69 replies to this topic

[emerging.me]

The State has a story with details on the new plan for the Canal Front project -- formerly called City Dock. I swear they're lurking in here and taking cues on what to cover.

The name change comes because the dock portion has been nixed. No more tour boats on the canal due to safety concerns related to the nearby hydro plant. Maybe it's necessary, but that's crappy. This is something that's been talked about for years and it's a shame it won't be realized.

Another change that's troubling to me is that they've nixed the idea of restaurants for now. They're saying they can retrofit it later with restaurant space if needed, so I guess that's good. It's just that without that factor the project looses a bit of pizzazz, IMO.

Here's a blurb:

Canal Front includes a plaza behind EdVenture, a pavilion and a promenade. The wide pavilion will house a police substation, restrooms and storage for pushcarts, which will replace a row of three restaurants originally envisioned there.

The pavilion will complete the children’s museum. The park will open up both sides of the Columbia Canal to visitors; a trail exists on the Congaree River side of the canal that is an extension of Riverfront Park.

And here's a PDF file with an artists rendering (at the bottom right).


They've got an ambitious opening of Summer '06 scheduled.

Edited by emerging.me, 12 July 2005 - 11:22 PM.

[emerging.me]

I wanted to add...

I think parks are great, but we are in danger of turning the riverfront in Columbia -- our greatest community asset -- into kind of a one-trick pony. Okay maybe two-trick if CanalSide is realized. Said tricks being "parks" and "residential." Somehow we've got to mix it up a little and add some pizzazz and some nightlife and make it a full-fledged destination.

Edited by emerging.me, 12 July 2005 - 11:21 PM.

[Spartan]

This would make a nice park and a nice addition to the Greenway. the Cayce-W Cola side is already a destination of sorts. iF you coudl walk over the top of the dam that would be enough of an attraction to draw lots of people. For some reason people like the sound of flowing water

[waccamatt]

I am disappointed they aren't going to have tour boats. It would be an awesome date (theoretically speaking, these days, lol) to take a gondola ride up the canal.

[krazeeboi]

Wow, Columbia actually looks semi-dense from the angle in the artist's rendering. Gives me a whole new appreciation for mid-rises.

Here are some renderings of Des Moines' riverwalk/promenade that I mentioned in the Columbia developments thread; I'm envisioning something like this for Columbia:







I only wish the city could have a pedestrian bridge as cool as the one in the background of the last picture.

[The_sandlapper]

This is a great rendering West Columbia should strive for this type of project on that side of the river.

[krazeeboi]

What's going on with this?

[CorgiMatt]

krazeeboi, on Feb 24 2006, 02:01 AM, said:

What's going on with this?

The latest word, from a city council meeting and The State newspaper is that it is getting ready to start.  The newspaper article the other day said this year.

[krazeeboi]

So much for a summer 2006 completion date.

[emerging.me]

Maybe next year. Harsh. It sure will be cool with the new Three Rivers Music Festival location being right there.

[krazeeboi]

Yeah, it really would.

[krazeeboi]

Too bad they nixed the tour boats. Columbia could have had something like this in Richmond:





(Photos courtesy of forumer wrldcoupe4)

[krazeeboi]

The latest on this. Taken from the Columbia Star:

Quote

Shawn Epps , special projects administrator, and Steve Gantt , assistant city manager, described changes and value engineering under way in the design of the canal walk near EdVenture Museum. The first design prime contractor has been released, and the new design prime contractor is the city staff. The sub-contractors for the most part remain in the project. Construction can commence next spring, 2007. Also, the design and the pre-construction phases of the CanalSide Esplanade have about four- to-six months left before the city is ready for construction bids.

I'm glad this project is starting to see the light of day.

[Infinite1]

krazeeboi, on May 30 2006, 06:27 PM, said:

The latest on this. Taken from the Columbia Star:
I'm glad this project is starting to see the light of day.

the city is heading the design team??? That is never good.

[CorgiMatt]

Infinite1, on May 30 2006, 05:32 PM, said:

the city is heading the design team??? That is never good.

They're not heading it.  They got in touch with the different entities that had already done the design work, after they got rid of whatever company or whoever they got rid of.  Some permitting has to redone, as well as some engineering.  There are some minor design changes.  It is a very complicated project, Anne Sinclair said.  She also said the project will be worth the wait.  She is dying to see it done, but the complications made the delay unavoidable.  She called Canal Front and the esplanade the premier spot on Columbia's side of the river.  She must have forgotten about the immense riverfront park that Andrew Sorensen and the Guignards are putting together.  We are talking about a major, major riverfront for everyone to enjoy.  Waiting for it is very hard.

[BryCola]

CorgiMatt, on May 30 2006, 07:53 PM, said:

They're not heading it.  They got in touch with the different entities that had already done the design work, after they got rid of whatever company or whoever they got rid of.  Some permitting has to redone, as well as some engineering.  There are some minor design changes.  It is a very complicated project, Anne Sinclair said.  She also said the project will be worth the wait.  She is dying to see it done, but the complications made the delay unavoidable.  She called Canal Front and the esplanade the premier spot on Columbia's side of the river.  She must have forgotten about the immense riverfront park that Andrew Sorensen and the Guignards are putting together.  We are talking about a major, major riverfront for everyone to enjoy.  Waiting for it is very hard.

AMEN...waiting for ALL of these exciting things is VERY hard.  They're still 4 to 6 months away from construction bids???  Good lord, are these things this slow EVERYWHERE?  Or are the red tape/political BS slowing us down, as usual?

[Infinite1]

CorgiMatt, on May 30 2006, 07:53 PM, said:

They're not heading it.  They got in touch with the different entities that had already done the design work, after they got rid of whatever company or whoever they got rid of.  Some permitting has to redone, as well as some engineering.  There are some minor design changes.  It is a very complicated project, Anne Sinclair said.  She also said the project will be worth the wait.  She is dying to see it done, but the complications made the delay unavoidable.  She called Canal Front and the esplanade the premier spot on Columbia's side of the river.  She must have forgotten about the immense riverfront park that Andrew Sorensen and the Guignards are putting together.  We are talking about a major, major riverfront for everyone to enjoy.  Waiting for it is very hard.

sounds like they fired the lead and hired all the sub-consultants directly.  Just makes me nervous when those types of things go on.  I'm assuming the City is coordinating amongst the consultatants if they are filling the role that the lead team member had.  I'm hoping for the best, just a little nervous.

BryCola, on May 30 2006, 08:06 PM, said:

AMEN...waiting for ALL of these exciting things is VERY hard.  They're still 4 to 6 months away from construction bids???  Good lord, are these things this slow EVERYWHERE?  Or are the red tape/political BS slowing us down, as usual?

...and everyone thinks engineering happens overnight...geez...LOL

[emerging.me]

Here is an artist's rendition of Canal Front. I like how they made the power lines "transparent"... too bad they can't make them disappear in real life!

Attached Thumbnails

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[krazeeboi]

Now THAT is awesome! Where'd you get the rendering from? It's about time we've seen something about this project. This makes the Kline project's location all the greater.

Now it will be easier to take shots of the largest children's museum in the Southeast from the best vantage point.

[krazeeboi]

I feel silly; I just realized that the attachment is a larger version of the original rendering given in the first post. Still, that one was much smaller than the attachment. Can we just get some dirt turned already?