Ron Barnett

rbarnett@greenvillenews.com

The Greenville News building, a landmark of downtown Greenville for nearly a half century, will be torn down and replaced by a "major" mixed-use development that will include a hotel and residential units as well as office and retail space, according to an official of the company buying the property.

The 3.96-acre property is under contract to be sold to Dallas, Texas-based Trammell Crow Co., said Larry Pantlin, senior managing director.

A sales price was not disclosed, and a timeline for the development isn't set, he said. He said he couldn't give more details about the scope of the plans.

Steve Brandt, publisher of The Greenville News, has said the newspaper plans to lease offices downtown after moving from the site where the company has been located since 1937.

"The only thing that changes, in time, is the Greenville street address, as we move to new, technologically advanced, scalable space that encourages staff collaboration and continuous interaction with readers," Brandt said.

The site plan for the new project requires approval from the city of Greenville, but no formal discussions have taken place, Pantlin said.

Pantlin said he is confident that the company will have no problem finding tenants.

"I believe that Greenville is perfectly positioned between the behemoth to the north, Charlotte, and the behemoth to the south, Atlanta, and offers a greater livability factor as a city," he said. "And certainly a number of major corporations are looking at locations in the city for the future."

Gannett, the parent company of The Greenville News, began to receive bids to buy the 100,000-square foot building and the nearly one full block on which it sits last spring.​

Trammell Crow, a wholly owned subsidiary of CBRE, is one of the nation's leading developers and investors in commercial real estate, according to the company's website.

This would be the company's first project in the Upstate, Pantlin said.

"That brings another major national developer presence to Greenville," said Mayor Knox White. "So it sends a message really across the country that downtown Greenville is a great place to invest."

He said the city envisioned a mixed-use project on the site, at the intersection of South Main and Broad streets, across from the Peace Center for the Performing Arts.

"That's what gives the energy and dynamism to the downtown," White said.

The project will enhance the central of downtown's three sections, between North Main and the West End, he said.

"Each has their own personality, and each becomes their own center of gravity, but it all blends together," he said. "That's what creates the magic."

Brandt said that he does not think The Greenville News will move until next year. As for identifying a new location, Brandt said, "we're still looking."

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Bids come in for news building