The Development Action Team met on March 13 at the offices of Cimplx in Fountain Park Place. Two speakers shared information about existing real estate projects in Knowledge Park. Skip Tuttle shared current and future development plans for the University Center site. In addition to the Lowenstein Building (office space), the Sports Center and a Cambria hotel, the team learned about plans for a second hotel, retail and restaurant uses, student housing, apartments, active adult condominiums or apartments, and additional office space. Streets, sidewalks, utilities and other public infrastructure on the site are currently under construction and will be completed by this summer. The image below shows the current construction.
It is expected that the University Center site will be fully built out within 5 years. There is little that the Action Team can do, or needs to do, at this time to push this project ahead.
Matt Dosch shared plans for new development surrounding Fountain Park. The next project is expected to be a new office building facing Main Street, perhaps slightly larger than Fountain Park Place (48,000 square feet). Pre-leasing for this new building (to include one or more ground floor restaurants) could begin in 2018, with actual construction dependent on reaching certain pre-leasing targets. A hotel is still planned for Fountain Park. It is the desire that the Fountain Park hotel will be the premier lodging in Rock Hill. The expectation is that it will take several years for the market to mature and reach a point where a hotel of this caliber is feasible. Patience everyone! Additional office space, retail and restaurants are planned along Elizabeth Lane (see image below). The capstone to the Fountain Park project will be a new performing arts center on Black Street. Hey, Placemaking and Tourism Action Teams: we're expecting to hear some recommendations from you regarding the performing arts center!
A number of members of the Development Action Team commented that they were surprised by the scope of these projects.