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Being that this is a Florence thread....the idea that Florence should remain small and quaint is an absolutely obsurb idea to ME. Others may want that but not me, I would love to see the city use all of it's resources available for the moving forward of the community. I would love too see a big corporation move it's headquarters here. I remember during the late 90s and early 2000s everytime you turned around something was being built in Florence. Then with the recession like many parts of the country things slowed down. Hopefully we will see another high growth period coming into focus in the not so distant future.
Being that this is a Florence thread....the idea that Florence should remain small and quaint is an absolutely obsurb idea to ME. Others may want that but not me, I would love to see the city use all of it's resources available for the moving forward of the community. I would love too see a big corporation move it's headquarters here. I remember during the late 90s and early 2000s everytime you turned around something was being built in Florence. Then with the recession like many parts of the country things slowed down. Hopefully we will see another high growth period coming into focus in the not so distant future.
Its fine to grow and I think like Chico was getting at, there is a smart way to do it which IMO involves keeping the quaintness or small town feel of Florence, grow the downtown (like they are) and create a community centerpiece a type of main street usa feel that will highlight Florence being more quaint while at the same time, recruit more industries and jobs to the area.
Florence's quaintness if you will and small town feel is the competitive advantage it has, loosing it will hurt rather than help.
I can't speak for Florence but as for downtown Sumter, it has come a long way in 10 years. Still a lot of room for improvement, but with the addition of 3 very nice restaurant/bars downtown, and the constant flow of entertainment at the Opra House and street festivals, live music, etc I have no issue with going downtown at night. And once the new hotel opens up, that will be a springboard to even more things happening downtown.
Do you feel safe downtown? I have never felt uncomfortable downtown and there was time where people wouldnt walk south of Liberty Street on Main.. Now I think that has changed with the arrival of the CCTC Facility at S. Main and W. Bartlette Street. When they were scouting out a new location for the library.. I was hoping that it would go in the block that surrounds the SC Community Bank to provide a solid downtown anchor.. but I guess it would have cost $$ to aquire the land... though there were some politicos that were flat out against it for other reasons... The former site was to be absorbed into their Sheriff's Office/Law Enforcement. At the time CCTC was not down there it was just the old 'People's Market' and neither was the James Clyburn Transportation Center. I wonder if those conversation were being had today if that would have changed the powers that be's minds?
I do think a downtown hotel is the missing piece for Sumter. The Hotel Florence is doing extremely well and is currently expanding into several downtown storefronts. Having the hotel there also a boost the FMU Performing Arts Center and the Florence Little Theatre.....
Construction is full steam ahead in downtown Florence! Quick run down of the projects going on....
FMU Health Sciences Campus @ Irby and Evans St. (Construction has commenced)
Apartment/Parking Deck @ Cheves and Irby (Ground has been broken)
Project Morgan @ Evans and Irby (still don't know what company it is, but art gallery housed in the building is supposed to move to make way for said company )
Hope Health @ Irby and Sumter St. (Building is coming along quickly should be completely based upon current progress in the next two - three months.)
Med-enroll @ Evans St. (Looks like the building is being remodeled )
Stokes Eye care @ Evans and McQueen (Project was announced a few weeks ago suppose to be built across from City Center, so not know when construction will start)
Just a few of the projects not taking in to account the new Chamber of Commerce and apartments and restaurants and etc locating in the old Kress building and Royal Knight building's. There are a tremendous amount of projects going on in Florence and all of these are just in the downtown area all within no more than 3 or 4 blocks of a point being Irby and Evans St.
Anyone one know of anything else I might have forgot? Not just downtown but in other parts of town?
Construction is full steam ahead in downtown Florence! Quick run down of the projects going on....
FMU Health Sciences Campus @ Irby and Evans St. (Construction has commenced)
Apartment/Parking Deck @ Cheves and Irby (Ground has been broken)
Project Morgan @ Evans and Irby (still don't know what company it is, but art gallery housed in the building is supposed to move to make way for said company )
Hope Health @ Irby and Sumter St. (Building is coming along quickly should be completely based upon current progress in the next two - three months.)
Med-enroll @ Evans St. (Looks like the building is being remodeled )
Stokes Eye care @ Evans and McQueen (Project was announced a few weeks ago suppose to be built across from City Center, so not know when construction will start)
Just a few of the projects not taking in to account the new Chamber of Commerce and apartments and restaurants and etc locating in the old Kress building and Royal Knight building's. There are a tremendous amount of projects going on in Florence and all of these are just in the downtown area all within no more than 3 or 4 blocks of a point being Irby and Evans St.
Anyone one know of anything else I might have forgot? Not just downtown but in other parts of town?
Isnt the Hotel Florence expanding towards Dargan Street? Whenever Im in Florence.. I stay in that hotel...Its like... " if you must stay in a hotel in Florence.. Stay in the Hotel Florence..stay sleepy my friends......"
Also the new judical center is coming to downtown florence sc.
Is that good or bad? I remember when the City Jail was in the City County Building (maybe it still there but just a holding area today) There were all kind of folks running in and out walking the line between being free and locked up.. they then spilled over into downtown along Evans and Dargan.. In other words it didnt help downtown.. I worked downtown for awhile.. I never felt threatened but had many female coworkers who did.. One guy was cat calling a poor woman so she ducked into our offices for him to pass by.. she then told me the guy said that he just got out of jail and was looking for a female companion... Im thought to myself.. I know some male ex cons make a Bee Line for women when they get out of prison.. but jail in the City County Complex.. He was probably just locked up over night.. but I guess that was hard time for him...
Is that good or bad? I remember when the City Jail was in the City County Building (maybe it still there but just a holding area today) There were all kind of folks running in and out walking the line between being free and locked up.. they then spilled over into downtown along Evans and Dargan.. In other words it didnt help downtown.. I worked downtown for awhile.. I never felt threatened but had many female coworkers who did.. One guy was cat calling a poor woman so she ducked into our offices for him to pass by.. she then told me the guy said that he just got out of jail and was looking for a female companion... Im thought to myself.. I know some male ex cons make a Bee Line for women when they get out of prison.. but jail in the City County Complex.. He was probably just locked up over night.. but I guess that was hard time for him...
The prison will still be in Effingham. I believe the judicial center will be mainly where the court proceedings are held, with some short term incarceration cells. So downtown likely won't be teeming with newly released thugs looking for money or companionship. Not that downtown won't still have some shady characters strolling around...
Over the next two years Downtown Florence will simply be at a place that it hasn't been since before I was born and use to hear about how the Downtown was teeming with people. Just to think about the Medical School and Apartments alone down there and to add the Med-enroll and the other projects that have been announced. I'm actually excited to see this transformation, along with the streetscape project that will take place. People who haven't been to Florence in awhile will be amazed at the changes.
Over the next two years Downtown Florence will simply be at a place that it hasn't been since before I was born and use to hear about how the Downtown was teeming with people. Just to think about the Medical School and Apartments alone down there and to add the Med-enroll and the other projects that have been announced. I'm actually excited to see this transformation, along with the streetscape project that will take place. People who haven't been to Florence in awhile will be amazed at the changes.
I agree. I was down there for a weekend in June but ended up not going downtown but I want to head back down sometime here in the fall and check it out.
What is going on with the place across from Hotel Florence that is supposed to have the rooftop bar?
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