Once one of downtown Spartanburg’s anchor department store buildings, the structure at 174 East Main Street across from Denny’s Plaza has loomed vacant over the intersection of Liberty and East Main for years.
Identified a few years ago by city staff as the second most important priority redevelopment site in downtown behind only the Montgomery Building, the former home of Bishop Furniture was originally the Aug W Smith Department Store.
And now it is on the cusp of new life, after City Council approved a development agreement with Blue Wall REII, LLLC, a Greenville-based developer set to purchase the building with intentions to undertake substantial interior and exterior renovations and new construction to accommodate 46 upscale apartment units and ground level storefront businesses. These improvements will bring additional life and activity to a long vacant corner, adding new residents, new businesses and job creation.
The 46 residential units will help address the demand for living options in downtown Spartanburg, which has seen its residential occupancy rates hover above 95 percent for more than three years. Combined with the 72 units planned for the Montgomery Building renovation and the 30 units under construction at the corner of West Main and Daniel Morgan, Downtown Spartanburg is now set to see nearly 150 new residential units come onto the market over the next 12-18 months.