West End revival gets deserved award

Community's renaissance has been a catalyst for economic growth in Greenville

Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - 2:00 am
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Talk about a success story.

Greenville's West End has been honored by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism with the 2008 Governor's Cup Award. The award is one more recognition of the successful rebirth of this valuable section of Greenville.

The West End received the award earlier this month in Columbia. It was nominated by the Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau for its "bold vision of revitalization projects that cohesively revived the quality and beauty of Greenville's West End," according to a report in The Greenville News.

Some of those projects are now among the gems of Greenville: The Liberty Bridge in Falls Park on the Reedy, River Place, West End Field, the Peace Center. And many of the other highlights in the West End are the fruits of those key projects, like the ever-expanding array of restaurants that continues to add to the night-time foot traffic through this once-avoided part of downtown.

Of course, a key part of this dramatic revitalization is the economic impact that it has had on all of Greenville. Consider these statistics reported from various sources in the recent News report on the award:

• More than 1 million people have walked across the Liberty Bridge since it opened.
• The county's hotel occupancy rate was 65 percent in 2007, compared with 53 percent in 2004, the year Liberty Bridge opened.
• Gross annual retail sales within the West End have increased 145 percent (to $12.5 million from $5 million) since Falls Park opened.
• Restaurant sales within the West End have increased more than sixfold (to $12.5 million from $1.7 million) since the park opened.

Also striking is this from Mayor Knox White in his videotaped acceptance speech: "Just in the past three years since Falls Park opened, we have realized over $100 million in new private investment along the Reedy River, just outside Falls Park."

That investment is even greater when you include development that continues in the interior of the West End, with West End Field serving as another anchor of economic development within this community.

All of this points to the power of the West End's revitalization. This region really has become a successful extension of downtown Greenville and is a big part of the reason more people are discovering Greenville and the Upstate as a tourist destination.

Those of us who live and work in Greenville understand what the West End has become -- and how far it has come. There's no overestimating how important this revival has been to the entire city. Now, the secret's getting out. This recognition highlights the success of the West End and adds to the potential for that success to lead to even more success in the West End and throughout this vibrant, thriving city.