148 replies to this topic

[SimCity]

krazeeboi, on Jun 2 2006, 04:34 AM, said:

Orangeburg County celebrates one year of being an "All-American City." It was really a big deal when we won that last year.

It's still a big deal,lol Orangeburg has just finished building a new water tower at the I-95/ 301 interchange with the All-American shield emblazoned on it. Plus, the county has been busy giving every town in the county an All-American 2005 sign to place in front of their town hall.

[krazeeboi]

Hey, I didn't know that; cool.

Never thought I'd see Eutawville represented on this board.

[Spartan]

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for that info

[SimCity]

Spartan, on Jul 21 2006, 02:32 PM, said:

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for that info

Thanks, for the warm welcome guys, I've wanted to join for awhile now but excess school work and procrastination kept me away!

[Brikosser]

Orangeburg could be really nice if they renovated all of those buildings downtown.

[krazeeboi]

Facade improvements should be happening soon, as the city won a grant not too long ago to help fund such improvements. It would be great if the top floors of those building downtown could be used for residential, but Orangeburg isn't quite ready for that yet.

[SimCity]

krazeeboi, on Jul 22 2006, 06:58 PM, said:

Facade improvements should be happening soon, as the city won a grant not too long ago to help fund such improvements. It would be great if the top floors of those building downtown could be used for residential, but Orangeburg isn't quite ready for that yet.

The city of Orangeburg could really use the population boost that would bring but unfortunely Krazeeboi is probably right about this not being a good time for that yet.

[krazeeboi]

County officials made a trip to DC to seek federal funding of the inland port. Chances are it won't be fully funded at once, but probably broken up into phases. Officials are seeking $40 million in federal funds. The entire project will cost $250 million, which includes the cost of building a separate Upstate facility (as the inland port will stretch from the coast to the Upstate).

Orangeburg County has received $36 million in investment since December. German-based ECKA Granules, Georgia-based GTS Energy and Texas-based Lennox International Inc.'s Allied Air Enterprises are a sampling of the companies that have chosen Orangeburg County recently as a place to build for the future.

[SimCity]

krazeeboi, on Jul 25 2006, 10:30 AM, said:

County officials made a trip to DC to seek federal funding of the inland port. Chances are it won't be fully funded at once, but probably broken up into phases. Officials are seeking $40 million in federal funds. The entire project will cost $250 million, which includes the cost of building a separate Upstate facility (as the inland port will stretch from the coast to the Upstate).

Orangeburg County has received $36 million in investment since December. German-based ECKA Granules, Georgia-based GTS Energy and Texas-based Lennox International Inc.'s Allied Air Enterprises are a sampling of the companies that have chosen Orangeburg County recently as a place to build for the future.

Our officials are really bullish about this port project, I'm glad to see that the county leadership is being proactive. Krazeeboi, you may want to check out the Statesboro,GA thread. Statesboro has a lot in common with Orangeburg, both are located on Hwy. 301, the terrain is similar, and both aren't too far from major cities that may send growth and economic development in their direction. They seem to be doing a lot of things right, maybe they would be a good example for Orangeburg to follow.

[krazeeboi]

Hmmm, interesting. Both cities are also centers of higher education in their states as well. Orangeburg's advantage though is that it has connections to both Columbia and Charleston, the state's two largest cities.

[SimCity]

krazeeboi, on Jul 25 2006, 11:40 PM, said:

Hmmm, interesting. Both cities are also centers of higher education in their states as well. Orangeburg's advantage though is that it has connections to both Columbia and Charleston, the state's two largest cities.

That's true, Orangeburg has a decided advantage in being almost directly on the main east to west artery in the state and near one of the major interstate interchanges on the east coast. Of course Statesboro isn't too far from the I-16/ I-95 interchange either.Statesboro is 62 miles and 126 miles respectively from the nearest "large" cities of Savannah and Macon while Orangeburg is 75 miles from Charleston and 41 miles from Columbia. This is from one city center to another so the actual mileage is less when you're talking about traveling far enough to reach the metropolitian edge of a larger city. Funny, now that I think of it, I have seen a similar occurance in Orangeburg where there has been a siginificant increase in the number of medical offices near the Grove Park? shopping center. Overall, it looks like Orangeburg would have an advantage over Statesboro, especially in proximity to cities that are prospering economically.

[SimCity]

There was an interesting article in today's Times and Democrat about Orangeburg mayor Paul Miller pushing for more aggressive annexation.

