Greenville fire aftermath: what’s in store for the destroyed space?

Patricia Carr, president of the Lower Greenville Neighborhood association spent the morning on the block of Greenville near her home where a four-alarm fire wiped out four beloved restaurants. (The property actually falls in the Vickery Place Neighborhood Association, but borders LGNA).

Now that the smoke has cleared, she says, neighbors are addressing concerns about the future of the spot.

Ideally, neighbors would do whatever necessary to support the rebuilding of the burned businesses, and then work together to ensure that “good neighbors” fill the space in the future, representatives say.

“Our first priority,” says Darren Dattalo, LGNA crime watch coordinator, “is to get those businesses rebuilt. I would volunteer to help with the fundraising — not speaking for the neighborhood association, but personally, I would.”

Dattalo recalls nostalgically his first-ever shot of tequila at Terilli’s. “Everyone has a memory to share,” he says.

If the businesses are able to rebuild, and that’s a big IF, there’s also the possibility that they may run into restrictions because of new parking and zoning regulations. “It’s not really a concern yet, but something to think about,” Dattalo says.

The neighborhood associations surrounding Lower Greenville regularly battle parking and other night-life related issues, so if new businesses attempt to move in, Carr says, she and her neighbors are concerned about what might happen. “We would like to work with the other neighborhood associations to address concerns about parking and general concept,” she says.

“We want to see businesses that are good neighbors — all of those businesses that burned down were good neighbors,” Carr says. “Gosh, this is such a loss.”

Dattalo adds that he’d hate to see “a bank, or something like that” move in. Agreed.

I will keep you posted on thoughts from the Vickery Place Neighborhood Association members and the District 14 reps regarding the zoning thing as soon as I speak with them.

Watch video of the aftermath here: