4 The Record: Greenville's Growth

TRUE CRIME SERIES DATELINE WEEKDAYS AT 11. NOW NOW WYFF NEWS FOUR PRESENTS FOR THE RECORD. WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I’M GABRIELLE KOMOROWSKI IN FOR NIGEL THIS MORNING AND COMING UP THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, WYFF NEWS FOUR PRESENTS CHRONICLE GROWING GREENVILLE IN THIS HOUR LONG SPECIAL, WE WILL EXPLORE THE CHALLENGES THAT HAVE COME FROM A RAPIDLY GROWING COMMUNITY OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES AND WE’LL LOOK AT THE PLANS IN PLACE FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY TO GROW RESPONSIBLY. THIS MORNING WE’RE DIVING IN FURTHER TO SOME OF THE ISSUES WE WILL EXPLORE IN CHRONICLE. WE’LL SPEAK WITH GREENVILLE WATER COMMISSIONER. DEB SOFIELD AND GREENVILLE COUNTY SHERIFF HOBART LEWIS. BUT JOINING ME FIRST THIS MORNING IS ANGELA RODRIGUEZ, THE OWNER OF ANCHOR REALTY AND BROKER IN CHARGE. SO GREAT TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING, ANGELA. THANKS FOR COMING IN. WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I. LOVE GREENVILLE AND I LOVE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO BE AN AMBASSADOR FOR GREENVILLE. WELL, LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE FINDING OUT ABOUT GREENVILLE. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE TO ME THE MOST MOMENTUM OF PEOPLE MOVING TO TO GREENVILLE, AND WHY ARE THEY TELLING YOU THEY WANT TO COME AND LIVE HERE? IT’S REALLY HARD TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND AROUND HOW POPULAR WE ARE. PEOPLE ARE COMING HERE FROM ALL OVER. THEY’RE COMING FROM UP NORTH TO ESCAPE. THE SNOW. THEY’RE COMING FROM CALIFORNIA TO TO ESCAPE THE THE COSTS AND THE EARTHQUAKES AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS. AND SOME PEOPLE EVEN SAY THEY’RE COMING FROM FLORIDA BECAUSE IT’S TOO HOT THERE. RIGHT? SO WE HEAR IT ALL AND SOME OF IT IS FINANCIALLY MOTIVATED, SOME OF IT’S POLITICALLY MOTIVATED. BUT THE ONE THING THAT WE HEAR OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS THAT THEY LOVE OUR PERSONALITY HERE. THEY LOVE THE WALKABILITY. THEY LOVE THE RESTAURANT SCENE, AND THEY LOVE THAT THEY FEEL WELCOME EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT NOT BE FROM HERE. THEY FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG. THEY FEEL A CONNECTION. AND WHEN THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT TO YOU ABOUT WHERE THEY WANT TO LIVE, WHERE DO THEY WANT TO LIVE? I MEAN, USUALLY EVERY CONVERSATION STARTS WITH, CAN I LIVE ON MAIN STREET WITH A POOL AND A BASEMENT, YOU KNOW, IN A CERTAIN PRICE POINT? AND, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT. WE HEAR IT. AND THEN ONCE THEY SEE WHAT IT COSTS TO LIVE DOWN IN GREENVILLE AND THAT IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO LIVE, BUT THAT WE HAVE OTHER GREAT OPTIONS. SIMPSONVILLE IS. A GREAT OPTION. GREER IS A GREAT OPTION. TRAVELERS REST IS A GREAT OPTION. ALL OF OUR SISTER CITIES ARE REALLY DOING A GREAT JOB AT GETTING BETTER AND BETTER EVERY YEAR, AND BRINGING MORE ATTRACTIONS. AND SO A LOT OF TIMES FOR PEOPLE, YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR? IT’S NOT ALWAYS THE HOUSE. IT COULD BE THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR IT CAN BE THEIR HOBBIES WHEN THEY’RE OUTSIDE OF WORK. AND BEING CLOSE TO THAT. AND SO THAT’S WHERE WE GO ON THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER. YOU TELL ME WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU, AND YOU GIVE ME A BUDGET AND WE GET YOU THE BEST OPTION WITHIN THOSE RANGES. BECAUSE WHEN THEY SAY TO YOU, I WANT TO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE, DOWNTOWN. LIVING IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE IS EXPENSIVE. I BELIEVE. YOU TOLD ME IN THE INTERVIEW THAT WE DID FOR CHRONICLE. SOME PLACES ARE SELLING FOR SEVEN MORE THAN $700 A SQUARE FOOT. SOME OF OUR HIGH RISES DOWNTOWN ARE SELLING FOR MORE THAN $700 A SQUARE FOOT. RIGHT. THOSE ARE THE CONDOS, AND THEY COME WITH AMENITIES. AND ON TOP OF THAT, YOU’VE GOT MONTHLY HOA FEES. SO YOU WILL GET SOME STICKER SHOCK TO LIVE ON MAIN STREET IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION. BUT WE HAVE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE NORTH MAIN AND ALTA VISTA AND AUGUSTA ROAD. AND THOSE AREAS ARE NOT 700 SQUARE FOOT YET, BUT WHAT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR AND AFTER EVERY SALE IS THE NEXT SALE TRIES TO GET A HIGHER PRICE. THAT’S JUST SUPPLY AND DEMAND AND SO THAT’S WHAT WE SEE. BUT AGAIN, YOU TO ME YOU CAN’T GO WRONG. WHETHER WHETHER IT’S SIMPSONVILLE GREER IT JUST IT REALLY IS ABOUT DO YOU WANT A YARD OR DO YOU WANT TO BE DOWNTOWN. AND THE ONE THING I SAY ABOUT BEING DOWNTOWN IS IT’S NOT QUIET RIGHT. THERE’S A PULSE. THERE IS. YOU BETTER HAVE ENERGY AND YOU BETTER BE. YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO BE GOING PLACES AND DOING THE THINGS DOWNTOWN ON MAIN STREET IS NOT THE PLACE FOR PEACE AND QUIET. RIGHT. AND SO SOME OF THOSE. PEOPLE MAY BE WHO HAVE TO RETHINK THEIR DECISION IF THEY INITIALLY WANTED TO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE, THEY THEY DECIDE TO LOOK OUT INTO GREENVILLE COUNTY. