Columbia Economic Notes

[MAJIKMAN]

That article is incorrect. Charleston is the only city in South Carolina to not have turned them away. Greenville said no maybe a month or two ago.

[growingup15]

Damn no Basketball team ugh seems like columbia is already turning down pro teams. i think the only one we haven't is the new baseball team which I'm excited for i was hoping Basketball was next for Columbia it would of been a great boost to the economy

[carolinagarnet]

Damn no Basketball team ugh seems like columbia is already turning down pro teams. i think the only one we haven't is the new baseball team which I'm excited for i was hoping Basketball was next for Columbia it would of been a great boost to the economy

 

Every city is turning this team down because it will not be profitable at all; it will be a huge waste of tax dollars. Given the huge liability Columbia still has to fund for sewer repairs, turning it down is a great decision.

[victory]

Crosshill Market is getting a Midwood Smokehouse this fall. Apparently there are several in Charlotte. Anyone eaten there, and what sort of BBQ do they specialize in?

[growingup15]

Who was the one who made the Development Map. I would like to know how to do so or have you make an update on the status of project in Columbia right now. I would like to Update it on my Website also.

[Spartan]

1) I worked with Neo to set up the development map for Spartanburg, which is similar to Charlotte's. I'm planning to set one up for Columbia and Greenville too, but I haven't had the time yet.

2) Midwood Smokehouse is arguably the best BBQ restaurant in Charlotte. It gets lots of publicity and is always packed.

[carolinagarnet]

Here's the Columbia map. Unfortunately I'm too overloaded at work these days to spend significant time on it, but I just figured out how to share it with edit capability, so y'all can feel free to add anything you want. All you have to do is click the category you want (i.e. Proposed, Under Construction, Completed, Approved), select Draw a Line (3 pointed button below the search bar), and add a shape in the site of the building/development. Make sure to complete the shape by reconnecting with the original drop point. If you want to update an existing object, delete it and add a new object using your desired category.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zXAQcjZt_PwI.koD2HFGC-faY&usp=sharing

[Spartan]

Ah, I didn't realize that you already made the map I was thinking of!

[victory]

Courtyard by Marriott is building a hotel in the Otarre development near the junction of I-77 and I-26. That gateway is starting to take off, I believe. 

[growingup15]

Courtyard by Marriott is building a hotel in the Otarre development near the junction of I-77 and I-26. That gateway is starting to take off, I believe. 

Hype. I already imagine this area becoming the next Harbison. All we need now is a Walmart or any type of Anchor Store there Harbison/ Sandhill.

[victory]

Hype. I already imagine this area becoming the next Harbison. All we need now is a Walmart or any type of Anchor Store there Harbison/ Sandhill.

I haven't driven over there in a long time, but from what I'm reading there is a lot of money being directed to this area.

[growingup15]

I haven't driven over there in a long time, but from what I'm reading there is a lot of money being directed to this area.

Well I take my mom to work at Amazon so i see this area almost daily. and OMG Dude all the trees are gone and theirs signs up all over there from Otarre all along 12th st for sale signs for land and such. theres a huge apartment complex just recently built over there thats pretty amazing and now this Hotel announcments. all we need now is stores restaurants and a few office spaces and this area will have the perfect setup for it to become the next hot spot for business just like Harbison, Sandhills and Killians Crossing

[victory]

Well I take my mom to work at Amazon so i see this area almost daily. and OMG Dude all the trees are gone and theirs signs up all over there from Otarre all along 12th st for sale signs for land and such. theres a huge apartment complex just recently built over there thats pretty amazing and now this Hotel announcments. all we need now is stores restaurants and a few office spaces and this area will have the perfect setup for it to become the next hot spot for business just like Harbison, Sandhills and Killians Crossing

I'll have to take a ride over there this weekend and check out all the happenings! Of course, I want to drive by Williams-Brice and see what all the landscaping looks like, too. Columbia is starting to pull it all together!

[victory]

If interested, check out www.knightcities.org. You can write a little essay about what you would do with a $5 million grant, to improve our city, attract and retain young professional talent. The winner, I assume, gets to see their wish come true.

[victory]

Just wanted to say God bless to everyone, and hope you escaped injury or property damage. I live about 200 yards from where the bridge on Rockbridge washed out. My neighbors have had a much tougher time of it, but we are helping each other out. Lived here 44 years, and have never seen anything like it, and hope not to ever again. 

[growingup15]

I am honestly disappointed in the Free Times posting such propaganda post in the wake of a disaster. the Green Diamond Project idea years ago that some guy from Myrtle Beach tried to do I honestly believe he was on to something. because I was watching footage over the green Diamond. even after all this flooding that area bearly flooded and those levees held up. I think the green diamond to this day would be a great project for the city.

but after this disaster I think raising the land up a bit like higher than those levees will give developers a peice of mind knowing they are higher than historical flood plains.

http://www.free-times.com/news/what-if-green-diamond-had-been-built-100715

[vicupstate]

Moreover, their claim did not stop at the actual loss of buying the property from Manning, but even included their alleged loss from the future value of the property if developed. In other words, Burroughs & Chapin said give us not only what we paid, but the value of the land if we had developed it. No, I’m not kidding — that was their legal argument.

