We’ve all heard things are booming in Greenville, SC and they certainly are. New subdivisions are popping up everywhere as we prepare for the great emptying of blue cities and states to the north as they make their way to the South. There are some signs that the new home construction maybe getting ahead of itself with new builds, but that cannot be said when it comes to commercial construction.
There are some large empty spec warehouses along I-85 but no doubt those will become occupied within the next 12-18 months. What I find more interesting though is the dramatic drop in new construction for commercial buildings in Greenville County. Through July 2024, there have only been 44 permits issued for commercial new construction. Let’s say this number doubles between now and the end of the year. That will still put us down about 70% compared to 2023 which was down significantly from 2022. Pretty amazing to see this data.
Commercial renovations are plugging along at a decent rate although down from 2023 by probably 15-20%. Things got kind of crazy down here with Covid and now we are digesting those gains or in some cases resetting.
Greenville is still a fabulous place to live and work. We will get through this slowdown and once again ramp up to new heights I suspect in the not too distant future.
Greenville mst have a phenomenal public relations team and/or word just keeps getting out there about the area. Men’s Journal published the Top 50 places to vacation in the U.S. I’m always a little suspect of these lists but this was fun to look through.
Sorry but I can’t help but poke some fun at New Yorkers…I had no idea that those people were still under the illusion that “masks work” and that they were still required to wear them while on public transit – good grief. It’s September 2022. Apparently Governor Hochul, the replacement for the disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo who stepped down earlier this year due to his scandals, made the decree today that masks would no longer be required. I’m sure this came after studying the science and all the studies about public health and Covid… yeah, right :).
People in the north have asked me many times…is it really that different in South Carolina from life in Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania….name whatever blue state you want – and yes, it’s different. And it’s been different for a long time. The people here in South Carolina are generally free. Would I like to see further elimination of some of the nonsense? Sure. But it’s magnitudes better than what you’ll find in a state like Minnesota for example.
With New York dropping their mask mandate, can we officially say that the Covid crazy policies are dying on the vine? One could hope…but then again, there’s always California.
But on second thought…we are only 2 months away from the 2022 mid-term elections. Perhaps THAT’s the science behind dropping the mask mandate on mass transit in New York?
Here’s a great article on the incoming freshman class at Clemson this year.
Do you have a pool in your back yard that doesn’t get used all the time? Consider renting it out much like you would on Airbnb with extra space in your home. Now you can rent out your pool by listing it on the mobile app Swimply.
The Greenville Journal has a good story on renting your pools. It’s hard to know how big this market might be but it’s clearly a trend.
Something must be going on….yesterday I heard that Vanderbilt University sent out communications stating that they would no longer require vaccines of their employees and students…now we see a similar statement from Bon Secours which appeared to be the last hold out here in the Upstate health care system that was requiring the Covid vaccines for employment. Something is a foot and of course they aren’t going to tell us what the real reason is behind the change of opinion.
Here’s the e-mail that went out from Bon Secours CEO, Matt Caldwell. It makes no mention of the ministry leadership as they had done in their previous communications just a couple of days ago on December 2, 2021 that stated everyone MUST get the vaccine. But Mr. Caldwell makes sure to plug his opinion that the institution believes in the importance of the vaccine but they are no longer going to require it. I wonder if there are some possible serious legal liabilities that will eventually be exposed for these companies and institutions that pushed to get their employees vaccinated or lose employment? Only time will tell. Can someone please remind me again why we should ever listen to the medical establishment when it comes to Covid and the Covid vaccines and therapeutics? While we’re at it, what else have they maybe pushed on an unsuspecting and gullible American public in terms of health care, drugs, medical treatments and procedures?
For now many in Greenville, SC are breathing a huge sigh of relief. Hopefully this will spread to other companies in the area such as Michelin and GE.
I’ll leave you with Willie Nelson and “Just Breathe.”