Personally I hope that the city is succesful and onging with this. I have always wonder why the city limits were so constarined and why hadn't the city annexed the Prince of Orange mall/ Wal-Mart area and the I-95/ Hwy. 601 interchange area. Would it be worthwhile for a resident of Orangeburg county to be annexed into the city?

[krazeeboi]

The city definitely missed out in not capturing the Prince of Orange mall to Wal-Mart corridor. Look how much has come to that area in recent years. I posted a link to an article about a study that was done in Orangeburg that hightlighted aggressive annexation; it's on one of these pages. I'm glad that Miller is up to task here.

[krazeeboi]

Oh, we've got some GREAT news coming out of Orangeburg. After being vacant for nine years, the old Winn-Dixie building on Russell Street (the city's Main Street), and arguably the worst downtown eyesore, is set to become a restaurant/bar and retail outlet. 8,000 square feet of the 24,000-square-foot building will become the Garden City Restaurant. The restaurant will be complete with a dining courtyard (Palm Court Plaza), bar and small state-of-the art conference room for business gatherings and small parties.

In the projects second phase, an additional 8,000 square feet will be utilized for a retail outlet, where local artists will be able to rent space to showcase and sell their wares. Individuals will be able to rent about 600 square feet.

Fledgling business entrepreneurs John Campbell and his wife Deserie looked at various buildings in Orangeburg for more than a year before choosing the Winn-Dixie facility because of its size, its proximity to the colleges and universities and the ongoing downtown revitalization plans.

You guys don't know how happy this makes me. I've been brainstorming about what could be done on that property for a long time. Next time I go back home, I'll get some shots so you guys can see what an eyesore it is now and why I'm happy about the change. I especially like how these entrepreneurs, originally from Brooklyn but relocating to and retiring in Orangeburg, are citing the proximity Claflin and SC State universities as a significant factor here. About time urban development in Orangeburg was tied into the presence of the universities!

Woo hoo!  

[Spartan]

Thats great news for Orangeburg. I look forward to your pics

[krazeeboi]

I just thought about something. Right across from this property is an old hotel which seems to have been constructed sometime in the 1920's or 30's and is one of the tallest structures in town. Perhaps the building could be rehabbed as apartments catering to the artists.

Picture by UrbanSoutherner:

[BrasilnSC]

That is really great news for my former home town.  Is the Winn-Dixie building next to the bowling alley?

[krazeeboi]

No, but it's only a little ways down from it (less than a quarter mile).

[krazeeboi]

Some progressive news coming out of my home county.

The county is stepping up its efforts to demolish dilapidated structures. Step one was to create a crew specifically for demolition and cleanup activities. Until now, the county used public works crews, but only when their regular duties slackened. Step two will be for County Council to pass a set of ordinances giving the administration the legal tools needed to enforce the building codes.

This is welcome news, as this has historically been one of the county's week areas. Eliminating blight goes a LONG way in improving civic pride and decreasing potential criminal activity. I know of one house that has been dilapidated for many years now next to my grandmother's house, and I'm hoping that it will come down soon.

Also, the county is enforcing zoning for all unincorporated areas. The sticking points that remain include:

• Whether to allow the development of multi-family housing and/or residential subdivisions in the 95 percent of the county’s land area that is being used primarily for agriculture.

• What land use restrictions should be placed on land that is in a flight path approach to an airport runway.

• Whether to require development setbacks along waterways that feed into Four Holes Swamp.

[Northerner]

Hi guys,

In July 2006 I have moved me and my business to Orangeburg County. I live in one of the small towns between Orangeburg and Columbia. I kind of like both Columbia and Orangeburg, although I do most of my shopping and business in Orangeburg cause it's a little bit closer to me than Columbia. I think the summers here are very hot, but not as humid as I was expecting.

I like the location of where I live, - it's between Savannah, Charleston, Columbia and Aiken/Augusta, and, of course, Orangeburg. In the wider sense Orangeburg county is about half way between New York City and Miami (545 miles to Miami and 627 miles to NYC).

By the way, Orangeburg county looks like a dog facing South-East, with dog's nose in Eutawville, dog's eye in Santee, dog's mouth in Holly Hill, dog's heart in Bowman, dog's ears in Elloree, stomach in Orangeburg, and, "unfortunately" the dog's peppermint in the town of North... well... that's where I live... :-)

My decision was taken solely and purely because of the cost of local real estate. I could find a nice, big house for very affordable dollar. I hope it works out for me and for the county as well, since I do an international business in over 200 countries of the world.

I believe in the Location and in the long term I notice South Carolina is developing into some kind of California of the East Coast.

John

Edited by Northerner, 22 August 2006 - 04:19 PM.