Criminal Defense Attorney inMauldin, SC

MAULDIN — Terracotta roofs and stone siding are becoming more visible from Interstate 385 near the Bridges Road exit, piquing the curiosity of drivers zipping past.

The combined residential, office and retail development built in an Italian style includes a pedestrian bridge spanning the interstate to connect visitors to a future expansion of the Greenville County’s multi-use recreation path, the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Similar to other projects coming to life in a post-pandemic era, supply chain issues and other delays have plagued construction. Still, the project is nearing completion of its first phase. Twenty percent of its 190 apartments are spoken for, and retail tenants are beginning to prepare their stores.

BridgeWay Station is the brainchild of local developer Phil Hughes and his family business, Hughes Investments. Time spent living in Italy inspired him to bring a similar architectural style to Greenville County.

The Hughes family unveiled the project in April 2021. By October 2022, the project hit a landmark moment when, using a tilt-up construction method, walls were erected on the site. Since June 2021, retail tenants, including several notable local restaurant owners, have signed onto the project along with institutional tenants like GREEN Charter Upstate High School.

Sounds of construction are still very much present at the site, but Hughes’ vision of a “new town center” is closer in reality. The intended Italian and Greenville County influences are beginning to show.

“We tried to do a real authentic job of putting the pieces together,” he said.

An open-air pavilion at the edge of what will soon be the center plaza echoes the Wyche Pavilion downtown on The Peace Center campus. Beyond that, the pavilion’s design mimics the former train depot that once stood at West Washington Street in downtown Greenville with a pointed steeple protruding from its top.

“We have numerous things here that we were inspired by,” Hughes said. “Greenville’s history is part of it. Italy is part of it.”

Some buildings reflect the structures of San Miniato, Italy, while others were influenced by Greenville’s old City Hall before it was demolished. A column, towering above a small wooden bridge that connects residents to their pool, reflects a clock tower in Assisi, Italy. BridgeWay Station’s version is still waiting for its own clock.

The forthcoming plaza, inspired by St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, will have a small stage, a fountain, an obelisk art piece and places where visitors can gather.

Backing up to the modern-style Spectrum building on the outer edge of the plaza, the developers recreated Michelangelo’s drawing of the facade of San Lorenzo church in Florence, with plans for a large video screen in the center. To the left will be a replica of the Furman bell tower. The developers are still figuring out how to hang their own bell.

While there are some direct architectural influences, the Italian inspirations can also be found on a smaller scale like an Italian manhole and family crest both adorn to the back of the apartment building. On the side of one building is a mural of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

Upstate South Carolina residents and businesses can soon experience WOW!'s multi-gig speeds and full suite of advanced services

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone (NYSE: WOW), a leading broadband services provider, today announced construction of its all-fiber network is well underway and the company anticipates offering its high-speed Internet services to consumers in Mauldin, South Carolina in the coming months.

On the heels of leasing a facility in Greenville County to support local operations and welcoming WOW! veteran Dominick Silvio into the role of local director, WOW! is making swift progress toward bringing its comprehensive portfolio of products and services to the Upstate region in the near future. WOW!'s expansion into South Carolina is part of the company's continued initiative to build new markets non-adjacent to its existing network and deliver its advanced fiber technology and award-winning customer service to residents across its growing footprint. With these expansions, WOW! plans to reach 400,000 new homes passed by 2027, increasing its total passings by 21%.

"Since announcing our plans to bring WOW!'s state-of-the-art services and offer additional choice and flexibility for broadband options to Upstate South Carolina less than a year ago, we've made tremendous progress toward activating our first customers in the region," said Robert DiNardo, corporate SVP of market expansion at WOW!. "We're thrilled to bring our blazing fast speeds to consumers and delight them with our dedication to being a positive force in the community and offering outstanding customer service."

Residents in Mauldin, followed by additional Greenville County communities including Five Forks, Fountain Inn, Piedmont and Simpsonville, will soon be able to stay connected with WOW!'s all-fiber network and fastest speeds available, including residential symmetrical Internet speeds up to 5 Gbps. Subscribers will receive the necessary equipment upfront to get started along with WiFi at no extra cost, unlimited data, and no annual contracts. WOW! will also offer WOW tv+, reliable home phone plans, and WOW! mobile powered by Reach.

