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City and community leaders gathered on what was once the parking lot for Sam’s Club in Greenville to usher in a 92-acre redevelopment along one of the major arteries into downtown.
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They didn’t use golden shovels to up dirt.
They smashed slabs.
Ultimately, the Bolden Street District will include three neighborhoods, shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, grocery options and medical and professional office spaces.
“That’s the fun of it. It’s a blank canvas,” said Dan Klausner, chief executive officer of Verdae Development Inc. “We can listen to the community, bring all new things.”
It’s a 25-year project, part of the overall improvement of the Laurens Road corridor.
The Bolden district land was once owned by eclectic textile entrepreneur John D. Hollingworth, who left most of his estate to Hollingsworth Funds when he died in 2000.
Verdae Development is a subsidiary of the fund.
The property is on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a bike and walking path through Greenville County, and is close to downtown Greenville and the Greenville Downtown Airport.
Klausner called its trail access “oceanfront property.”
The Urban Land Institute, the city of Greenville, community and business leaders worked with Verdae on the project, which has been years in the making.
Greenville City Council approved a Tax Increment Financing for the project in 2024 to allow half of the tax revenue generated within the district to go toward the project.
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The other half will go to the City of Greenville, Greenville County and Greenville County Schools.
The area is expected to generate more than $31.5 million in annual tax revenue when the agreement ends in 2049. Verdae Development will pay for infrastructure, utilities, housing and parking facilities. When the project is done, the city will purchase public areas and infrastructure, using up to $285 million in bonds.
Verdae Development has built the Legacy Connector, a Swamp Rabbit Trail spur connecting nearby neighborhoods to Legacy Park.
“The vision for Bolden Street aligns closely with the principles of GVL2040, Greenville’s comprehensive plan — particularly its emphasis on thoughtful growth, mixed-use development, connectivity and creating complete, walkable communities,” Greenville council member Wil Brasington said.
Hollingsworth left a fortune estimated at $300 million when he died in 2000, much of which went to Furman University and the YMCA.
Known for keeping large amounts of cash in a leopard-skin satchel he called the swimsuit, Hollingsworth was an inventor who turned a small textile operation into one of the world’s leading fiber-processing equipment makers on Laurens Road.
He also amassed some 42,000 acres of undeveloped land controlled by Hollingsworth Funds after his death.
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