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN SOME OF THESE GREAT TOWNS AND CITIES IN GREENVILLE COUNTY. FOUNTAIN AND MALDEN, GREER, TALK TO ME ABOUT THE GROWTH THAT YOU’RE SEEING IN THOSE AREAS. AGAIN, IT’S JUST REALLY HARD TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND BECAUSE OUR DATA IS OLD. THE DATA THAT THEY GIVE US IS, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS AGO FROM THE CENSUS. IT’S NOT REAL TIME. OR SINCE COVID ACTUALLY HAPPENED, BUT WE SEE YOU SEE THE MONEY WHEN. YOU SEE GREER TALKING ABOUT THE NEW SPORTS COMPLEX THAT IT’S GETTING RIGHT. WHEN YOU SEE MALDEN TALKING ABOUT IT. NOW WE HAVE THE SWAMP RABBIT TRAIL. I THINK THAT THAT IS ALWAYS A RECIPE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH IS FOLLOWING THAT SWAMP RABBIT TRAIL. AND YOU SEE THAT ALL OF THE CITIES, RIGHT, ARE TRYING TO ADD THOSE THOSE NEW FINGERLING TRAILS. AND WHEN WE DID THE INTERVIEW, TALK TO ME ABOUT THE FUTURE. I KNOW WE DON’T HAVE A MAGIC WAND, BUT YOU SAID I DON’T THINK THIS AREA IS GOING TO GET LESS POPULAR. NO, I MEAN, WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY. WHETHER YOU HAVE KIDS OR YOU DON’T HAVE KIDS OR YOU HAVE A JOB OR YOU’RE RETIRED, WE’VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. AND THAT’S WHY WE CONTINUE TO GET POPULAR HERE, EVEN MORE SO EVERY YEAR. AND I THINK THE SISTER CITIES ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. WHEN ONE CONCEPT WORKS IN GREENVILLE, THEN SIMPSONVILLE WILL TRY IT, BUT TRY TO OUTDO IT AND THEN FOUNTAIN IN COMES IN AND TRIES TO DO BETTER THAN SIMPSONVILLE AND THEN GREER, AND THEN EASLEY. RIGHT. SO DON’T SLEEP ON EASLEY OR ANY OF THESE DIFFERENT COUNTIES AND SPARTANBURG LIKE SPARTANBURG, IS BLOWING UP AND IT IS WONDERFUL. IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN THERE LATELY, YOU REALLY SHOULD. THAT DOWNTOWN IS INCREDIBLE AND THE LAYOUT IS GREAT, AND I JUST THINK THAT WE CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT OUR WHOLE AREA IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, BECAUSE WE’VE GOT PEOPLE COMING IN FROM BIGGER CITIES AND THEY’RE DOING THE CONCEPTS THAT HAVE WORKED IN BIGGER CITIES HERE AND I DO THINK THAT OUR GOVERNMENTS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB AT OFFERING TAX INCENTIVES TO GET THAT SORT OF THING HERE. IT’S A WONDERFUL PLACE TO CALL HOME. IT IS, IT IS. BUT OUR CHALLENGE IS WE ARE SO POPULAR AND WE STILL HAVE MORE BUYERS THAN SELLERS. WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH INVENTORY. AND BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH INVENTORY, THE PRICES CONTINUE TO RISE EVERY YEAR. AND THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO TO STOP THAT. THAT THAT IS THE FREE MARKET. WELL, WE ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE AND AND WE ARE CERTAINLY HAPPY TO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR AS LONG AS WE HAVE BEEN. RIGHT, ANGELA? YEAH, I DO, I SEASON FOR YOU ALWAYS AND I JUST LAUGH AND I SAY THAT OUR SECRET’S OUT. WE HAVE TO STOP BEING SO FRIENDLY WHEN WE SEE PEOPLE DOWNTOWN AND SAYING HELLO, BECAUSE THEY TAKE THAT AS AN INVITATION TO MOVE HERE. AND I SAY THAT WE DEFINITELY CAN’T LET THEM TRY OUR SWEET TEA OR BECAUSE THEY’RE HOOKED AND THEN THEY WANT IT EVERY SINGLE DAY AND THEY AND THEY WANT TO BE A PART OF THE FABRIC OF THIS COMMUNITY THAT WE’VE CREATED. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I’VE ALWAYS LOVED ABOUT THIS AREA IS THE WAY THAT OUR BUSINESSES AND OUR COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO GIVE BACK, AND THAT IS JUST THE ICING ON THE CAKE OF WHY WE HAVE THIS SPECIAL THING. AND I HOPE THAT THAT SPIRIT ALWAYS CONTINUES. ABSOLUTELY. RODRIGUEZ, OWNER AND BROKER IN CHARGE OF ENCORE REALTY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN AND TALKING TO US. I KNOW THAT THE SPRING IS A VERY BUSY TIME OF YEAR FOR YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN. THANK YOU, MY FRIEND. THANKS, KATHY. WELL, STRAIGHT AHEAD ON FOR THE RECORD, HOW THE GREENVILLE WATER COMMISSIONER IS PLANNING AHEAD FOR THE SHORT AND