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Columbia Redevelopment Boom


krazeeboi

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Light rail relies heavily on government funding and Columbia simply does not have the population density or growth trajectory to compete with projects in larger cities. Of course the larger problem is the car culture in Columbia. Mass transit really becomes attractive when there is a reason to move from one area to another (i.e. attractive non-adjacent neighborhoods) and parking is expensive. Garages anywhere close to bars, restaurants, and offices in Uptown are $10+, higher during the work day. At that rate and factoring in time stuck in traffic, light rail becomes a more attractive option. Columbia is probably a few decades away from that point.

 

Buses are a non-starter because of the stigma associated with them in the South. I think a streetcar would work if it connected USC, Main Street, Columbia Commons, and maybe the VA. Cities have to prove a precedent to attract funding (often through existing well-used bus lines) and prove that the line would generate development and serve the local population (in this case students, faculty, local residents, office workers, veterans, tourists). I don't know that the fundamentals support a line now, but might in a few years if the city continues to add density.

Is there an example of a city similar to Columbia Size and development that has a successful Streetcar project? if so I wonder if the city is looking into similar ideas for such thing.

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Light rail relies heavily on government funding and Columbia simply does not have the population density or growth trajectory to compete with projects in larger cities. Of course the larger problem is the car culture in Columbia. Mass transit really becomes attractive when there is a reason to move from one area to another (i.e. attractive non-adjacent neighborhoods) and parking is expensive. Garages anywhere close to bars, restaurants, and offices in Uptown are $10+, higher during the work day. At that rate and factoring in time stuck in traffic, light rail becomes a more attractive option. Columbia is probably a few decades away from that point.

 

Buses are a non-starter because of the stigma associated with them in the South. I think a streetcar would work if it connected USC, Main Street, Columbia Commons, and maybe the VA. Cities have to prove a precedent to attract funding (often through existing well-used bus lines) and prove that the line would generate development and serve the local population (in this case students, faculty, local residents, office workers, veterans, tourists). I don't know that the fundamentals support a line now, but might in a few years if the city continues to add density.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Columbia is definitely one of those places with a "car culture", and the stigma connected to buses is real. You are very much correct.

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  • 1 month later...

A second property on Main Street has gone to auction within the span of two months, raising speculation about the true strength of a resurgency of Columbia’s downtown commercial district.

The 12-story Certus Bank building at Main and Lady streets, perhaps best known as the former home of National Bank of South Carolina, was auctioned June 27, according to California auctioneers Auction.com.

It is unclear, however, who the new owners of the 45-year-old structure are, or their intentions for the use of the 148,000-square-foot building. Auction.com, the Google-owned online real estate marketplace that handled the sale, says on its website the building is in escrow until July 27. That’s when records concerning the sale will be made public. A representative of the auction company would say nothing more.

http://www.thestate.com/news/business/article27269443.html

 

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