Jump to content

Main Street/CBD Developments


mainstreeter

Recommended Posts

Also, Taylor Street is getting Hong Kong chinese restaurant on the ground floor, right across the street from YRT2, which is going in the McCrory building. They just put up their sign the other day. It's in the ground floor of the Capitol Places apartment building that used to be Berry's on Main.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Suppose if Richland County builds a new courthouse elsewhere downtown (possibly along Sumter), and there is actually a possibility this might happen. That would be some prime real estate right on Main. What should go on the land where the courthouse currently sits?

How about an outdoor amphitheater complex. It would take advantage of bringing life to main st during nights and weekends and has plenty of parking in the area at that time as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The views are great, but the apartments are too white.

Oh man! Great views. Bland interiors. They should have done IKEA kitchen cabinets with cork or bamboo flooring and something a little more lively for the carpeting in the living space -- maybe Interface FLOR tiles or something. It probably could have been done on the same budget. ... Everybody's a critic! ;)

Edited by emerging.me
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh man! Great views. Bland interiors. They should have done IKEA kitchen cabinets with cork or bamboo flooring and something a little more lively for the carpeting in the living space -- maybe Interface FLOR tiles or something. It probably could have been done on the same budget. ... Everybody's a critic! ;)

Finally, something to back up my past sniping at the cheesiness of these interiors! Glad to see I'm not the only one deeply, deeply disappointed in them. And what's with the exposed plumbing overhead? Geez!

The views are wonderful, of course. But who is really going to spend that kind of money on such loathsome interiors? Certainly not the affluent buyer they are (?) targeting. They really need to up the qualilty quotient, if nothing else than to respect the integrity of this beautiful building.

Sorry to seem like such a naysayer and devil's advocate lately. :blush: It's just that I expect excellence--and nothing less--in the work of those (such as developers, planners, engineers, or leaders) we entrust with the stewardship of our buildings, cities, and laws. If you're going to do something, do it right the first time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finally, something to back up my past sniping at the cheesiness of these interiors! Glad to see I'm not the only one deeply, deeply disappointed in them. And what's with the exposed plumbing overhead? Geez!

The views are wonderful, of course. But who is really going to spend that kind of money on such loathsome interiors? Certainly not the affluent buyer they are (?) targeting. They really need to up the qualilty quotient, if nothing else than to respect the integrity of this beautiful building.

Sorry to seem like such a naysayer and devil's advocate lately. :blush: It's just that I expect excellence--and nothing less--in the work of those (such as developers, planners, engineers, or leaders) we entrust with the stewardship of our buildings, cities, and laws. If you're going to do something, do it right the first time.

Hello my name is Jeff from Capitol Places. I have periodically been reading this website the last month or two and find it entertaining at times. I never thought I would post but feel I need to address some of the negative comments on some of our projects.

It looks like many of you have these grand ideas and I hope many of you become developers and make a difference here in Columbia. I assure you with the rental prices in Columbia, it is not as easy as many of you think. As city center becomes a stronger rental market, you will see higher end product introduced to the market.

A couple things I would like to point out: There is a big difference in how you build apartments and condos. You build apartments (like Barringer - which is rental and not for sale) with neutral colors (you are trying to appeal to many) and materials that will take wear & tear and not too expensive to replace (i assure you IKEA cabinets would not make it through a year of rentals). The condos we build have granite countertops, hardwood floors, paint color choice, upgraded carpets, ceramic tiles etc..... The buyer has had complete choice on what they pick for their condominium.

As far as Vsion and The Firehouse, once we release for sale, you can view wood cabinets, colors, granite, and bamboo flooring at the office. These condos will be more contempoary that what we have done in the past. You do see some of that in Barringer with a "Soft Loft" design which uses 60" walls to seperate bedrooms from living areas in one bedrooms. This makes the unit more open and adds a great deal to the design.

Capitol Places does build quality product and is trying to change the face of Columbia to bring homes to city center. We would love to help anyone who wants to venture down here on Main St and build!

