JOURNAL NEWS
Big wins, big losses mark 2014 as one for the books STAFF REPORT
As 2014 dwindles down to days, Greenville County and the Upstate say goodbye to a year marked by victories and losses – from the overwhelming defeat of a local option sales tax to fund road repairs to a courtroom win by same-sex couples seeking to be legally married in the Palmetto State. At long last, legislators also imposed a statewide texting-while-driving ban prompted in part by Greenville’s bold decision to outlaw the use of any handheld technology behind the wheel. And the Greenville Zoo mourned the loss of two longtime resident elephants and a stillborn giraffe. Read on for a reminder of some of the year’s biggest headline-makers in the Upstate. ROAD REFERENDUM After raucous grassroots debate, Greenville voters soundly defeated
a referendum seeking a local option sales tax to fund $678 million worth of road and bridge repairs in Greenville County. Groups on both sides of the debate waved signs, packed council chambers and voiced their views on the effects of a tax supporters argued was vital to Greenville’s economic development and opponents insisted would supplant a duty that belonged strictly to the state. The measure was defeated Nov. 4 with 65 percent of voters casting their ballot against. The problem of deteriorating roads and bridges goes beyond Greenville’s borders, however, as South Carolina reportedly requires $60 billion over the next 25 years to bring the state’s crumbling infrastructure to an acceptable level of repair. Whether the state will raise the gas tax (now the fourth-lowest nationwide) or use a combination of revenue sources will be a major debate for the Legislature and Gov. Nikki Haley in 2015.
BROAD STREET
Retail space
Office, retail, restaurant and condominium space
MURPHY STREET Conceptual plaza site plan for the Greenville News site provided by Trammell Crow Company, Centennial American Properties, Beau Welling Design
8 THE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 26, 2014
FALLS STREET
Residential and retail space
Hotel and retail space
MAIN STREET
Office and retail space
GREG BECKNER / STAFF
Infill was a concern in 2014 for Greenvillians as new-home construction continued in established neighborhoods.
CERTUSBANK A fast-rising start in the banking world, CertusBank made national headlines throughout the year after the bank’s leadership was terminated in April by a board alleging gross mismanagement. The board fired Milton Jones, Walter Davis and Angela Webb from their respective posts as executive chairman, CEO and president. The three in turn filed a lawsuit claiming that rogue board members conspired with at least one shareholder to wrest control of the company away from the executives. They also claimed that the board prevented them defending themselves publicly against media reports alleging serious mismanagement. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last month because of an issue of jurisdiction. As a result, the plaintiffs filed new suits with the state court in Greenville and also federal court in Atlanta. TEXTING BAN In June, South Carolina became the 49th state to ban texting while driving – a move widely seen as a legislative reply to a series of much stricter municipal bans the state law instantly supplanted. Greenville’s short-lived but much tougher distracted driving law (which took effect in April) banned the use of all handheld communication devices behind the wheel, including while stopped in traffic or waiting for the light to change. State drivers now face a $25 fine (with a ceiling of $50 for repeat violations) if they are caught using a wireless device to compose, send or read textbased messages while driving. No court costs can be assessed; insurers won’t be notified; and law enforcement cannot seize the phone to prove texting actually took place.
Drivers are still allowed to text via hands-free devices, as well as when legally parked or stopped in traffic, requesting emergency help, using a GPS system or using a digital dispatch system. Public safety officials on duty are also exempt. DOWNTOWN STILL HOT Developers made 2014 a hot year for downtown Greenville, and the announcements aren’t slowing down as 2015 draws ever near. Mid-year, the Upstate Business Journal reported at least $221 million worth of investment on 20 notable construction projects, and that was only a fraction of the total dollar investment. At year’s end, that total is well over half a billion dollars. The current site of the soon-to-be demolished Greenville News building is bringing nationally-known heavyweight Trammell Crow into the Upstate market with plans for a seven-story upscale hotel, 16 condos, 225 apartments, two office buildings, retail and restaurant spaces, a dine-in movie theater and public plaza project. In the mixed-use area, developments already underway include two large projects by the Beach Company: South Ridge, which will offer 360 apartments and 16,000 square feet of retail along Church Street; and Main + Stone, expected to deliver 292 rentals with 20,880 square feet of retail space. Meanwhile, the soon-to-come RiversEDGE on River Street will have 140 apartments with plans for a future restaurant and boutique hotel. Numerous smaller condo and apartment communities also are in the works: 400 Rhett Street recently opened with 150 apartments; construction on the Fountains Greenville on Broad Street will soon get underway; and Flournoy Development is still pursuing a 365-unit apartment complex at