To learn more about WOW!, and to find out if its services are available in your area, please visit www.wowway.com.

About WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone

WOW! is one of the nation's leading broadband providers, with an efficient and high-performing network that passes nearly 2 million residential, business and wholesale consumers. WOW! provides services in 15 markets, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast, including Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, including the new all-fiber network in Central Florida. With an expansive portfolio of advanced services, including high-speed Internet services, cable TV, home phone, mobile phone, business data, voice, and cloud services, the company is dedicated to providing outstanding service at affordable prices. WOW! also serves as a leader in exceptional human resources practices, having been recognized nine times by the National Association for Business Resources as a Best & Brightest Company to Work For in the Nation, winning the award for the last five consecutive years and making the 2022 Top 101 National Winners list. Visit wowway.com for more information.

SOURCE WideOpenWest, Inc.

MAULDIN, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Mauldin City Council announced it has approved a $38.1 million budget for 2024 that maintains service delivery without increasing property taxes.

The budget includes the following:

This also includes a merit pool that allows supervisors to award an average of 3% merit increase to City employees.

Officials said the budget includes a sewer maintenance fee increase for both residential and commercial customers--the first such increase since Fiscal Year 2014--that will allow the City to offset the rising cost of service delivery and continue to maintain and upgrade sewer infrastructure.

Under the new fee structure, residential sewer customers will see a flat monthly fee of $11.50 starting July 1, which will replace the City’s current two-tiered fee system of $5.43 for less than 2,700 gallons per month (gpm) used and $10.19 for more than 2,700 gpm used. The new flat fee will be reflected in August bills.

Commercial customers will see a sewer maintenance fee increase of 15% across all meter types.

“We’re proud to pass a balanced budget that maintains service delivery and makes strategic reinvestments in our community without raising property taxes” Mayor Terry Merritt said. “Many thanks go out to City staff for carefully crafting a budget that meets the needs of our growing City and facilitates future growth in alignment with City Council’s priorities, despite rising costs across the board.”

The $38.1 million budget figure is a 16.1% decrease from the $45.4 million budget in Fiscal Year 2023 due to the City intending to borrow less money for major capital projects in the new fiscal year and no additional American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money expected from the federal government.

The City has managed to control spending despite a verity of financial challenges including persistently high inflation, higher property and casualty insurance rates, pension costs and utility rates that have resulted in an increase in personnel costs, operational and maintenance costs, and costs for capital acquisition.

“This budget seeks to maximize the utility of every dollar received and spent while achieving results for the residents of our City,” Merritt said. “We remain committed to building a vibrant community focused on healthy living, safety and well-being, economic prosperity and development, strategic reinvestment, and infrastructure improvements.”

Copyright 2023 WHNS. All rights reserved.

Mauldin is Greenville County’s third largest city, after Greenville and Greer, and the only one without a downtown.

Mauldin was once known as speed trap city — it has eight listed on speedtrap.org — and is home to a Duke’s Mayonnaise plant and Ahold distribution center, grocery stores and fast food restaurants, strip malls and gas stations. It’s encircled by subdivisions that were built in the past couple of decades to take advantage of the proximity to Greenville.

It was settled in 1784 and received its first charter as the Town of Mauldin, named after Lt. Gov. W.L. Mauldin, in 1890.

Despite the city’s overall financial success, leaders have long yearned for an actual downtown.

They adopted a plan they call City Center Village in 2012, which has endured fits and starts through various councils. It covers 24 acres along railroad tracks in a formerly industrial area where the city’s Public Works Department was once located.

Now comes the Parker Group, a Greenville-based real estate and development company, and Longbranch Development of Spartanburg, with a plan to transform 6.5 acres into a mixed-use development of townhomes and an entertainment and dining district to be called Maverick Yards.

Parker Group paid the city $1.15 million for the land.

“This is an exciting development for the city that marks a key step in our transformation from a crossroad community to a destination.” Mauldin Mayor Terry Merritt said in a news release.

The Parker Group recently finished redeveloping property at the city’s main intersection of Highway 276 and Butler Road that once held a Rite Aid. It is a brick building designed for four restaurants — Sully’s Steamers and Bohemian Bull have already leased space there.

