Greenville City Council staff and owner discuss certifying 700 Arlington Avenue as an abandoned building to qualify for tax credits

Greenville City Council staff and the owner of 700 Arlington Avenue discussed plans to seek an abandoned-building certification for the historic property so it can qualify for discretionary corporate income tax credits under the South Carolina Abandoned Building Revitalization Act, city staff said at a work session held at the council’s first meeting of the new year.

City staff explained the certification would be requested by resolution at an upcoming formal council meeting; no vote was taken during the work session. Staff said legal counsel has reviewed a formal affidavit and believes the property qualifies under the cited state statute.

The property owner, James Jordan, who is the applicant through 700 Arlington Avenue LLC, told the council the structure previously served as the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center from 1987 to 2019, opened by Ruth Ann Butler, and has local landmark designation and a special tax assessment for historic properties dated Sept. 26, 2024. Jordan said Urban League and USC Upstate stepped in to remove and catalog the building’s collections and place them in storage while the redevelopment proceeds.

Jordan described plans to preserve the building’s history while creating revenue to sustain the site. "Total investment in this thing is gonna be about 612,000," Jordan said. He said the project would include digital displays and rotating content in front exhibition areas and four office suites upstairs — which he intends to rent to professional-service firms, including women- and minority-owned businesses — plus a conference room.

Staff identified the legal basis for the proposed certification as the South Carolina Abandoned Building Revitalization Act, cited in the presentation as SC code 1267100. City staff also noted the property received local landmark designation by the Greenville Historic Review Board and the special historic tax assessment, items staff said support the redevelopment proposal.

Council members asked about the status of the museum collections and whether the Urban League would curate exhibits. Jordan said the Urban League currently owns the exhibits and that he and partners are being sensitive to community concerns about that ownership. He also said he has established the South Carolina History and Empowerment Museum but has been hesitant to accept donor funds until more of the renovation work is complete.

Council members and other participants discussed fundraising options, including routing private donations through the Urban League, and noted that the Urban League has other fundraising priorities such as a McLaren health clinic project. Staff said the item will return on the council’s formal agenda; speakers gave two possible target dates during the session (one speaker said the 27th of this month and another said the 7th), and no final meeting date was confirmed during the work session.

No formal motion or vote occurred at the work session. Staff said they will present a resolution for the council to consider at an upcoming formal meeting to certify whether 700 Arlington Avenue qualifies as an abandoned building under the cited statute, which would make the project eligible to apply for discretionary corporate tax credits to support rehabilitation.

The project team invited the council and community to a future celebration after renovation is complete.