News

Ask Matt ... what's happening on Upward Road

Around 20 acres on Upward Road between the Triangle Stop and Fairfield Inn has been graded for possible development.

By Matt Matteson, Published: August 31, 2020

What’s going on where all that land has been cleared on Upward Road?

That’s a story that needs to be told but those who know the most are saying the least. Weeks ago our phones started ringing asking about the major grading of almost 20 acres of land on Upward Road between the Triangle Stop and the new Fairfield Inn. We recently counted 13 earth movers on the site.

We know the 18-acre site is owned by Bob Quattlebaum, a local restaurateur and large commercial property owner, but he has been silent on his plans. The site has been approved for grading and plans show four large building sites, the largest of which is 8.7 acres. Three of the sites have frontage on Upward Road and all have access to water and sewer. The property lies in a regional commercial zoning district. None of the local city and county officials we contacted knew anything about the plans for the site. One possibility is that the owner is simply preparing the land for sale or lease.
No zoning permits have been issued. The property is zoned regional commercial and may not need rezoning for what Quattlebaum plans. A site preparation plan filed with Henderson County shows four building sites at different elevations, including 8.7 acres on Upward Road next to Fairfield Inn. .69 acre (pad 2, at rear of pad 4), .79 acre fronting on Upward Road (pad 3) and 1.38 acre, fronting on Upward Road next to Triangle Stop & Dunkin Donuts. The entire site is 17.99 acres, according to county records, although the grading plan says 19.4 acres.
The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development is aware of the site but is not actively marketing it.

Coincidentally, Quattlebaum purchased a 10-acre tract of property last November that lies just across Upward Road from the 18-acre site at the corner of Upward and Ballenger roads. It’s also across the street from a 1.6-acre parcel owned by commercial real estate investor Jeff Justus that has just been graded.

We spoke with commercial real estate broker Mark White, the listing agent for the property, who directed us to Quattlebaum. Quattlebaum, the owner of Binion’s Roadhouse on Four Seasons Boulevard, also owned the now-shuttered Kelsey’s on Spartanburg Highway and Kelsey’s City Grill, which is now Tequila’s Bar & Grill, on Freeman Street. Quattlebaum did not return our phone calls seeking an interview.