Main Street/CBD Developments

[CorgiMatt]

On the same day the most recent article about the Brennan Building ran in The State, the ply board was out of the windows when I drove past. I thought they were about to install or reinstall the windows, but by the end of the day the ply board was back. Maybe they just wanted to look busy on the day of the article.

[lucjanrc]

The Hub on Main Street at Palmetto Center

A student housing project planned for Main Street cleared a major hurdle Tuesday when Columbia’s zoning appeals board gave the green light for a Chicago company to convert the former SCANA building.

The board approved the $80 million proposal by Core Campus LLC to house 850 young tenants in the Palmetto Center after the city and the company presented a plan to make the adjacent city garage where the students will park safer by adding security guards, extra lighting and cameras.

The project should take 10-12 months to complete and should open by the fall of 2014.

http://www.loansafe....oposal-advances

Edited August 15, 2012 by lucjanrc

[johnpro318]

Looks good. Lots of amenities actually make this better than other farther out choices. Also, they say retail will be included on the first floor. Hopefully it's a Chick-fil-a or something of that sort!

This is even better than having the Scana workers, in my opinion, because the students will be there off and on 24/7.

[krazeeboi]

Yeah this will be a big win for Main Street in terms of more around-the-clock vitality.

[victory]

I think there's already a Chick Fil A a block away on Main, but i'm sure the retail will be something pizza, burger oriented.

[growingup15]

I can really see this making downtown busy.

Question for yall. I had this idea up for about 6 years now but you know the Empty parking lot across the street from the Library downtown. i was thinking a Epicentre like mall in that spot. 5 stories high. and has a connection to Main st- Assembly Street.

with this New Dorm imagine the business a Small Mall will bring to downtown. with so many people living down there it will stay busy.

[victory]

I'd really love to see more done with Main St's Arcade Building. It is modeled after the one in Milan, and while very small, is a jewel. It would be nice to see a few relevant shops land there. I like Hamlet's idea on the small mall, in as much for its ability to connect Main with the library area. It seems unlikely that a mall would fly, as these days they are all big sprawling masses in the burbs.

[CorgiMatt]

For the space across from the library and between Wells Fargo and the other office building, I'd like to see a building with about four stories facing the library with underground parking and a tower of about 30 floors between the two office buildings with a steep pitch for the roof line and retail on the street. Note: this would be one building taking up all the empty space.

Edited August 16, 2012 by CorgiMatt

[growingup15]

For the space across from the library and between Wells Fargo and the other office building, I'd like to see a building with about four stories facing the library with underground parking and a tower of about 30 floors between the two office buildings with a steep pitch for the roof line and retail on the street. Note: this would be one building taking up all the empty space.

Have you ever seen my Original rendering of this Space im talking about. funny you said 30 story tower because i actually in my original rendering i drew a 30 story tower on the corner of Hampton and Assembly st.

this is my original but is gonna change. but the corner of Assembly and Hampton side has the 30+ floor Hotel/Apartment/Condo.

Edited August 16, 2012 by growingup15

[krazeeboi]

I've thought about a T-shaped building for that block also...something with retail obviously on the Main Street side, and something on the ground floor along Hampton that would compliment the art museum in some way. And there should also be uses along Assembly itself to help generate pedestrian activity as too much of the eastern side of the street acts as Main's backside.

[growingup15]

A seasonal ice skating rink could be coming to the Columbia Museum of Art.

Mayor Steve Benajmin says the city council will move to approve the rink at their meeting Tuesday. If approved, the rink will be in the courtyard outside the place.

So how could you have an ice rink, even in the middle of the winter, in the city that bills itself as "Famouly Hot?"

The proposed agreement would bring in a company called Magic Ice USA to provide their portable rink. Their system uses refrigeration equipment to keep the ice frozen at all times.

[growingup15]

Heres the Main St Mall idea I Presented to Mayor Benjamin last August. I had to redraw and Redesign it. were look down from the Corner of Washington and Assembly St. its where the Parking lot is at across the street from the Richland Public Library.

The whole reason i had this idea and draw is because its in a response to the new Dorms being built on Main st. the business and Foot traffic is perfect for an Epicentre style Mall/Hotel/Apartment-Condo. the Corner of Assembly and Hampton is the 32 Story addition apartment/condo/Hotel

Please comment and tell me what you think of my design and idea.

[johnpro318]

Heres the Main St Mall idea I Presented to Mayor Benjamin last August. I had to redraw and Redesign it. were look down from the Corner of Washington and Assembly St. its where the Parking lot is at across the street from the Richland Public Library.

The whole reason i had this idea and draw is because its in a response to the new Dorms being built on Main st. the business and Foot traffic is perfect for an Epicentre style Mall/Hotel/Apartment-Condo. the Corner of Assembly and Hampton is the 32 Story addition apartment/condo/Hotel

Please comment and tell me what you think of my design and idea.

Don't see it. Please try posting it again.

[krazeeboi]

The Nickelodeon Theater opens up in its new digs Friday. Right now, only the downstairs has been renovated; more funds need to be raised to overhaul the second theater and offices on the second floor. Also, the Lexington-based Good Life Cafe, a vegan raw food bar, will have a second location on the 1600 block of Main.

The Jam Room Music Festival will take place on Main Oct. 13.

[growingup15]

heres the Link guys sorry for the mistake http://www.flickr.com/photos/25873309@N07/7890454310/in/photostream

[johnpro318]

heres the Link guys sorry for the mistake http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream

You know I would love for a downtown movie theater that shows the big movies to come to town. I don't know where it would be though. The Main Street area is okay for it but it would be cool to see it incorporated into a mix use building in Five Points. Maybe it will help that area have a more family friendly image?

