News

City's south side getting new businesses

The Hendersonville City Council rezoned 4 acres on Spartanburg Highway at Shepherd Street for commercial use.

By Bill Moss, Published: May 13, 2020

New commercial development is coming to the south side of the city.

The Hendersonville City Council last week voted to rezone 4.2 acres on Spartanburg Highway at Shepherd Street from residential and commercial to highway business, which allows a wide variety of commercial and retail businesses.
Developer Jeff Justus portrayed the change as a stimulus for new businesses and an improvement to that corner.
“You purchased the land behind it for the fire station,” he told the City Council during a public hearing last week. “With this redevelopment you get rid of these homes that are in pretty bad shape.” He estimated the current value of the property at $1.2 million and predicted it would be valued for tax purposes at $6-8 million “when it’s fully developed, so it’s a win from the tax point of view and it helps the south side of town develop in a better way.”
In an interview on Friday, Justus said he plans to build his second Mountain Express carwash, a three-minute wash with free vacuums. He and his son, Lex, operate one now on Chimney Rock Road across from Walmart. There’s room for several other businesses on the Spartanburg Highway property.
“It’s got lots of road frontage,” Justus said. “I would love to do like an Aldi and another fast food in a strip shopping center.”
He said he’s open to leasing land for retailers that build their own stores or would construct a building to suit the buyer. He projected the carwash can be open in six months.
“I’m going to do it from curb to curb, so it’ll look really good when it’s all said and done,” he said of the site development. “I like the way it worked out for the city. They’re going to put the fire station right behind it. I just like cleaning up the south side.”
Although the city bought two acres at the southeast corner of Old Spartanburg Highway and Shepherd last October, plans for a proposed Fire Station 3 have taken a back seat to a new Fire Station 1 at Five Points, a new police station and other priorities.
Bounded by Spartanburg Highway, Shepherd Street and Old Spartanburg Highway, the property is valued on the tax rolls at $1,094,200. Justus bought the property in March for $835,000, tax records show.