Grading permits have been issued by the city of Simpsonville and earth is being moved on the majestic property known as the Martin Farm at the corner of Harrison Bridge Road and Fairview Road in Simpsonville. The Martin house, situated a few hundred feet from the corner among beautiful stand of hardwood trees has been demolished. Originally plans were to salvage the home and move it behind the development but those plans were scrapped after it was decided home was not in good enough shape to be moved. Before demolition the bricks were salvaged and moved to the back of the property. All of the beautiful pristine hardwoods were removed as well. According to city planner Jason Knudsen, tree credits were given to the developers in exchange for removing the trees. Actually he said there weren’t that many trees on the property except for those at the corner. “What a shame those trees on the corner were not saved! The trees would have gone a long way in preserving the dignity and beauty of the Martin property!” lamented Connie Gecy, Sentinel Nature Editor.
The developer is planning to have a press release soon to reveal a rendering of the 22.6 acre development as well as more information about the businesses to be located there. It has been announced that Publix will be one of the anchors at the new shopping center.
The new subdivision is certainly going to impact traffic on Harrison Bridge and Fairview Road and considerations are being studied as to how this new development will blend with the current traffic situation. According to SCDOT Assistant Traffic Engineer Craig Nelson a traffic survey has been submitted by the developer but as yet it has not been approved. Nelson added that the preliminary plan at this time does not include any widening but that the project is still under study and the access permits have not been issued as yet.
The property sits on a corner that boasts a traffic count of 22,500 cars per day on Fairview Road and 12,300 cars per day pass on Harrison Bridge Road. One road that may be impacted mostly by future development is the two-lane Harrison Bridge Road from Target toward West Georgia Road. Simpsonville City Administrator David Dyrhaug, a member of the Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study said, “GPATS engages in long-range planning and those roads are on their radar.” Greenville County Councilman Butch Kirven who is also on the board at GPATS said, “Fairview Road and Harrison Bridge Road interchange is currently oversaturated with traffic. Anymore development in that area is certainly going to have to have some road improvements built into it. I don’t how long that can take with state funding the way it is. It could be years in coming before we’ll see how that priority moves up.”
The project is slated for completion in early 2018.♦