And yes, I know we have the Nickelodeon but that is more of an art house theater (which I also enjoy) but sometimes I crave a cool downtown theater where I can watch The Avengers or some similar blockbuster. I think the two would go after different crowds.

[carolinagarnet]

A downtown theater would be great, but I think a lot of customers in areas it would need to draw from (i.e. Forest Acres, Cayce) would be scared off by the prospect of parking downtown. As we all know, people in Columbia hate parking in garages and especially hate paying for parking (except near Williams-Brice). Perhaps having other attractions in the area would make them more inclined to use the downtown garages, but it's still a big roadblock in many peoples' minds. I think a movie theater in 5 Points would be brilliant. Based on its facade, wasn't Red Hot once a theater?

[growingup15]

A downtown theater would be great, but I think a lot of customers in areas it would need to draw from (i.e. Forest Acres, Cayce) would be scared off by the prospect of parking downtown. As we all know, people in Columbia hate parking in garages and especially hate paying for parking (except near Williams-Brice). Perhaps having other attractions in the area would make them more inclined to use the downtown garages, but it's still a big roadblock in many peoples' minds. I think a movie theater in 5 Points would be brilliant. Based on its facade, wasn't Red Hot once a theater?

Its actually a Mall not just a Theater. The movie theater is part of the mall. i will draw up a map soon of the layout of how this mall will look.

[krazeeboi]

A seasonal ice skating rink could be coming to the Columbia Museum of Art.

Mayor Steve Benajmin says the city council will move to approve the rink at their meeting Tuesday. If approved, the rink will be in the courtyard outside the place.

So how could you have an ice rink, even in the middle of the winter, in the city that bills itself as "Famouly Hot?"

The proposed agreement would bring in a company called Magic Ice USA to provide their portable rink. Their system uses refrigeration equipment to keep the ice frozen at all times.

I think this will be a hit and a nice compliment to Main's revitalization. They seem to be popular in most downtowns during the winter.

You know I would love for a downtown movie theater that shows the big movies to come to town. I don't know where it would be though. The Main Street area is okay for it but it would be cool to see it incorporated into a mix use building in Five Points. Maybe it will help that area have a more family friendly image?

And yes, I know we have the Nickelodeon but that is more of an art house theater (which I also enjoy) but sometimes I crave a cool downtown theater where I can watch The Avengers or some similar blockbuster. I think the two would go after different crowds.

A downtown theater would be great, but I think a lot of customers in areas it would need to draw from (i.e. Forest Acres, Cayce) would be scared off by the prospect of parking downtown. As we all know, people in Columbia hate parking in garages and especially hate paying for parking (except near Williams-Brice). Perhaps having other attractions in the area would make them more inclined to use the downtown garages, but it's still a big roadblock in many peoples' minds. I think a movie theater in 5 Points would be brilliant. Based on its facade, wasn't Red Hot once a theater?

A "mainstream" movie theater downtown would certainly be a nice addition. Knoxville got one about five years ago or so:

Of course, you'd have the student population to draw from and as more amenities come to Main Street in particular, I think you'll see more people start utilizing the garages.

[carolinagarnet]

An article in The State mentions that renovation of the second floor theater in the new Nick is contingent upon receiving $500k in hospitality tax funds. The theater seems to have a much better case for funding than a lot of the other organizations mentioned, many of which seem to think they are entitled to be subsidized by the City of Columbia. Someone in the comment section brought up a good point about the City Ballet, which claims $2.6M in economic impact (probably inflated), not earning its allotment of $130k since by its own claim it generates only $52k in tax dollars ($2.6M x 2% tax). Personally I would like to see the city use these funds for one-time expenses (i.e. Nick renovation, art installations) if they are going to use them for the arts.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/09/04/2424952/city-council-moving-to-exert-more.html

[victory]

Seems I read a while back that Main St. was getting an Urban Outfitters. Any more word on that?

[krazeeboi]

That was just a rumor. Nothing's been confirmed on that front.

[krazeeboi]

The ground floor of the Tower @ Main & Gervais has landed an upscale restaurant, the Oak Table. It will be an affiliate of Charleston restaurant group Indigo Road. It will serve classic American staples from steak to seafood. It's supposed to open late this summer.

http://www.free-time...293005122630193

There seems to be a lot of buzz surrounding the opening of this restaurant, scheduled for the end of this month. The restaurant will be outfitted with wood from a pre-Civil War Upstate log cabin and the outer wall will be solid glass so patrons, sitting at the bar and at the tables behind it, can look out onto the State House grounds.

The restaurant will seat 90 inside and 30 in an outdoor courtyard. It also has a private dining room that seats 20 and can used for business meetings or social affairs. The menu will change daily, but it will focus on fish caught off the state’s coast and steakhouse classics made using beef from S.C. ranchers. The restaurant also will sell its famous whole fried lobster and The Mac burger, invented at its Macintosh restaurant and named one of Carolina’s best burgers by Southern Living magazine in May.

[krazeeboi]

Accenture, which acquired Duck Creek Technologies a year ago, plans to move its local operations and some 100 employees from an office park near the I-77/Farrow Road interchange to the Wells Fargo building at 1441 Main Street. The new office space will comprise about 20,000 square feet, the same size as Accenture’s present facility in Columbia.

[krazeeboi]

AgFirst Farm Credit Bank intends to buy the Bank of America Plaza building and move its operations and some 380 employees into 100,000 square feet in the tower. AgFirst expects to close on the deal sometime before the end of October. After the move, the plaza will be 100% occupied and the CBD vacancy rate for Class “A” space will drop to 8.7%, the lowest rate in more than 20 years.