Crews have begun breaking ground on a sprawling mixed-use district along Laurens Road, with developers describing the project as a future cultural crossroads where homes, businesses, restaurants and pedestrian spaces will all sit steps from the Swamp Rabbit Trail. The Bolden Street District is rising along Laurens Road, and the first shovels are hitting dirt on land that will eventually blend housing, offices, dining and public gathering space into one connected neighborhood.
The project's size has been described differently across coverage. FOX Carolina News reports the district spans 92 acres, while the Upstate Business Journal has described it as a 90-acre development — a discrepancy that has not been reconciled in available reporting. Either way, the scale is significant for a stretch of Laurens Road in Greenville, South Carolina, that sits directly adjacent to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, according to the district's own project site, boldenstreetdistrict.com.
A Public Square as the Starting Point
Rather than opening all at once, Bolden Street District is being built out as three separate neighborhoods developed in phases, per the Upstate Business Journal's reporting. The first of those neighborhoods will begin with an area organized around Bolden Square, described on the project's website as a central public gathering space surrounded by a fresh mix of dining, shopping, offices and residences.
That first phase is expected to encompass roughly 30 acres around Verdae Commons Drive, according to the same Upstate Business Journal account. A new stretch of Bolden Street itself is planned as the district's north-south connector, running parallel to Laurens Road. Outdoor paths are planned to connect the district to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, alongside sidewalks.
Trail Access and Walkability at the Center of the Plan
Connectivity to the trail appears central to the project's design. The district is expected to front roughly 1.5 miles of the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail, and planners have said new paths and sidewalks are intended to let residents and visitors walk and bike through the development, per the Upstate Business Journal's reporting. The plan also includes walking and biking connections through the development.
Crews began breaking ground on the project on Sept. 23, 2026; site work for the first neighborhood was expected to begin in the fall following demolition of existing concrete and asphalt, per the Upstate Business Journal. Verdae Development, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman Bogue Wallin has said Bolden Street District represents the next chapter in Greenville's growth story, according to the seed reporting from FOX Carolina News. The project is also described as intended to provide a sustainable, inclusive setting that supports Greenville's broader vision for the future.
Part of a Broader Trail-Driven Building Boom
Bolden Street District is not the only large project banking on Swamp Rabbit Trail proximity. Greenville City Council has already approved first reading of a master plan for a 4.5-mile trail extension running from Cleveland Park to the CU-ICAR campus on Laurens Road, a plan that includes three new bridges over Laurens Road, Verdae Boulevard and Haywood Road, according to the Greenville Journal.
Elsewhere along the trail, 13th Floor's Venture on the Trail — a 222-unit garden-style multifamily project and the first phase of a planned 250-acre mixed-use development — has already secured $47 million in construction financing and is slated for completion in 2027, according to Yield Pro. Fountain Inn is pursuing its own Swamp Rabbit Trail extension intended to link neighborhoods, schools and parks, per the City of Fountain Inn.
Greenville County has also grown by roughly 11 percent since 2020, per Census Bureau estimates cited by Yield Pro — growth that continues to fuel demand for projects like Bolden Street District along Laurens Road.
