An Upsurge in Downtown Spartanburg
city sees a rise
in mixed-use,
multifamily and
office development
Contibuting writers:
David Hoffman & Naomi Sargent
For years, leaders have envisioned Downtown Spartanburg as a vibrant, 24-7 destination, home to residential options, office life, gathering places and entertainment possibilities.
New developments mean more people downtown, and more people downtown more often. A vibrant, daily atmosphere downtown leads to more support for businesses from residents and visitors, and the potential for new investment to capitalize on the ongoing momentum.
A vibrant downtown is fundamental to the overall health and economic condition of a community. With a rise in business and multifamily developments in Downtown Spartanburg within the past year alone, and plans for future development, one can surmise the City and County of Spartanburg are set on a positive trajectory for growth and prosperity.
New Life Downtown
The 2017-2021 OneSpartanburg Vision Plan outlined a goal to bring 1,000 multifamily housing units downtown; now, more than 2,000 units are in the pipeline. The City has taken an active role in this growth by supporting infrastructure and zoning for residential and multifamily developments geared toward the City’s comprehensive plan.
“Residential choices go hand-in-hand with economic recruitment and unique amenities to build a vibrant downtown,” says Katherine O’Neill, OneSpartanburg, Inc.’s chief economic development officer. “What we’re seeing now is exciting as vacant properties and underused areas get a new life that further jumpstarts Spartanburg,” O’Neill said.
One of those areas stretches from 127 to 163 East Main Street, where Greenville-based developer M Peters Group is making the single largest private investment in Downtown Spartanburg’s history. The mixed-use development plans to include condominium spaces, apartments, 20,000 sq. ft. of office space and 24,000 sq. ft. of reasonably sized retail spaces. The design also incorporates new alleyways, increasing pedestrian access and storefront spaces between Main Street and Broad Street.
OneSpartanburg, Inc.’s intentional recruitment of corporate headquarters and knowledge-based jobs is part of what’s driving demand for more Class-A office space.
Charlotte-based Insite Properties recently proposed development of a $30 million speculative office building on unused land near USC Upstate’s ‘The George’ campus. This development is one of several that will expand Downtown Spartanburg’s footprint to the northeast.
Spartanburg-based Montgomery Development Group and Johnson Development Associates, Inc. are also adding to Downtown’s office capacity. John Montgomery announced Spartanburg’s first speculative downtown office project in a decade, intending to bring a 30,000 square-foot building to 234 N. Church Street. JDA recently purchased 135 N. Church St. from Purpose Financial, with plans to repurpose the building to offer custom-sized, modern office space suitable for multiple tenants.
“We are eager to bring this building online as a multi-tenant space, as it has the potential to house upward of 350 jobs,” said Alex Powell, commercial real estate manager at JDA. “Timing is perfect. Demand for downtown office space remains at an all-time high, and we will now have product available to meet incoming inquiries.”
O’Neill agrees that these additions are well aligned with market demand. “We see companies say ‘I’m in, but where do I go?;’ these spaces will help solve that problem.”
Spartanburg’s Advantage
One Austin-based tech company that recently made the move to Downtown Spartanburg is MP Cloud Technologies. Founded in 2018 by President and CEO Rob Rodrigues, MP Cloud provides both software and services to the ambulance industry for claims, billings and dispatch.
“Austin was great for founding the company, but it’s grown by epic proportions, so it was no longer suitable,” Rodrigues said. “The rent has gone up, and we have to compete with Apple and Google for talent.”
After looking at cities like San Antonio and Charleston (where Rodrigues is originally from), he selected Spartanburg.
“Once I got introduced to the team at OneSpartanburg, Inc., I was impressed by how the community came together,” he said. “They gave us a great structure as opposed to other communities where you feel like you’re on your own. They just welcomed us with open arms.”
Rodrigues was also impressed with the scope of involvement from community groups and leaders. Since moving downtown, he’s been introduced to the mayor, real estate agents, local government officials, the county administrator’s office, and local higher-learning institutions.
“We’ve tried to set the table to accommodate established companies that are in growth mode,” O’Neill explained. “For a smaller company, Spartanburg can provide more support than they would ever find in Austin. So, instead of being one tech company among hundreds, they can grow in Spartanburg with dedicated community support.”
Spartanburg Community College provided MP Cloud Technologies with free office space on its downtown campus while the company structured a lease in the Denny’s Tower. In turn, MP Cloud Technologies is designing a training program to prepare students as potential employees, creating new opportunities for local job seekers.
Agape Care Group, a hospice care organization, is another company that recently moved its headquarters to Downtown Spartanburg, hoping to benefit from the growing population and talent that is attracted to the active downtown urban area.
“They know that younger talent wants to be in an urban space where people could walk to work, go shopping during their lunch break and grab a drink at the end of the day,” O’Neill said. “I’ve heard us described as having an urban gritty authenticity. There is a lot of adaptive reuse, and respect for where we came from.”