The Greenville Design and Review Board unanimously approved a street lighting and landscaping design for the long-awaited Gateway project.
The project is a 29-story multi-use project located at 250 North Church Street. Groundbreaking is expected to take place sometime in 2025.
The new building will include 12,000 square meters of space for 342 apartments, up to five commercial and retail stores, public spaces and a parking garage with a capacity of approximately 350 vehicles.
According to the Greenville City Economic Development Corporation, the approval came during the DRB meeting on December 19th. The move will bring the site of the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium, which closed in 1996 and demolished the following year, into its next chapter of development in downtown Greenville.
Everything you need to know:Greenville's Gateway project was redesigned into a 25-story tower with a plaza and pedestrian bridge
The vacant property is owned by NR Gateway Greenville, LLC., a Florida-based company operating under the umbrella of NR Investments. The company has developed multi-use projects, plazas and buildings in Miami, Ohio and Peru.
As The Greenville News previously reported, the old auditorium building was sold to Clemson hotelier Rajesh Patel in 2017 for $3 million.
Once the $130 million investment project is complete, the Gateway Building will be one of the tallest buildings in South Carolina and the tallest in Greenville, according to GCEDC.
Next, the gateway project moves to the approval phase and after approval, construction follows.
Find more information about the Gateway Project's upcoming lighting and landscaping permit here:
More about inner city development:The iconic Bowater Building in Camperdown has been sold. What you should know about the deal
Changes and lighting instructions from the DRB
At NR Gateway Greenville, LLC. Application for Certificate of Urban Design Appropriateness, approved changes to upcoming Gateway project include installation of exterior lighting and landscaping.
Many styles and types of lighting were approved during the architectural review, including:
- LED pedestrian street lights on the edge of the building.
- The elevator tower will include “vertical cove lighting,” or indirect lighting, on the exterior of the building
- Southwest Plaza, at East North and North Church streets, will have a “garage façade,” or strategic placement of lights on the outside of the building. There will also be a canopy and seating.
- Northwest Plaza at Beattie and North Church features building column lighting, landscape lighting and more.
- The northeast residential plaza includes tree lighting, short bollards, general plaza lighting and more.
- Overall area lighting with standard decorative LED lights from Duke Energy.
In addition, eight species of trees, including magnolias, oaks and arborvitae, as well as seven species of shrubs were mentioned for planting around the building grounds.
More about the city center:20th anniversary: If initially met with resistance, the park is now considered the “heart” of the city
What are the tallest buildings in Greenville and South Carolina?
The upcoming Gateway Building is expected to be 29 stories tall, challenging Columbia's Capitol Center building as the tallest structure in South Carolina.
Since its completion in 1987, the Capitol Center has been the tallest building in the Palmetto State at 349 feet tall. This is followed by the Margate Tower in Myrtle Beach with a height of 329 feet and the Hub at Columbia with a height of 325 feet.
The Landmark Building at 301 N. Main Street was once the tallest building in the state from 1966 to 1983 and is currently the tallest building in Greenville.
Although floors, stories and building height are not synonymous, and the Gateway project is reported to be 29 stories, it is not yet clear that it will be the tallest building in South Carolina.
Hospitality developments in the Upstate:Entertainment venues and events to look forward to in Greenville, Upstate in 2025
— AJ Jackson covers the food and dining scene, as well as arts, entertainment and downtown culture, for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @ajhappened. This reporting is only possible with the support of our readers.Sign up for a digital subscription today.