This article originally appeared in the Greenville News by Angelia L. Davis
A New Jersey developer said he was hoping to honor Sterling residents and the history of that community when he named his new luxury townhouse project.
But residents said the name he gave it — The Sterling at West End — was not only dismissive of the Sterling community in which it sits, it was an insult.
This, residents say, is the latest example of how this historically Black Greenville neighborhood feels slighted and ignored for decades as gentrification threatens to change the sense of place for those who call Sterling home.
The name of the development has since been changed — from The Sterling to The Sinclair — as residents voiced opposition.