a little more than one acre is eligible for development because much of the land is in a floodplain.

The land is owned by Greenville developer Ron Rallis, who recently claimed the spotlight when he painted the former Bible Way Full Gospel Missionary Baptist Church in the Woodside community bright pink and wrote the word "Trap" above it.

Rallis bought the property on Wade Hampton Boulevard in 2016 for $850,000, according to county property records, intending to build a storage facility there.

Self-storage boom:2.6M square feet over 9 years: here's a look inside Greenville's self-storage boom

The Board of Zoning Appeals approved his plans that year, granting Rallis a special exception for construction, but in 2018, Rallis said he never received the documentation for the permit because it was mailed to someone else, which allowed it to expire.

Residents then protested the plans, saying another storage facility had already been constructed nearby since 2016. Development for the land never materialized.

The new developer, Krish Patel, sits on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Patel is purchasing the property from Rallis for $1.6 million, along with another property on Markley Street, according to plans submitted to the board.

The land on Wade Hampton Boulevard would hold a 83,150-square-foot building along with a garden area, restaurant patio and 85 parking spaces.

In Patel's application, he said that the storage facility was appropriate due to the amount of homes and rental units in proximity and the "limited available storage options in this section of the city."

"This area continues to have a strong demand for storage use," Patel wrote.

Patel did not return calls seeking comment.

Wade Hampton Boulevard residents want development that serves local neighborhoods

People in nearby neighborhoods disagree with Patel.

Residents around Wade Hampton Boulevard on the northeastern side of the city have worked with officials to transform the busy street into a more pedestrian-friendly gateway to downtown Greenville.

Those efforts materialized in the Wade Hampton Boulevard Strategic Plan, adopted in 2018. That plan states that self-storage facilities shall not be located within a quarter-mile of one another in efforts to promote development that better caters to surrounding neighborhoods.

There are two other storage facilities within half a mile of 237 Wade Hampton Boulevard.

"We want something that brings more people to the city and adds aesthetic value to the Wade Hampton gateway," said Steve Mills, who lives in the North Main neighborhood.

Patel has met with residents twice to present his plans, Mills said.

While he appreciates Patel's efforts to make the facility palatable and present it as a mixed-use project, "at the end of the day, it’s still a storage facility," Mills said.

"It’s kind of like putting lipstick on a pig," he said.

Greenville City Council member objects to proposal

Rhyne moved to Dellwood in 1978, and she's seen the evolution of Wade Hampton Boulevard because of that longevity.

"It was headed nowhere but downhill," she said.

Thanks to neighborhood efforts, that's changing. But this facility doesn't fit into plans for the area's future, she said.

"A strategic plan was put in place. Why do we have it if we’re not going to stick to it?” Rhyne said.

“The neighborhood and the city have spent countless hours to create a plan for Wade Hampton Boulevard, to transform it from an industrial corridor to a neighborhood boulevard, and nowhere in that plan includes a storage facility," said DeWorken, the City Council member.

"The developer (Patel) does really good work around Greenville," he said. "It’s not about the developer. It’s about the storage facility.”

'Trap' church:'Trap' church property for sale in Greenville for $2.5 million. Neighbors feel betrayed

Macon Atkinson is the city watchdog reporter for The Greenville News. She's powered by long runs and strong coffee. Follow her on Twitter @maconatkinson.

If you noticed an increase in particularly bad traffic on Wade Hampton Boulevard last spring — especially in Taylors — there was a reason for that.

"Now that you mention it, I did notice traffic being really bad, but I always assumed it was because Greenville was growing so much," Julia Sudduth, a Greer resident who commutes to downtown Greenville every day, said of the issues she noticed this spring.

While rising populations are putting more cars on Greenville County roads, a malfunctioning traffic signal detector was to blame for congestion from March to May this year.

Boulevard to the future:Vision for a remade Wade Hampton Boulevard comes into view with public hearing scheduled

The newly installed adaptive signaling technology was turned off "at the end of May," State DOT engineer Sean Knight said. "The system wasn't operating as it was supposed to, so we took it out of operation," he said.

