UP|Columbia

Main Street Developments

Spartan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:45:23 +0000

digital_sandlapper, on 18 November 2009 - 11:51 AM, said:

I would never say "I'm going downtown" then head to Five Points. It is it's own unique destination to me. Plus, it is separated from downtown by residential streets, and so isn't contiguous. Perhaps for those who live in NE or Irmo, Five Points would be "downtown".

While I don't disagree with you, one of the things I noticed when I was at Carolina is that when students say "we're going downtown tonight" they mean Five Points. I actually posed a question related to this several years ago. The term "downtown" is synonymous with "activity" in an urban setting. So, regardless of where that activity is, if looks and feels like a downtown then it will be called such. Now having said that, everyone knows that its called Five Points. I personally view it more as a district within the greater 400-block downtown area (which is huge).

The mayor's office

Spartan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:38:38 +0000

That's all I need to hear. I hope he wins.

The mayor's office

krazeeboi — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:53:44 +0000

Attorney Steve Morrison has announced his candidacy for mayor. He says he is running for mayor of Columbia with a message of developing downtown as a means of invigorating the city's distressed neighborhoods. "I'd like to see more outdoor cafes at the base of the Meridan building. I'd like to see more of the Magnolia Marketplace that is there on Saturday mornings outside of the plaza," Morrison said. "I look at Greenville's Main Street and the excitement that is there, and I look at what we've been able to accomplish in the Vista, and I think the downtown corridor could be a vital and exciting place."

Township Auditorium Renovation

CorgiMatt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:34:34 +0000

Here's the latest on the Township renovations from WLTX. Back in the day, people drove from all over SC, even before interstate, to see big name entertainment at the TS. They are cutting no corners in bringing it back to top status.

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=81044&catid=35

New Feature

Spartan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:37:28 +0000

Urban Planet's newest feature is the Project Database. This will replace the former wiki system that we were trying to develop. This system is editable by members, and we need you to help get it going. Krazeeboi has started with on entry in the Columbia Projects section, and I have several in the Spartanburg section if you want to see examples of what this can be over time. You may have already noticed the link at the top of the Columbia forum.

Please let me know if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments on it.

Economic developments in the Midlands

krazeeboi — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:41:40 +0000

For future reference, unless they have something to do specifically with the local economy (e.g., Forbes annual "Best Places for Business and Careers," "Best Cities for Jobs" lists), rankings should be posted in this thread.

But as far as the mention itself, it's definitely more good press for Columbia (as well as the city's listing as #7 on the "15 Standout Metros for Starter Homes" list, also by MSN Real Estate). I also think the "con" part isn't really that bad (even though you'd think Columbia didn't have an airport by reading it), especially when compared to the listed "cons" of some of the other cities on the list which sometimes seem harsh enough to cancel out or even override the pros. For instance, Little Rock's "con" section states, Entrenched poverty means crime is a serious problem in many neighborhoods, and metro residents have a low average life expectancy, despite the high number of physicians and medical specialists in the area.

Main Street Developments

digital_sandlapper — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:51:08 +0000

BryCola, on 10 November 2009 - 12:06 PM, said:

Why do people assume that downtown Columbia is ONLY Main Street. There is a LOT more to downtown than just Main. The Vista has tons of restaurants, bars, shops, etc...as does Five Points. And BOTH areas are downtown. To say that downtown Columbia doesn't have much retail is false. Main Street doesn't, but downtown has tons.

To me, downtown is Main, plus the other streets creating the grid around the Statehouse, the Horseshoe, and The Vista. I would definitely not include Five Points though. I would never say "I'm going downtown" then head to Five Points. It is it's own unique destination to me. Plus, it is separated from downtown by residential streets, and so isn't contiguous. Perhaps for those who live in NE or Irmo, Five Points would be "downtown".

There are plenty of shopping clusters around Columbia, of course, and downtown is just one of them. It definitely needs more retail, along Main and the other streets Growing Up mentioned, and so I don't think he's off the mark at all. The Vista is mostly entertainment, with a few stores (mostly galleries and gift shops) not usually open very late. By contrast, Mast General Store will be just that--general merchandise--and will be open until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays--injecting a much-needed shot in the arm to Main Street's night time scene.

