| Spartanburg Just when I thought things might be slowing down around town… The old Snyder Electric property downtown sold for $6M (the land sits in an Opportunity Zone). Maybe the Grain District’s time has come? (SHJ) A plan for townhomes at Drayton Mills is approved (118 town homes on 20 acres). (SHJ) Bon Haven apartment project gets approval. (GoUpstate) Spartanburg plans road improvements with new funds. (GoUpstate) Toray Industries has developed new carbon fiber materials that are expected to slash production costs for aircraft parts by up to half…and they have a plant right here in our backyard. (Nikkei) H/T WSJ Greenville Carl Sobocinski (Soby’s, The Lazy Goat, Passerelle Bistro, Papi’s Tacos, and more) plans to sell many of his restaurants to employees. (Forbes) H/T Greenville Business Magazine Top 21 Commercial Real Estate projects in Greenville (Upstate Business Journal) GVL is working on a long term plan for its development – GVL2040 (City of Greenville) CZB will be the consultant. (CZB) H/T GVL Today The State Mixed signals from SC Ports – TEUs are down for the second month (still the best May ever) but the the number of rail moves at Inland Port Greer continues to rise. (Greenville Business Mag) What’s behind the numbers? Nothing, literally. Turns out empty containers accounted for nearly 23% of all containers loaded. “That’s 501,010 cargo boxes filled with nothing but air over the last 11 months — a 36.1% increase over the number of empties crossing the terminals during the same period a year earlier…Empties have helped the port set monthly cargo volume records eight times this fiscal year.” (Post and Courier) And on a related note…The State Ports Authority seeks an exemption from proposed tariffs on Chinese-made goods, as the import tax would cost it an extra $36 million for 12 cranes it is buying. (Post and Courier) I found this interesting…China has reduced imports of plastic waste (old water bottles, etc.) but is increasing imports of plastic pellets. Orangeburg, SC is home to a Chinese recycling firm, Ecomelida, that turns plastic waste into pellets. (Greenville Business Mag) A Charleston cab company disrupts the distruptors. What’s old is new again. (Post and Courier) The Bigger Picture Where an entire day’s worth of food comes from. Something we give little thought to, but we should think more about. (Grub Street) A.I. turns brain signals into speech. This has huge implications for those who are unable to speak, but may be able to communicate with others in the future. (WSJ) Mobile, AL figured out a way to reduce its number of blighted homes by 45%, from 1,625 properties to 891. (Fast Company) My Blog What Will We Leave Behind? Thoughts on a trail expansion in Spartanburg. (jpfaris.com) |