The company that created the technology will begin repairing the systems this week on Aug. 15. Knight said he hopes for the signal systems to be up and running again by "late September or early October."

What went wrong?

In mid-March, the South Carolina Department of Transportation began switching traffic signals along US 29, or Wade Hampton Boulevard, to adaptive signaling technology.

The new traffic lights, which form a "system" at every intersection, were installed from Spartanburg to Greenville on U.S. 29 and along many of its side roads, according to SCDOT.

The systems use detection instruments to monitor traffic volume in real time, adjusting signal timings as traffic conditions change, according to Michael Holden, an engineer with SCDOT District 3. Holden's district office covers Greenville and Spartanburg counties, among others. Similar systems are already in use in parts of the Lowcountry and Midlands, according to V. Carol Jones, a traffic signal and systems engineer at SCDOT's Columbia headquarters.

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When the signals were installed, Knight said his 3 office noticed issues with signal system's detection instruments, which are placed in the roads.

Knight said the issues affected left turn lanes and side roads, causing back ups at many busy intersections, including the Wade Hampton Blvd. intersections at State 101 (Buncombe Road) in Greer and Reid School Road in Taylors.

Previous efforts to make life easier:Here's why Wade Hampton Boulevard traffic jams should ease soon

"It was terrible. We could not figure out what was happening," said Christin Pullman, who got caught in the increased morning traffic caused by the malfunctioning signals while taking her children to school in Taylors.

Holden said their office received numerous complaints from drivers. The issues affected both Spartanburg and Greenville county residents.

Sudduth, who grew up in Greer and has seen the growth of the area firsthand, said she's not sure how to fix Wade Hampton Boulevard's traffic problems, but "I definitely think tech that works properly is crucial."

Not a cure-all, but a good start

Nearly 100 new traffic signals were installed over roughly 30 miles along the busy seven-lane highway to help ease traffic issues, but the new technology won't be a cure-all for rush hour blues.

"Adaptive [signaling] won't make things run better, all it does is manage what's out there," Jones said. Wade Hampton and many of its side streets are already over capacity at peak travel times, Jones said.

Over a 24-hour period, parts of U.S. 29 can have anywhere from 28,000 to 40,000 vehicles pass through high-density areas, like near Pleasantburg Drive or Cleveland Street, according to a 2018 SCDOT traffic study.

In January, a traffic study conducted at the intersection of Reid School Road and Wade Hampton Boulevard found that between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., 1,886 vehicles drove through the intersection. This number does not account for drivers making left or right turns, or drivers coming from Reid School Road, according to Knight.

The new SynchroGreen technology will help diffuse traffic jams during "unexpected events," meaning anything from high school football games to an influx of people bypassing I-85, Jones said.

"[Wade Hampton Boulevard] is not an interstate, so it will never operate like I-85," Jones said, meaning the stop-start nature of the seven-lane highway is unlikely to change.

Sudduth doesn't expect Wade Hampton Boulevard to act like an interstate, either.

"I feel like a lot of traffic [on Wade Hampton Boulevard] will be inevitable due to the volume of people commuting into Greenville," she said. A 2018 study revealed that 92% of downtown workers drive to work.

When will it be fixed and how much does it cost?

Knight warns that once the new systems are turned back on this fall, "there will be a period of time where we'll have to make some minor adjustments."

He added that his office is expected to have "worked through our fine-tuning issues" with re-timing the adaptive signals by the end of September.

The project runs the entirety of the 60-year-old superhighway and is part of the larger I-85 Corridor Management Project, which includes the 85-385 Gateway Project at Woodruff Road.

The traffic adaptive signals cost about $13,500 per intersection to license and install. Knight estimated that along with detection costs, each intersection will cost an average of $20,500 per intersection.

Thankfully, the signals that have to be fixed won't cost taxpayers a dime, "all of that is under warranty, so it's not costing the public any extra money," Knight said.

Warning: traffic ahead

Eventually, Jones said SCDOT plans to be able to tell U.S. 29 commuters how long travel time on the highway will be, much like the time estimates that across digital billboards on interstates.

"Our goal is to be able to tell the public, ‘Travel time to highway 29 is this,'" she said.

