Back by Popular Demand Moonlight Movies

Watch your favorite classic movies under the stars. Films now showing each Wednesday in April and again in September at the Peace Center Amphitheatre. Click here for a complete listing of the April movie presentations.

Event Season Opens

There's no doubt about it. There's even more to enjoy in downtown Greenville when Spring marks the beginning of event season, the time downtown Greenville comes alive with concerts, movies and market stalls. And they're all free, all season. 

Back again this year are the popular weekly concert series Downtown Alive and Friday Night Jazz. Reedy River Nighttime Concerts Series also returns in June, celebrating its 13th year at the Peace Center Amphitheater. 

Two more events return after a successful first year season in 2003, The Saturday Market and Moonlight Movies. 

Details on these and other events are available at www.greatergreenville.com/visitors/entertain.asp

A Warm Welcome to New Downtown Businesses  

Kelley's Grill 7 West Washington Street

Freestyle Studios - 100 East North Street

Port City Java- 15 South Main Street

West End Darkroom- 640 South Main Street

More Information on Downtown Activities
For a c omplete listing of downtown activities and places of interest, pick up a downtown visitors guide at the Visitors Center in City Hall and various visitor outlets throughout the City. To view the online version, click here. 

P is for Parking
Looking for a place to park downtown? Just look for the circle P placed on the front of the new Spring Street Garage. The garage, which opened for business on March 30, contains 906 parking spaces available for monthly, daily and event parking. The garage, located on Spring Street between McBee and Washington, is a bright, safe and secure structure, featuring the latest technological advancement in parking conveniences.

There are now more than 6,500 off-street parking spaces located throughout downtown Greenville, including the Richardson Street and GTA Parking Deck which offer free weekend parking.

 For more information on the new  facility and other parking information, click here.

More Returning Favorites

Reedy River Nighttime Concert Series
Wednesdays, Peace Center Amphitheater 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Begins June 4 - August 27.  Bring lawn chairs and a picnic supper and enjoy the music at this free, family event.

Centex Homes Downtown Alive
April 1 – September 23, Piazza Bergamo
Thursdays, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Join the many downtown business people who frequent this weekly fundraiser for the Metropolitan Arts Council. Featuring a mixture of pop, blues, acoustic and reggae performances, Centex Homes Downtown Alive is held each week at Piazza Bergamo. Call Greenville Events for more details at 467-5780.

Ryland Homes Main Street Jazz
April 2 – September 24, Main Street & Hyatt Regency
Fridays, 5:30 pm- 9:30 pm
Wind up your work week listening and dancing to the best in jazz performed by local, regional and national talent. A children's activity area and special promotional events add to the fun for the entire family. Call Greenville Events for more details at 467-5780.

Upstate Shakespeare Festival, Falls Park Amphitheater
Shakespeare returns to downtown with an expanded season!  Sponsored by the Warehouse Theatre and the City of Greenville, the series offers classic plays in a fresh new style with the beautiful backdrop of Falls Park. 

Bridge Designer Rosales in Greenville

Liberty Bridge designer Miguel Rosales (pictured above) was in Greenville last week to meet with the Falls Park project administrator and bridge engineers. Mr. Rosales is internationally known for his work, including the design of the Charles Bridge in Boston. Besides his work on Greenville's pedestrian bridge, Mr. Rosales is currently working on a $300 million bridge crossing in St. Louis and a $600 million bridge project in Washington D.C.

Visit the park and you'll see the supports are in place and the spectacular Liberty Bridge is beginning to take shape with construction of the bridge now underway. 

You will also find literally thousands of bulbs in bloom throughout the park, and the landscape completed along the lower falls. Activities will officially begin next month when the Upstate Shakespeare Festival opens its new season in May. 

Once the park and gardens are completed, they will be maintained in part with the money generated by the Falls Park Endowment Fund. More than $2.5 million has been raised for the endowment but there are still many opportunities to give.

For more information on Falls Park and the endowment fund visit the web site , www.fallspark.com

Downtown Development:
New Residential and Commercial Underway 

Wachovia Place This mixed-use project features 24 new and affordable apartments designed for young professionals who prefer an urban lifestyle. F acing South Main and Washington Streets, significant features include nine-foot ceilings, ceiling fans, casement windows, balconies overlooking the street or the courtyard, beautiful lighting packages, and stone floors in the kitchen and bathrooms. For more information, check the website: www.wachoviaplace.com.

