November 5 Meeting Notes | Taylors Mill Properties Discussion
With the recent happenings at the Taylors Mill Properties, we wanted to provide as factually based rundown as possible of the current status of the Mill.
Greenville County issued a Stop Work order on work going on in some common spaces of the Taylors Mill about 2 weeks ago.
The Stop Work order is still in place pending the review and acceptance of plans showing appropriate life safety measures as prescribed by Greenville County Code Enforcement
Some background information and things to keep in mind...
It is in no one’s best interest for the Taylors Mill to sit empty.
We have been working to promote and bring to the forefront the Taylors Mill since day one of Taylors TownSquare
The County has invested untold hours and work into the Taylors Community Plan project that has been going on the past year, of which the mill area is a key feature.
The county has been very supportive of many of the other things going on at the Mill, including the disc golf course, potential farmers market ideas, etc.
So I heard the County is trying to force the Taylors Mill to be rezoned...
No, no one is trying to rezone the Taylors Mill
Zoning deals with land. In this case, the Mill is zoned as PD or Planned Development. This gives the property a lot of flexibility in how it comes together.
Code deals with the building, specially looking at the type of occupancy the building has.
What is all this business about building code?
All buildings with new construction must meet or be brought up to what Greenville County deems to be a minimum level of safety based on its Occupancy use, as prescribed by Code.
Greenville County's Code is based on International Building Code, standard in the United States. The fact that it is standard offers a level of protection against judgment calls by local political or technical officials.
Every jurisdiction in South Carolina is required to adopt it by the State. No city, county or other jurisdiction has any choice in the matter.
The IBC is considered a “minimum standard”. Many jurisdictions modify it to make it stricter. Greenville County does not.
The local building official can and must make some judgment calls, but has relatively little freedom within the Code
The Taylors Mill was built a long time ago as an industrial facility with much different safety concerns
All Mills in Greenville County that have been successfully redeveloped other than the Taylors Mill have been done so by a large developer with a lot of financial backing, as a lot of money is generally required to bring these older structures up to code.
The current progress of the redevelopment at the Taylors Mill does not fit neatly into one category of the types of Occupancy currently on the books for Greenville County per the International Building Code.
I heard someone say the county was trying to make the Mill into a shopping mall. What is that about?
International Building Code has certain categories of Occupancy (the type of use the facility will have) such as schools, prisons, assembly buildings, mercantile, etc. that it uses to prescribe safety solutions per use. Based on the occupancy (or use) it places limits on building height and area, requires different levels of fire resistance, different safety measures (like sprinkler systems) and more.
As mentioned, the Taylors Mill doesn't fit into nicely into one of these categories.
In those cases, the architect must select a strategy for how to approach life safety for a particular building.
Because of the large numbers of people that may be present at any one time, one possible theory is to think of it as one big assembly space, like a convention center or theater. A less restrictive approach is to think of the building as being similar to a shopping mall
The mill began being thought of as a mall-type facility: Large open spaces connecting smaller spaces full of people who don’t know their way around.
This doesn't have any bearing on the types of businesses it’s connecting, it’s just an approach to protecting the people inside long enough to get them out safely.
This approach has been floating around since the late spring
This “mall” thinking about the spaces between studios and shops internally requires certain safety precautions to be in place for common areas. Other approaches would require a different set of precautions.
Keep in mind: None of this is intended to stop commerce or development. It exists only to protect lives. It does, however, cost a good deal of money for a venture like this to bear.
So what does this have to do with the Stop Work order?
For spaces to be issued a work permit, a sealed plan by the architect must be submitted that shows the life safety solutions consistent with the Code interpretation agreed upon by the owner, architect, and county code enforcement officials.
Master plans for a facility such as this can cost as much as $10,000 to $20,000
Mr. Walker submitted an initial set of plans addressing these safety concerns that were returned with corrections to be made before they could be accepted.
Because sealed plans from the architect have yet to be submitted to the county’s satisfaction, Greenville County issued a stop work order which stops all current building permits that are affected by the common areas
This does not affect tenants that already have Certificates of Occupancy
There is no timetable from the county for these plans to be turned in, as the Stop Work order will stand until Mr. Walker and the County can come to an agreement on these plans.
Continue to support the Taylors Mill by showing up for events and activities and patronizing its businesses
Encourage Mr. Walker, and let them know you are with them.
Show grace and humility when dealing with the situation. Playing the fault game will solve nothing and continues to drive a wedge between everyone.