More adaptive systems are being placed along State 14, 101, 291 and 296 in Spartanburg and Greenville counties as part of the larger I-85 project, Knight said. In total, about 95 systems in the I-85 Corridor will utilize adaptive technology.

But patience and understanding are asked while the systems and other improvements are being installed, "DOT doesn't have the manpower that other states have," Jones said.

For decades, Wade Hampton Boulevard has served its purpose as the superhighway it was envisioned to be, making possible the connection between the suburbs and downtown Greenville.

The seven-lane U.S. highway has been little more than a utilitarian vessel for automobiles, and the development along its path has reflected that.

But as the identity of what is downtown Greenville expands outward as more people move into the city, expectations of what Wade Hampton can be are changing.

The call is on for a corridor that is more accessible, more pedestrian friendly, aesthetically pleasing. That means more crosswalks, bike paths, landscaped medians and streetlights in an area that has become a gateway featuring one of the more picturesque views of the city's skyline.

To that end, the city of Greenville has commissioned a study of Wade Hampton Boulevard that addresses those concerns as well as larger visions — including the potential for a hotel at Bob Jones University and a new, mixed-use project on 16 acres just outside downtown.

View the Wade Hampton Master Plan

The city hired a consultant in late 2017 to conduct a Wade Hampton Master Plan of the corridor between downtown and Bob Jones University, and on Thursday the results of months of study and public input will be presented to the city's Planning Commission and will be the subject of a public hearing at 4 p.m. at City Hall downtown.

In 2014, the city planted more than 250 trees along Wade Hampton and replaced street lights. This plan will "add another layer of landscaping and connections into the neighborhoods," City Councilwoman Amy Ryberg Doyle said.

"The city continues to commit to bringing the downtown streetscape beautification to the entrances into the city," Doyle said. "Investing in infrastructure in these important thoroughfares helps small businesses on the street."

The corridor has transformed over the past decade as communities in the city are revitalized, attracting neighborhood businesses such as The Community Tap, Henry's Smokehouse and Asada while the large-scale Northpointe mixed-use development is underway.

Cathy Dodson has been a part of the planning process from the beginning and has a stake in its success as co-owner of the Dodson Dig Co. antiques store on the verge of downtown.

"We just don't want Wade Hampton to be considered an industrial boulevard," said Dodson said. "It's really is a gateway into downtown, and it should be seen as a gateway."

Wade Hampton was South Carolina’s first multi-lane “superhighway,” meant to connect Greenville and Spartanburg, and a harbinger of other such highways to come across the country.

It's similar to other mid-20th century U.S. highways in Greenville that come into conflict with the re-urbanization of the city.

The wide stretches were meant to get vehicles to and from the suburbs as efficiently as possible. The highways become streets and avenues as they enter the city — Stone Avenue, Church Street, Laurens Road — but much of their design as commuter routes remain.

This creates challenges when entering an urban area where in the past couple decades development has become geared toward walking and riding bicycles as alternative transportation. The identity shift has created conflict.

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Recently, the city torpedoed plans for a self-storage facility next to The Community Tap shopping plaza after nearby residents said it didn't fit the new vision for the boulevard. The self-storage plans had previously been approved.

During the course of planning, the public expressed a desire for better connectivity to nearby neighborhoods and Timmons Park, with changes such as neighborhood entrance signs, more trees and landscaping alongside the road, fewer curb cuts, "piano key" crosswalks, mast arm traffic signals and a 10-foot-wide multi-use path for bicycles and pedestrians.

The improvements would also encompass revitalizing the appearance of dated shopping centers and provide better connection to the vast Timmons Park that has thus far not been used to its full potential, officials and residents say.

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Since 1946, Bob Jones has provided an anchor to the stretch of Wade Hampton within the city. Today, the former Wade Hampton Boulevard Mall houses the BJU Press, a site that the plan envisions becoming a four-story hotel with up to 86 rooms.

The university has had "some initial discussions" with parties interested in developing the site, but nothing has been firm, said Randy Page, the university's director of public relations.

The hotel market in downtown Greenville has become crowded and pricey, so a hotel would provide a reasonable alternative for visitors to the university, Page said.