This unbridled greed and arrogance received the fate it deserved, as the state Supreme Court unanimously rebuked Burroughs & Chapin, and in very direct language. Speaking for the Court, Justice John Kittredge wrote: “In sum, we find no taking occurred. Richland County is not the involuntary guarantor of the property owner’s gamble that he could develop the land as he wished despite the existing regulatory structure.”

 

Burroughs and Chapin was attempting to screw over the taxpayers of Richland County to put it mildly.  The fact that the Supreme Court UNANIMOUSLY thought their case had no grounds whatsoever speaks volumes. Keep in mind that the court spans both/multiple genders, parties, races and ideologies.   

B&C thought they could buy their way to whatever they wanted just as they are use to doing (on the regular) in Horry County. To the credit of Columbia/Richland County, they were not able to. 

B&C is one of the least reputable companies to do business in SC since....  since..1670.   

 

[carolinagarnet]

This is a big deal. Some of these buildings are in pretty prime locations.

http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article48888670.html

[krazeeboi]

On 12/11/2015 at 10:47 PM, carolinagarnet said:

This is a big deal. Some of these buildings are in pretty prime locations.

http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article48888670.html

It would have been great if the DOT building was among them. It seems a bit out of place now with all of the urban development going on on that side of the Vista and close to Innovista.

[victory]

1 minute ago, krazeeboi said:

It would have been great if the DOT building was among them. It seems a bit out of place now with all of the urban development going on on that side of the Vista and close to Innovista.

This is a good point, Krazee.

[urbanlover568]

27 minutes ago, krazeeboi said:

It would have been great if the DOT building was among them. It seems a bit out of place now with all of the urban development going on on that side of the Vista and close to Innovista.

It's a nice building. Too many people working there to make the move now. There's rumors about USC buying it out, I hope that doesn't happen. Don't need another student housing development or USC office. If the DOT land gets sold, it should be to a private developer. 

[krazeeboi]

13 minutes ago, mpretori said:

It's a nice building. Too many people working there to make the move now. There's rumors about USC buying it out, I hope that doesn't happen. Don't need another student housing development or USC office. If the DOT land gets sold, it should be to a private developer. 

There are just as many or more people working in the other buildings being sold by the state. But I agree that if it were to be sold off, it should be to a private developer. I'd make an exception for USC if it were an Innovista research/office building specifically.

[urbanlover568]

Just now, krazeeboi said:

There are just as many or more people working in the other buildings being sold by the state. But I agree that if it were to be sold off, it should be to a private developer. I'd make an exception for USC if it were an Innovista research/office building specifically.

Innovista would be Fantastic! That means more people moving to Columbia that aren't students or students staying in Columbia and working there!

[carolinagarnet]

21 hours ago, mpretori said:

Innovista would be Fantastic! That means more people moving to Columbia that aren't students or students staying in Columbia and working there!

I used to be optimistic about Innovista, but I wonder how many companies the area can realistically draw. The biggest announcement by far was the IBM-Fluor development and that seemed to be in exchange for a contract for USC's IT services. It's possible that USC research may produce small companies that attempt to commercialize innovations, but we are probably not going to see large scale movement in the district. At this point I think the best path forward for Innovista is a combination of USC research facilities and student housing since there seems to be built-in demand for both. Of course if USC can find a way to drastically increase its research spending (the University is ranked 99 among national universities at $206M), Innovista has natural amenities that would attract companies: proximity to work-play in the Vista and to research at USC, a blank canvas for development, low operating costs, etc. At this point I think the timeframe for this kind of development is probably 15-20 years.

[urbanlover568]

1 hour ago, carolinagarnet said:

I used to be optimistic about Innovista, but I wonder how many companies the area can realistically draw. The biggest announcement by far was the IBM-Fluor development and that seemed to be in exchange for a contract for USC's IT services. It's possible that USC research may produce small companies that attempt to commercialize innovations, but we are probably not going to see large scale movement in the district. At this point I think the best path forward for Innovista is a combination of USC research facilities and student housing since there seems to be built-in demand for both. Of course if USC can find a way to drastically increase its research spending (the University is ranked 99 among national universities at $206M), Innovista has natural amenities that would attract companies: proximity to work-play in the Vista and to research at USC, a blank canvas for development, low operating costs, etc. At this point I think the timeframe for this kind of development is probably 15-20 years.

Yes, development will be slow. Durhams Research Tangle Park is expected to get a major overhaul and bring in 100,000 jobs. This may severely hinder companies from locating to Columbia. At this point, i think the county and city just need to give out massive tax breaks to companies and pray a company lands here before RTP is complete. The tax breaks for the student housing developments worked to bring developers in, and i think they will work for the business class.