For the new project, the Parker Group intends to transform a 20,000 square-foot warehouse for pickleball courts, dining, a stage for live performances, fire pits and a beer garden, similar to Greenville’s The Commons, a food hall off the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

The trail begins in downtown Greenville and extends along a former railroad bed north to Travelers Rest, 22 miles away. Many spurs throughout Greenville County have connected to it in recent years.

Longbranch Development will build townhomes on 2.4 acres where the Public Works facility and an industrial building were.

The city intends to use the money from the sale on sidewalks, road improvements, a pedestrian/bike trail to connect to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, landscaping and parking in the City Center area..

“Everything is ready to move forward to start making City Center Village a reality,” said council member Taft Matney, chairman of the city’s economic planning and development committee. ”We want to continue providing new and exciting places to live, work and play in the city, and this is a big step toward that goal.

GREENVILLE — A popular downtown Greenville restaurant known for its particular brand of gelato and the warmth of the family who ran it has closed.

The owners of Luna Rosa Gelato Cafe announced Jan. 2 they have permanently shuttered their two restaurant locations, at 123 S. Main St. downtown and 306 N. Main St. Mauldin.

The restaurant is owned by Lauren and Jose Ortiz and Lauren’s parents, Linda and Richard Schweitzer.

Lauren Ortiz confirmed the news in a text.

In the farewell message on social media, the owners, who called the closure “nothing short of devastating,” addressed the loyal patrons they refer to as the Luna Rosa Famiglia.

“We’ve been through it all with you,” they wrote. “We’ve celebrated 15 years of birthdays, anniversaries, wine dinners, movie nights, and openings. And we’ve weathered just as many storms, illnesses, power outages, and other uncertainties with you at our side. But it is with heavy hearts that we say our journey has come to an end.”

The message didn’t specify a reason for the closure.

Luna Rosa first opened 15 years ago in a West Washington Street storefront when Ortiz was pregnant with her eldest child.

Following a longtime dream, the owners in 2019 moved the restaurant to a Main Street storefront across the street from the Poinsett Hotel.

In the early stages of the pandemic, the family moved to takeout-only in the interest of safety for their staff and themselves.

As concerns eased, the family opened a second restaurant in Mauldin in early 2021, developing a whole new set of regulars and fans who came for the popular roasted tomato and eggplant bisque and “Mom’s spaghetti and meatballs.”

“This incredible, giving, resilient community is what has kept our doors open for so many years,” they wrote in their farewell message. “Your generosity saw us through a pandemic that otherwise would have doubtlessly taken us under, and your continued support carried us through the staffing crisis in spite of it. What may have started as a family business soon opened our hearts to embrace each of you as part of our Luna Rosa Famiglia, and we could not be more grateful for the love we received in return.”

GREENVILLE — Tucked in the middle of the aging shopping plaza on Pleasantburg Drive is a new business that’s hard to pin down.

Part retail shop, part museum, part demonstration center, part passion.

However you classify it, The Mushroom Spot has a unique backstory that begins with its owner, Ward Watson, and a hope to make the world of fungi accessible to all.

As a kid growing up in Greenville, Watson didn’t like mushrooms all that much, but he grew an interest that turned into a passion from years working in restaurants. In mushrooms, he found not just a world but a universe.

“I was like ‘you’ve got olive oil stores, vinegar stores, soy candle stores, why can’t you have a mushroom store?’” Watson said of the idea for The Mushroom Spot. “Mushrooms are not just come in and buy mushrooms. You can go look for them, you can grow them, you have the foodie products. We have supplements, adaptogens, lions mane, cordyseps.”

The store, set in the aging Lake Forest Shopping Plaza across from Bob Jones University, is somewhat unique in that it sells mushrooms in many forms.

It has fresh foraged mushrooms, along with mushroom-related products and foods, art, books on foraging and mushroom species, along with a small growing operation. You will find a handcrafted mushroom mug, mushroom jerky, mushroom tinctures and growing starter kits.

“Why not bring all that together in a store?” he said.

After graduating from Christ Church school in Greenville and attending Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Watson stayed up North. Though he’d studied romance languages in school, he found a path to restaurants, drawn by the energy and the connection with people — and pushed by an economic downturn, he said.

He became fascinated with what he calls the intersection of mushrooms with human culture that stretches back centuries.