“To have an option on Wade Hampton Boulevard like was presented would be very advantageous,” he said.

The overall effort could help the university feel more connected to downtown, allowing students an option to walk, he said. Page said the university sees the plan as a 10-to-15-year process.

“With Wade Hampton being such an important gateway, we want to do our best to partner with the city and the community and make our area look as nice as it can," he said.

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The plan identifies another signature opportunity to spark economic development along the corridor that is less industrial — 16 acres known as Vista Hills.

The property is next to the Highview Townes development that capitalizes on the view of the downtown skyline.

The plan calls for a mixed-use project that would include homes, retail and commercial development with the possibility of office space, to be developed in phases.

The land is owned by Central Realty Holdings, the same company that is developing the Northpointe project that will have 285 apartments, retail, commercial and an upscale Harris Teeter grocery store.

The company's CEO, Rece Morgan, said no specific plans have been made for the property.

“Our intention is to complete the Northpointe project and once we have that stabilized, then obviously we’re looking down the road on Wade Hampton,” Morgan said. “We want to look at what we can do that fits the market. It would be another mixed-use project of some kind. I’d expect there’d be a residential component.”

Northpointe construction has been delayed because of rainy weather, he said, but the bulk of apartments should be completed in late August and the remaining residential and commercial building along Wade Hampton and East Stone Avenue at the end of the year.

The Harris Teeter store is expected to begin construction early this summer and should open in early 2020, Morgan said.

On Thursday, a little girl who grew up in a divided Hampton County saw a dream com true that was a lifetime in the making, and she understandably got a little emotional.

As a child, Hannah Priester sat in school desks at all-Black North District Training School. As a teacher, she helped welcome the first integrated classes at North District Middle School. Last week, as Chairman of the newly consolidated Hampton County School District Board of Trustees, Priester witnessed a final step toward county unity and officially bringing our proverbial "both sides of the swamp" together.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman visited Priester's hometown of Varnville to announce $52 million in infrastructure funding for the Hampton County School District to begin construction on its first fully consolidated school: Hampton County High School.

"This is a great day for South Carolina, and it's a beautiful day for Hampton County," said Priester, as she thanked the state officials and legislators who helped make this funding possible. "We want to thank you Mrs. Spearman - you delivered."

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts," added the emotional Priester. "The board has spoken, the county has spoken, and the legislature has spoken, and we are going to build a new school!"

During a public ceremony at the Wade Hampton High School football field, Spearman announced the allocation of $52 million in state funding to assist HCSD in constructing a comprehensive countywide high school to consolidate the existing WHHS and Estill High School. The funding is part of the $140 million under Proviso 1.92 of the General Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.

“The South Carolina Department of Education is thrilled to announce $52 million in state funding for the replacement of Wade Hampton High School,” said Spearman. “It is crucial that the state provides financial support for counties like Hampton that cannot afford to build new facilities on its own. Thank you to the South Carolina General Assembly for their generous support in making this funding possible.”

In April of 2022, the SCDE commissioned independent facility studies of schools in the state’s poorest counties to aid in decision-making for capital funding appropriated by the General Assembly for disadvantaged schools. Hampton County is composed of ten separate schools and a career and technology center. The current enrollment of the county-wide district is approximately 2,455 students.

The funding being provided by the SCDE will be used to address the district’s most critical need as identified by the facility assessment team - the replacement of WHHS - and aid in the state-mandated consolidation process.

Spearman commented on how the state sometimes fails to offer the same opportunities to poor, rural schools as it does larger, urban areas. She added that it was "almost impossible" for rural districts to build new schools using only local taxes.

"That's wrong... and I wanted to help change that," said Spearman. "You all have an opportunity to make a tremendous impact in the world, and you can do that through education."

In 1970, when county schools were still working toward full integration, the HC Tricentennial Commission published a local history entitled Both Sides of the Swamp. "Both sides of the swamp" has remained a metaphor for Hampton County for years since, as the county has remained divided into a north school district and a south district, split by the Salkehatchie River basin - until now and the recent consolidation of districts in hopes of finally providing equal opportunities to all local students.

