This post is Part Four in the series on The Future of Greenville Developments.
I’ve been in Greenville since 2004, and since that time, probably no major area of Greenville, besides downtown itself, has undergone as dramatic a change as Verdae has. When people think of Verdae, they generally envision Legacy Park and the developments around it. But in reality, the entirety of the Verdae development extends from Laurens Road to Verdae Boulevard to Woodruff Road – 1,100 acres in all. Although the Verdae development has already revolutionized Greenville, it has only just begun, as they are in year 12 of their 25-year master plan.
Verdae has an unusual history. The land was once owned by one of the least-known multi-millionaires in the history of the US – John D. Hollingsworth – a textile magnate who was once 90th on the Forbes wealthiest individuals list. Hollingsworth was not your typical multi-millionaire. Despite likely being the largest private land-owner in SC while he was alive, he lived out of an Airstream trailer, was once diagnosed with schizophrenia, and was frequently labeled as “reclusive” and “secretive.” Nevertheless, at his death, he gave away his fortune to charity, and out of that inheritance was borne the Verdae development that we all have come to know (and, hopefully, to love).
Despite the immense progress that Verdae has made since 2005, there’s much more to come in the remaining 13 years of the Verdae master plan. In February, Upstate Business Journal discussed a plan for Verdae Development to bring about a major redevelopment of the practically vacant eastern stretch of Laurens Road between Sky Zone and Stein Mart. This site includes a former Sam’s Club property and land that had been owned by Best Buy. According to UBJ, the plans for the Laurens Road corridor include “30 acres of retail, 70 acres of residential and a new park and trails connecting to the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail.” Considering how much of an impact Verdae Development has had on the retail corner of Verdae Boulevard and Laurens Road (which includes Olive Garden, Steinmart, and Bi-Lo, among others), their impact on an additional 100 acre section of Laurens Road should not be underestimated.
The redevelopment of that section of Laurens Road brings with it many interesting future possibilities. UBJ discussed the potential of “personal rapid transit” and driverless taxis carrying shoppers around the area, the Verdae Master Plan makes it clear that another access from Laurens Road to Woodruff Road is a must, and we already know that plans are in the works to connect Verdae Boulevard to Woodruff Industrial Lane, creating a major bypass to Woodruff Road that could be accessed relatively easily from Laurens Road. If any of these scenarios come to fruition, we can thank Verdae Development for enabling it.
Who knows – maybe a few years from now we’ll think of Laurens Road as more than just a “motor mile.” Either way, we can expect Verdae to be front and center of Greenville’s major development projects for the foreseeable future.