Edited by capitol places
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff, thanks for posting. We'd actually like to see more contributions from you here; a developer's perspective is always a good one.

I think it should be said that Capitol Places has been lauded countless times here for its commitment to downtown Columbia. If there's any one company that believes in what downtown Columbia could be and wishes to see its potential realized, it's Capitol Places.

I've only seen pictures of the inside of 1520 Main, and they didn't seem to differ much from what I've seen of the inside of the Barringer buiding. It's good to know that the condos have a lot flexibility in their interior designs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the forum Jeff!

I think if you've been reading UrbanPlanet for several months, you know that the comments here are generally just picky comments. Anyone who posts here recognizes and respects the work that you and your company have done in downtown Columbia. It takes efforts like this to create the energy that all of us want to see.

I know that if I ever move back to Columbia, I would definitely consider living there.

I hope to see you contribute to the discussions more often!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff, I'm glad you posted. I think most of us on this forum appreciate the work that CP does and I know that I have personally emailed you to thank you for the redevelopment of the old fire station. Please take our criticism as being somewhat constructive. I like most of what CP has done, but I think some tans and beiges mixed in with all of the white at Barringer would have looked alot better. BTW, I am considering taking a look at Vsion or the old firestation when they get closer to reality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Krazeeboi, Spartan, and Waccamatt are right-we hold Capitol Places in high esteem indeed. Not only are you doing a tremendous job of rehabilitating our city to make it more urban and livable, but you run the best radio station in the world! (Just wish I could get it in my car when traveling out of town.)

Waccamatt was right, too, when he added that these seemingly petty critiques are healthy, and well-meaning. (To many here, you are our hero. :) ) Keep up the good work, and please keep the Peanut Gallery posted when you can! Glad we have this dialogue going.

In the meantime, we will continue to debate the pros and cons of each and every project, you can be assured. You can also be assured that our most impassioned criticism is reserved for those considerably less visionary types . . . -_-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Jeff from Capitol Places. The only thing about the Barringer building that drives me crazy and drove me crazy long before Capitol Places bought it is the graffiti on the exterior, on the second floor overlooking Washington Street. Also, I'd love to see the parapet returned to the top of the building, but the graffiti has got to go. And I look forward to the lanterns (light fixtures) being put back on either side of the doorways to the bank on the ground floor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there any chance of Underground Columbia being revived in the near future? It'd be nice to have some nightlife down on Main Street again.

If Main Street were only a place to window shop after hours, I wouldn't complain; I'd just do my partying in the Vista and Five Points, which by the way is shaping up to be an absolutely beautiful urban village. But Main Street's night life already has: Level, Mac's on Main, Villa Tronco, Hennessey's, Jamin Java, Finlay's, the sports bar inside the Mariott lobby, the Columbia Museum of Art on some nights, Hampton Street Vineyard and the Whig. Capitol Cafe is supposed to be starting to open for dinner in early November, according to what the owner told me a few months back. Capital City News and Maps is open till 9 p.m. On the south side of the capitol, we already have Tio's, Miyo's, Nickalodean, Hunter-Gatherer, Sandy's, Moe's Southwest Grill and Firehouse Grill.

The Nickalodean (sp) Theater is supposed to be in its new house, the old Fox Theater, some time in 2008, restoring a true gem of an art house. In the Spring, the historic Palmetto Building will be a Sheraton Boutique with an English-style pub in the basement. YRT2 is restoring the McCrory building, and it will have a restaurant in it, most likely with dinner hours.

Just one block over is Sumter Street with M. Cafe and another restaurant or two next door.

Main Street has places to go at night. No time like the present to join the growing number of people who are patronizing those places now. And please, no comments about the homeless. If a homeless person or a group of homeless persons, a small percentage of whom may ask for a dollar, is or are anything but just people to you, then you probably have "country-come-to-town" written all over you, and you probably stick out more than they do. But if Main Street is to catch up with the Vista and Five Points for night life, let's fill up the sidewalks first and worry about underground later.

Edited by CorgiMatt
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.