"We are getting ready to announce something that will change the face of Hampton County for the next 50 years," commented Spearman. "This is a big deal. I'm guessing no money like this has ever been delivered to Hampton County. This is truly a historic moment."

The funding announcement was attended by state and local officials, with the WHHS staff and student body looking on from the football stadium bleachers during this historic moment.

"Today, history is being made in Hampton county, and all of you are a part of it," said HCSD Superintendent Dr. Ronald Wilcox.

"This is a beautiful day for Hampton County," said SC Representative Shedron Williams. "We love you Hampton County, and we love you educators."

Williams added that his office is also requesting state funding for other local needs, such as increased teacher and bus driver pay and more affordable housing.

“This is a great day for the citizens of Hampton County,” added Williams, who serves District 122 in the General Assembly and chairman of the Hampton Legislative Delegation. “I would like to thank my fellow members in the South Carolina General Assembly for their investment in our community. We look forward to seeing the impact this will have on the lives of our educators and families for years to come.”

“This focus on education shows the commitment to our students and families and will result in stronger economic development for the entire region,” said Sen. Brad Hutto, who represents District 40 in the General Assembly, in a statement.

“Never has Hampton County received such a boost to our K-12 education system,” said Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, who serves District 45 in the General Assembly, in the statement. “I am honored to have had a part along with my legislative colleagues to show our support for the impact education can make in the lives of our students and community.”

“A resounding thank you to Superintendent Spearman and our legislators at the South Carolina State House and Senate for their support and making this funding available,” added Dr. Wilcox. “Our students and educators deserve safe, state-of-the-art facilities to learn and grow in each day. Next year, the district will combine Estill High School and Wade Hampton High School into the consolidated Hampton County High School. We cannot wait for the building process to begin as we anticipate with excitement opening the doors of the new high school for all of our students in Hampton County.”

WHHS and EHS will consolidate on the current WHHS campus beginning with the 2023-24 academic year while the new school is built. A site for the new campus has been purchased, and a new name and mascot approved, but the HCSD has not set construction dates yet.

In addition to the funding for Hampton County, the state education agency has also made the following funding announcements:

This story has been updated with the latest information as of this morning, and will continue to be updated.

By now, it's no secret that COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of restaurant operations. With the rise of the omicron variant, challenges have been exacerbated.

Here is a running list of spots that are temporarily closed due to illness, staffing challenges and/or other reasons.

This list will be updated continuously. Please send any closing/reopening info to lpenso@greenvillenews.com.

TRee House Cafe? & Studio

27 S Main St, Travelers Rest

TRee House Cafe? & Studio will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 12 due to a staff shortage. The restaurant plans to reopen on Thursday.

Henry's Smokehouse - Wade Hampton location

240 Wade Hampton Boulevard, Greenville

On Monday, Jan. 10, the restaurant, "Due to unforeseen circumstances the Wade Hampton store will be closed today. If you have placed an order already we are in the process of contacting you and getting you taken care of for today. Please visit our Simpsonville store!

On Tuesday, Henry's updated customers to say the Wade Hampton store would be closed one more day and would reopen on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Greenfield’s Bagels & Deli

101 Verdae Boulevard, Greenville

“Temporarily Closed due to COVID-19. We hope to reopen on Wednesday, Jan 12. Y’all stay safe out there!”

Harris Teeter Stores

Various locations

“Dear e-VIC Customer,

To focus on restocking shelves and cleaning stores, Harris Teeter will close all store locations* at 9 p.m. effective Monday, January 10, until further notice. We believe that closing early will allow associates to: process ExpressLane orders ahead of time, restock and organize shelves, ensure excellent closing to better prepare for the following day and make certain our stores are a clean, safe place to work and shop.”

Lillia Callum-Penso covers food for the Greenville News. She loves the stories recipes tell and finds inspiration in the people behind them. When she’s not exploring local food, she can be found running, both for pleasure and to keep up with her 6-year-old twins. Reach her at lpenso@greenvillenews.com, or at 864-478-5872, or on Facebook atfacebook.com/lillia.callumpenso.

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