Poinsett Corners Located on the site of a former city parking lot, Poinsett Corners is an excellent example of a creative mixed-use project that includes 81residential units,17,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and a city-owned parking garage with almost 300 spaces.   This project, with a total investment of $15 million, is transforming a parking lot into an architecturally distinctive building with homes ranging from 550 to 2,000 sq. ft. and selling from $100,000 to $380,000.   The developer,  Windsor/Aughtry Company, was selected by the City through a competitive process based on their vision for the site and their ability to create a quality mixed-use project completely surrounding a parking garage. For more information, visit: www.poinsettcorners.com.  

T he "Bookends"  Thirty new residences and 6,200 sq. ft. of commercial space will soon front East McBee Avenue and later, East Washington Street, creating "bookends" for the City's new Spring Street Garage.   This project was initiated in response to City Council's desire to minimize the impact of parking garages and ensure activity on pedestrian oriented streets. Phase One, now under construction on McBee Avenue, is an 8 story, $7 million multi-use project, which has been registered as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project and will meet rigorous "green building" criteria set by the U.S. Green Building Council.   Although constructed as one building, the façade incorporates various architectural features, giving it the appearance of several different buildings. Residential units in this project range from $125,000 to $500,000. For more information, contact Charlie Whitmire at 242-5151 or visit www.bookends.us.

T he Lofts @ Mills Mill: The renovation of the vacant Mills Mill, built in 1897, into 104 new loft style condominiums provides a significant new entrance into downtown.   This stunning renovation and restoration project demonstrates the strength of the inner city housing market.   Units in this project range from 800 to 2,300 sq. ft. and are selling from $115,000 to $400,000.   Construction has also begun on a companion 13,000 sq. ft. retail and office center on Mills Avenue and Lynn Street The facility will be built using brick from a demolished mill to complement the historic mill. These two projects represent an investment of more than $25 million by Mills Mill Associates, LLC. For more information visit www.millsmill.com.

More Downtown Development Coming Soon

The Richland @ Cleveland Park : Close to downtown on East Washington Street, Park Properties, LLC is developing The Richland @ Cleveland Park. Now under construction along Richland Creek, the Richland will bring New York style penthouses to Greenville.   The 24 units on 4 floors will be 1-2 bedroom penthouse condominiums ranging in size from 1200 to 2700 square feet and ranging in price from $200,000 to $500,000.   T he development will have all the luxuries and convenience of living in a downtown area, but will offer a city view with tre es and a park.  

RiverPlace: The long awaited RiverPlace project is set to begin a 15 years in the making.   This project will be located across the Reedy River from the Peace Center for the Performing Arts and will encompass over 50 residential units, a new 100-room hotel, an 87,000 sq. ft. office building, artist studio spaces and 15,000 sq. ft. of commercial space.   A subsurface parking facility will also be built in the initial phase of the project.   Three development groups are working together on RiverPlace: Hughes Real Estate, Inc., Allora LLC, and the Windsor/Aughtry Company.   This private development will be a backdrop to a Riverwalk promenade connecting Falls Park and Linky Stone Park.   A public plaza and pedestrian promenade descending from Camperdown Way and South Main Street will lead to the Riverwalk area with a four level water feature as the focal point of the public space. The private investment for the initial phase is over $25 million.

The Park Downtown: Continuing the combination of park setting with new residences, Pierce Homes of Carolina plans a 35 unit residential development adjacent to McPherson Park on East Park Avenue .   Sold at auction in March, these residences proved to be some of the most affordably priced homes offered to date. In addition, this development will be a model for stormwater management with water retained on site in a water garden with natural wetland vegetation. This is both a beautiful and environmentally friendly approach to stormwater management. The developer will then donate the water garden and surrounding area to the City to become an extension of McPherson Park. Private Investment in this project will be almost $5 million.  

For more information on downtown development and other economic development opportunities, call 467-4401 or email cityinfo@greatergreenville.com.