Board approves $100M-plus Greenville Gateway project — with conditions

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The Greenville Design Review has given its final approval of the long-awaited Greenville Gateway project design — with conditions.

Located on the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium site on North Church Street, plans for the project — which will be named the Gracie Plaza at the Arena District — were deferred during the design review board’s April meeting to further review and make changes to the development’s exterior materials, color selection and activation of the plaza. The panel also suggested a simplification of the development’s design.

Gracie Plaza will consist of two interconnected towers featuring 294 residential apartments, restaurants and commercial space, creative studios and a parking structure concealed by an elevated terrace.

Conditions of the approval of the project’s new design, which were recommended by city staff, include a full-scale material mockup for review as well as further review of exterior lighting and treatment of the eastern façade of the North Tower.

The project is envisioned to act as an anchor to the Cultural Corridor and a pedestrian connection from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena to downtown, said Beth Brotherton, Greenville’s director of communications and engagement.

The estimated total project cost is between $100 million to $120 million, according to the project’s Miami-based developer NR Investments, which said an anticipated start/finish date will be determined by the end of the year as they advance on design and permitting processes.

“We are thankful to the board and staff for their input throughout the process and for this vote of confidence,” said NR Investments. “We think Gracie Plaza will spark a reinvention of the corridor leading to downtown and around Bon Secours, leading to the creation of a safer, more walkable, and livable entertainment district in this part of Greenville. This vacant lot of 25 years will provide the connecting link between downtown and the arena, triggering the redevelopment of the area and the creation of a new district along the way.”

SC Biz News emailed a request for comment to the city of Greenville for Mayor Knox White, but has yet to receive a response.

Per SC Biz News’ April report of the project, NR Investments unveiled plans for the mixed-use development on the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium site, which had been abandoned for decades.

NR stated the project would become a stepping stone toward PlusUrbia Design’s “Community Vision Plan,” the urban planner’s master plan for the Interstate 385 corridor and adjacent areas, which gave its final proposal to the Greenville Design Review Board in October.

NR closed on the land on March 9 but has been working on plans with Greenville-based Johnston Design Group for more than a year. The development went before the city’s design review board on April 6.

“NR Investments’ vision, inspired by what they’ve done in Miami and backed by their experience and ability to execute, is what caught our attention,” White said in April. “They understand the history of this location and are committed to activating a place that’s been a ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of development.”