City/Partners Announce $100 Million Mixed-Use Development for Downtown

GREENVILLE, SC – May 25, 2011 – Mayor Knox White and Greenville City Council joined business leaders and a host of elected officials, including Governor Nikki Haley, members of the S.C. legislative delegation and county officials, at Piazza Bergamo today for the announcement of a new $100 million mixed-used development planned for the corner of Main Street and Washington Street. The project is reminiscent of the City’s successful public-private partnerships that resulted in projects like the Hyatt Regency/Greenville Commons in the 1980s, the Peace Center for the Performing Arts in the 1990s and RiverPlace and Fluor Field more recently, and is expected to serve as a critical anchor in the heart of Greenville’s Central Business District.

At today’s event, Hughes Development Corporation unveiled plans for the first phase of the project, known as ONE, and announced several major tenants, including CertusBank N.A., a federally-chartered financial institution with 32 branches in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, which will establish its corporate headquarters here; Anthropologie, a chain of more than 135 stores featuring women’s apparel and accessories, home furnishings and a variety of other unique items and the law firm of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, which will relocate from its current offices at Two Liberty Square.

According to Mayor White, the new development further demonstrates the strength of downtown and addresses a number of the City’s key priorities. “With the ONE project, we are experiencing the rare opportunity to gain new private investment in a new building, attract a corporate headquarters, secure a national retailer and enhance the iconic Piazza Bergamo to both complement the private investment and create a new destination for downtown Greenville,” said White. “The City of Greenville has a long history of forging partnerships and has demonstrated its commitment to both supporting private development that can transform our downtown and ensuring wonderful public spaces. This project does both.”

Mayor Pro Tem David Sudduth points to the reputation for vision and innovation that the City and local community and business leaders have earned, not only on a local and regional level, but on a national level, as one of the reasons that Greenville has become a desirable location for corporate headquarters. “The transformational potential of this project for downtown and the city as a whole is incredible, and I believe corporations like CertusBank N.A. want be here because of who we are and what this community represents,” said Sudduth.

Walter Davis, CertusBank Vice Chairman, has indicated that the company is actively pursuing additional opportunities to expand its presence in other markets, and has predicted that its headquarters in downtown Greenville could one day employ more than 350 workers. According to Vice Mayor Pro Tem Lillian Flemming, the fact that CertusBank is not only establishing its headquarters here, but also plans to invest even more fully in the community is a testament to its commitment to Greenville and could lead the way for similar moves by other companies. “We’re proud that Walter Davis, who is a Greenville native, and his partners determined that Greenville was a good fit for their banking franchise and we look forward to continuing to grow the presence of corporate headquarters here in the city.”

The City’s Design Review Board will review plans for the first phase of ONE and the City will ensure that there is an open and inclusive public participation process for the design of and improvements to the public spaces. City staff will work with the architecture firm 4240 and urban design and landscape architects Civitas to ensure that the public and private components of the project are master planned and that the Piazza Bergamo achieves it full potential for public use through innovative and unique urban design that will provide yet another memorable place for Greenville residents and visitors alike. The City will fund the design and construction of public spaces bounding the project, including Piazza Bergamo, Laurens Street, North Main Street, West Washington Street and Coffee Street (from Main to Brown), and will appoint a project manager who will work directly with the developer.

Decades ago, the City recognized the need for the public sector to step forward to provide the impetus for private investment, and according to Mayor White, the key to downtown’s continued success has been the City’s commitment to reinvestment in its infrastructure and public spaces. “Not only is this an exciting project in terms of economic development for the city, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity for us to engage the community in the redesign and revitalization of a special public space,” said White. “Engaging our citizens and soliciting public input is a hallmark of the City of Greenville and we are looking forward to this opportunity to continue discussions with our downtown stakeholders and enlist the public’s participation in creating a space that everyone can call their own.”