Almost 800 units in planning as out-of-town firms betting big on Greenville;

Greenvilleonline.com 10:19 PM, December 1, 2012;

Heather Frechette owns a house in the Augusta Street area, just 2.5 miles from downtown Greenville.

From her new home in the 100 East complex, Frechette can ride a bicycle to On the Roxx, the West End bar she co-owns.

She can walk to Publix when she needs groceries, or to CVS to fill a prescription, or to Falls Park when her dog needs exercise.

“There’s days when I don’t take my car out of the parking garage,” she said.

A string of developers is betting there are a lot more people like Frechette who want to live downtown.

The developers from Greenville, Charlotte, Charleston and Atlanta have announced plans for five apartment complexes in the downtown area that would put almost 800 more residences on the market if they all get built.

That could significantly boost downtown’s residential population, which the city’s economic development department now numbers at 2,920.

The additional residents should boost demand for certain goods and services, such as groceries, dry cleaning or home furnishings.

They might also bring more conflict between downtown dwellers wanting a good night’s sleep and bars doing business into the wee hours.

“Maintaining a balance so that businesses, entertainment and residents are all comfortable is a continuing challenge,” said Clemson University planning professor Barry Nocks, chairman of the city’s Design Review Board and former chairman of its Planning Commission.

Another 300 apartments are planned not far from downtown, in the historic Woodside textile mill near the Pendleton Street arts district.

The development wave is fresh evidence of downtown’s growing popularity as a place to live, as well as work and play.

It’s also part of a national apartment boom driven by a post-recession housing market and lending conditions.

In Greenville, developers are responding to the combination of high demand and a limited supply of rental units downtown……

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