GREENVILLE, S.C. — Whole Foods Market has signed on to anchor Greenville County Square, a $1 billion mixed-use redevelopment project in downtown Greenville. Atlanta-based RocaPoint Partners is the developer behind the 3.5 million-square-foot live-work-play destination, which will modernize and activate 40 acres along University Ridge.
The Austin, Texas-based grocer will occupy a standalone building designed by MVA Architects. Whole Foods is the first tenant announced, and RocaPoint is currently pursuing other credit-worthy retailers and restaurants to join the development.
“Whole Foods Market will add to the development’s lively charm and represents the quality of the tenants we’re targeting to drive economic growth while simultaneously answering public interest at Greenville County Square,” says Patrick Leonard, principal of RocaPoint.
The developer says that Greenville County Square will serve as a connective hub to the city’s outdoor-oriented attractions, namely Falls Park and the new Cancer Survivor’s Park. Additionally, the project is expected to connect with the historic Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 22-mile walking and biking path that runs along the Reedy River and connects Greenville to Travelers Rest, S.C.
“This redevelopment is positioned to be the ideal walkable environment for residents and visitors with a strategic blend of office, hotels, residential, restaurant, entertainment and retail — together with public and community-centric spaces — all encompassed in an urban environment,” says Leonard.
In addition to commercial space, County Square will include a $65 million Greenville County administration building set to open soon and a $24 million parking deck and central plaza, according to city documents. Foster + Partners designed the 250,000-square-foot, six-story building, which will house 500 Greenville County employees, according to the Greenville Journal.
Steve Yenser of Yenser Co. represented RocaPoint in the lease negotiations with Whole Foods. Scott Adams and George Wilson of Adams & Wilson represented the tenant. The target date for the opening of Whole Foods was not disclosed.
Whole Foods is the nation’s first certified organic grocer and currently operates more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The grocer is a privately held subsidiary of Amazon.
RocaPoint is an affiliate of The Georgetown Co., a commercial real estate development firm based in New York City. RocaPoint’s other projects in the works include the next phase of Halcyon in metro Atlanta’s Forsyth County and the PGA Tour headquarters project in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
— John Nelson