#YeahTHATAgenda: Home Values Up...Slightly, Unemployment Rises...Slightly, Unity Park Underway, Design Review Board Openings, George Sink v. George Sink II, San Francisco is Sinking
May 03, 2019 02:33PM ● By Chris Haire
By now you've read the national employment news--263K jobs were added last month while unemployment dropped to 3.6%. Here in the Palmetto State, 12,900 jobs were filled but the unemployment rate held steady at 3.2%. Among four of the major metros, unemployment actually increased, with Charleston's rising from 2.8% in February to 2.9% in March, Greenville rising from 2.9% to 3%, Columbia 3% to 3.1%, and Spartanburg 2.9% to 3%. Be that as it may, those are still great numbers.
And things look even better on the manufacturing front--the vehicle that has driven much of the Palmetto State's recent prosperity. In Charleston manufacturing grew by 2.6%, February 2018 to February 2019; in Greenville it was 1.4%; Columbia 3.7%; and Spartanburg, 5.1%
Statewide home sale prices are also up year to year, March '18-'19, rising from $196.8K to $207K. In Charleston, prices went from $255K to $270K; Greenville, $203K to $209; and Columbia, $167K to $172K. Spartanburg, however, saw a dip with the home sales price falling from $170K to $160K.
Building permits were down in Greenville and Columbia, up in Charleston, and flat in Spartanburg.
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Work begins on Unity Park with demolition of former City of Greenville Public Works campus: On Thursday, May 2, the City of Greenville began what may go down as the most ambitious endeavor in its history--the construction of the 60-acre Unity Park on the city's west side--with the first day of demolition for the former Public Works campus.
In 2017 Public Works moved from its downtown home to a new 33-acre site off of Mauldin Road. The price tag of the new facility: $26 million .
Yesterday, the city also added another name to the list of corporations helping the city fund Unity Park: Michelin Corporation Foundation. Others lending a hand: Auro Hotels, SYNNEX Corporation, the Community Foundation, and the TD Charitable Foundation.
Unity Park will be located in a long-neglected area of the city, an area which has historically been home to primarily African-American residents. While efforts are being made to make sure affordable housing will be located near the park, concerns have been raised by those fearing gentrification, with the most recent dust-up centering around a proposal to bring a craft brewery to the area in a location near a homeless shelter.
Recently, local businessman Wayne Trotter announced he had donated property near the park to the Greenville Housing Fund, a move designed to help keep affordable housing in an area where property values are sure to rise.
In related Unity Park news, two Village of West Greenville businesses, GB&D and Bake Shop, have announced they will be leaving the neighborhood to set up shop at the Commons site at Unity Park, the Greenville News reports. GB&D and Bake Shop will join new offerings from Methodical Coffee, Automatic Taco, and Community Tap.
If you're interested, you can complete an application online.
Posts are also available on the Springwood Cemetery Advisory Committee, Greenville Housing Authority, Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee,
For more information about boards and commissions, contact the City Clerk’s office at 467-4431 or visit https://www.greenvillesc.gov/478/Boards-Commissions.
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22nd Annual Blue Ridge Fest: Blue Ridge Electric will host its annual fundraising festival, Blue Ridge Fest, on Friday, May 3, 2019 from 5:30-10:30 p.m. at the cooperative’s headquarters in downtown Pickens.
The largest classic car cruise-in and Beach Night show and dance event in the Upstate, Blue Ridge Fest attracts nearly 6,000 attendees and more than 500 classic cars from across the Southeast annually to benefit local charities in the cooperative’s four-county service area. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $2.7 million for human-help agencies in Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Pickens counties.
The charities receiving funds in 2019 include: A Child’s Haven, Anderson Free Clinic, Anderson Interfaith Ministries, Cancer Association of Pickens County, The Dream Center of Pickens County, Feed a Hungry Child, Fostering Faithfully, Golden Corner Food Pantry, Grace’s Closet, The Lachlan McIntosh Tannery Foundation, North Greenville Crisis Ministry, and Pickens Meals on Wheels.
To register, visit https://blueridgefest.com/. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for children age 7-12. Children under the age of 6 can attend for free.
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Why pioneering Greenville restaurant owner Larkin Hammond is a big advocate for gluten-free food (Greenville News)
Lowcountry lawyer George Sink sues son George Sink Jr., over similar firm name(Live 5 News)
City of Columbia to purchase main downtown post office for possible Finlay Park expansion (The State)
Charleston County considering sale of Naval Hospital site to Cigar Factory developer (Post and Courier)
Lander University, Cosentino deny wrongdoing in defamation suit response (Greenwood Index-Journal)
CFO of Charleston’s Benefitfocus is leaving, third to depart in three years (Post and Courier)
AirBnB bookings surge for Clemson graduation, but not as much as these football weekends (Anderson Independent Mail)
New task force aims to control hotel growth in Charleston (Live 5 News)
SC to field offers for Santee Cooper, but lawmakers haven’t decided whether to sell it (The State)
GB&D and Bake Room are moving out of the Village of West Greenville and to the future Unity Park (Greenville News)
A bill requiring genetic counselors to obtain state licensing before they can practice is likely headed back to the drawing board. (Greenwood Index-Journal)
Construction at iconic building on Dave Lyle? Here’s what may be coming to Rock Hill (Herald)
Boeing’s Own Test Pilots Lacked Key Details of 737 MAX Flight-Control System (WSJ)
GSK dumps universal flu vaccine after interim data readout (Fierce Biotech)
Trump administration finalizes rule allowing providers to deny care over religious beliefs (Becker's Hospital Review)
U.S. Added 263,000 Jobs in April; Jobless Rate Fell to 3.6% (WSJ)
Wired: We launched a pay wall. It worked! Mostly. (Wired)
Google Will Soon Let You Automatically Scrub Your Location And Web History From Your Account Every Few Months (BuzzFeed)
Justin Timberlake Waves Bai Bai Bai to Partially Dismissed “No Artificial Flavors” Beverage Mislabeling Suit (National Law Review)
Study Finds San Francisco Bay is Sinking Faster than Expected (Engineering News-Record)
Lucideon M+P Expanding Greenville County Presence
Kelley Engineering Announces Expansion In Anderson County
Turner Padget Celebrates 90th Anniversary
Four LS3P Projects Win IIDA Carolinas DesignWorks Awards
Southern Current Launching New Solar Project In Hampton County
SENTIO Receives SC Launch, Inc. Investment
Inaugural Class Of Nurses Graduating From The Citadel May 4
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. | Attorney
Service to the Greenville community is extremely important to me, and it is truly an honor to serve this community. I am a proud alumnus of the Spring 2018 class of the Diversity Leaders Initiative at the Riley Institute at Furman University. I currently serve as the president of the Greenville Friends of the Library board, a board member of the Upstate Carolina Education Outreach (UCEO), and a member of the Rotary Club of Greenville. Also, I am a member of the Greenville Cancer Institute Advancement Council, which is responsible for raising funds to support the Greenville Health System Cancer Institute.
Being included in Greenville Business Magazine’s Best & Brightest 35 and Under is an incredible honor. I am grateful to be included among some of Greenville’s most influential leaders. and I am excited to connect with my fellow honorees. My family and I love the Greenville community and are proud to call Greenville home.