On the subject of old department stores, wasn't there a J.B. White's downtown? Macy's was originally Davison's, a division of Macy's from Atlanta. White's, Belk, and Davison's had been here for ages. Being centered between those department store headquarter cities: Belk's of Charlotte, J.B. White of Augusta, and Davison's of Atlanta probably helped our stores serve as flagship stores initially, that eventually abandoned downtown like they all did.

Economic developments in the Midlands

CorgiMatt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:37:24 +0000

Another big plug for Columbia on the national scene... Posting this in one of the "Columbia Off Topic" forums would be too obscure. Sperling's lists the Capital City in its list of the 10 most affordable places to live that offer a good quality of life with a lot going on.

http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=22334217#9

Columbia Photo of the Day

waccamatt — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:45:21 +0000

I hope to go back in a couple of weeks when there will be more color on the larger trees. You can't see all of the color in the smaller trees from up there.

Columbia Photo of the Day

BrasilnSC — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:37:41 +0000

Awesome pano.......I can see my house .

Columbia Photo of the Day

CorgiMatt — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:55:13 +0000

Tree City, USA.

Columbia Photo of the Day

krazeeboi — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:34:10 +0000

Good job Matt! That pano in particular shows just how much brutalist architecture Columbia has, which surprised me a little. You can definitely tell there was something of a building boom in the city, including on USC's campus, in the mid-60's through early 80's.

Columbia Photo of the Day

waccamatt — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:44:58 +0000

I made it to the Top of Carolina for lunch today and took some pics. I'll go back on a sunny day and hopefully get better pics. The first is a 360 degree pano, which didn't turn out too well and the other is Five Points from the TOC.

Columbia Photo of the Day

krazeeboi — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:33:38 +0000

^No prob. You got some really great lake shots.

Columbia Photo of the Day

Hybrid0NE — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:20:14 +0000

Thanks KB, i'm flattered... Here's another Lake Murray Country shot.

Columbia Photo of the Day

krazeeboi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:27:42 +0000

^That's an awesome shot dude.

Columbia Photo of the Day

Hybrid0NE — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:20:28 +0000

Lake Murray Country

Main Street Developments

mallguy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:53:00 +0000

vicupstate, on 11 November 2009 - 07:43 PM, said:

It was odd that department stores lasted as long as they did DT. The Macy's was the best department store in town when it was open, IMO.

I remember Tapp's and had a shopping trip to Lourie's right before it closed, but what were things like when Belk's and Macy's were downtown as well? Were they nice, busy (enough) stores, or were they run-down, empty stores, just waiting to close? What was the surrounding retail like?

Belk seems not to do downtown stores anymore- the one in Charlotte just closed recently (it was tiny, and wasn't a full-line store anyhow, but good for a few things).

One prospect for today's downtowns is Target; the one right next to uptown Charlotte- easily within a short walk- is thriving, and a lot of downtowns in the Northeast have new Targets- Stamford, CT, White Plains, NY, etc.

Main Street Developments

vicupstate — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:43:18 +0000

Krazeeboi is right. Neither Belk nor any other department store is going to open in DT Columbia or DT anyplace for that matter. Department stores are hurting, and are basically a dinoseur. The last thing I would expect is for one to be a 'pioneer' in an urban environemnt.

Belk on Main was demolished to make way for Boyd Plaza as part of the Art Museum project. It closed when Columbiana Centre opened.

It was odd that department stores lasted as long as they did DT. The Macy's was the best department store in town when it was open, IMO.

Main Street Developments

krazeeboi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:39:54 +0000

SCxpBrussel, on 11 November 2009 - 11:56 AM, said:

Other than Tapp's, where were the other department stores located and what is their current use?

Macy's was renovated and adaptively reused to become the art museum. Not sure about the Belk store.

Quote

It would be a huge coup--not to mention a longshot--to entice a department store back to downtown. If Columbia somehow pulled this off, where would the best location be and what store would be the best fit?

My first thought was Belk. It's a privately-owned, Charlotte-based store that has a huge presence in SC--almost every town of any size in the state has a Belk. However, Belk would likely shutter an existing store (Midtown at Forest Acres?) if they opened a new one, and I would hate to see that mall take another body blow. The same goes for Macy's at Columbia Place...that store is one of the few strengths that mall currently has. Ideally, a store not currently in Columbia would choose to locate downtown. Maybe a Sak's-lite like in Charleston? Pipe dreams, I know...

If Belk doesn't even deem it feasible to have a store in the downtown of their home city, Charlotte, you know they aren't going to have one in downtown Columbia anytime soon.