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Historic Congaree Vista Developments


CorgiMatt

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That sign has been up for a while, so I was wondering when they would start working on it. It really is going to be a great addition and that's a perfect location for it.

I hear Carolina Ale House on Lady St. is now open for business. Gotta go check out the roof top bar this week.

Edited by BrasilnSC
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The Lofts at Printers Square celebrated their ground breaking on June 18th.

I didn't go but here is what the invitation said:

"The Lofts at Printers Square: A leader in residential Green Building construction in Columbia.

In the heart of the Vista

Walk to shopping, restaurants & entertainment

Open, contemporary floor plans

Vast terraces

Exclusive style & upscale appointments

Only 11 city homes to choose from"

I don't think they have any pre-sales but they are already financed by South Carolina Bank and Trust. I thought these were waaay overpriced for Columbia but I guess I was wrong. Also, they are still using the original rendering.

rendering.jpg

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They did a nice job with renovating the building that Carolina Ale House is in, but the food is pretty typical bar food. They were absolutely packed tonight, though, with people hanging from the rafters. I visited M Vista for the 3rd time tonight and I really enjoy the atmosphere there; it is a much more sophisticated place and much more relaxing than the Ale House across the street.

With the new Springhill Suites, Lofts at Printer's Square, Trustus Theatre, M Vista, Carolina Ale House, Blue and Wild Wings all on that 3 block section of Lady Street between Gadsden and Huger; this is becoming a secondary "center", so to speak, of activity in the Vista. Of course, Gervais and Lincoln streets are still the busiest streets in the Vista, but Lady Street is starting to give them a run for their money. When Canalside and the Esplanade are finished I hope to see a 3rd node of "hyperactivity" in that part of the Vista, too. We had a very late dinner (11-ish) tonight and Lady Street was packed. Five Points, even though school is out, was even more crowded than the Vista tonight.

Edited by waccamatt
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^Ok, I thought there was going to be a 2nd location. But I'm sure something will fill that spot sooner rather than later; it's in a really good location.

Matt, I, too, think that Lady Street is about to give Gervais a run for its money. Once those retail outparcels in front of the parking garage and the hotel that will be part of Center Vista are built, Lady is truly going to be a force to be reckoned with. The Vista is really filling out and becoming even more of a district.

Two significant projects on those lots at the corner of Assembly and Gervais would solidify Gervais's position as the main drag of the Vista, IMO. I just wonder how long it will take for something to happen there. There are also some parcels for great infill along Gervais itself that will make the street more of a continuous stretch of activity.

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My partner and I went to M Vista, too. It was our second time. It is really nice in there. I noticed that American Apparel next door is leaving that spot for the spot next to Hiller Hardware in Five Points, so there won't be two AA's.

Yes, I think that's a smart move because their market is decidedly younger and Five Points has a younger market than the Vista. That will leave a space for another restaurant on Lady Street, anyway.

^I agree with Krazee about those 2 parcels on Gervais at Assembly. They are begging for a nice development - maybe a hotel on one corner and some retail on the other corner.

Edited by waccamatt
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I think such parcels are going to be developed sooner than we might think. On national news shows, economics experts are saying high gas prices that are expected to go significantly higher are making people choose to live in or closer to central cities. They're saying condo buildings that seemed destined for emptiness due to over-zealous speculators are starting to draw interest, because even though people are having problems selling their homes in the exurban areas to move closer in, any newcomers to cities are choosing in-town areas more and more, the shorter commute to work the better if they drive; or they're choosing to buy near public transportation routes. Columbia might take a while to follow that trend as strongly as larger cities are, but it's coming here, too. It's coming to our nation, period. The experts are saying our nation is headed for more of a European-style mode of living. It's all over the news, finally!!!!!!!!! In-town houses are holding their value and even gaining, while exurban homes that mean a long commute are plummeting in value, and those areas are expected to be the next slums because of abandoned houses. No wonder you're already starting to hear more about bank robberies and such in the suburbs.

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The rising gas prices might end up turning our country around. As far as I'm concerned, I prefer dense development. It's more fun to have a lot of people around, there will be restaurants, bars, etc. within walking distance and we will become a more social people again. The suburbs have been bad for our country in many ways.

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Lets keep in mind that there will always be suburbs, its just that the way they are built is starting to fundamentally change. By "European" we are really just talking about poor people being pushed to the fringes of town and the wealthy in the center. The suburbs of the future will have more urban centers in them too.... but thats assuming that SC can attract jobs to urban centers and not crappy suburban office parks.

So far this hasn't been happening as much as I'd like to see. Columbia is by far doing the best. Greenville is doing a good job at attracting jobs... they just have to build a second downtown in the process, and Charleston tries, but ultimately shoots itself in the foot by not allowing more vertical office space downtown. Spartanburg is trying, but is not very successful at luring anything that requires large amount of office space. SC in general will have to get with the 21st century and attract more jobs that are not rooted in manufacturing and distribution-- which require sprawling suburban warehouse complexes.

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Commenting on the Carolina Ale House.......I walked by there today and it looks great indeed, but one huge flaw I saw was that the entrance to the restaurant faces the parking lot and not Lady St.

There will be alot of activity in that part of the Vista once everything currently being built is complete and the Shoppes at Lady are occupied.

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Commenting on the Carolina Ale House.......I walked by there today and it looks great indeed, but one huge flaw I saw was that the entrance to the restaurant faces the parking lot and not Lady St.

There will be alot of activity in that part of the Vista once everything currently being built is complete and the Shoppes at Lady are occupied.

Yes, I noticed that, too, and the food is mediocre, to boot. It will be a good place to have a few beers and watch a game, but it isn't somewhere I'll go back to have lunch or dinner.

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They did a nice job with renovating the building that Carolina Ale House is in, but the food is pretty typical bar food. They were absolutely packed tonight, though, with people hanging from the rafters. I visited M Vista for the 3rd time tonight and I really enjoy the atmosphere there; it is a much more sophisticated place and much more relaxing than the Ale House across the street.

I disagree, Matt. The former Hiller hardware building was hollowed out, bricked over, and renovated beyond any resemblance of its former self. The only thing left is the curved glass blocks at the now fake "entrance," as others have pointed out.

I give the contractors an "F" for this gutting and suburbanization of what was once a cool, unique building in the Vista. I mourn the white with red stripes Art Moderne building that is no more. :cry:

Edited by digital_sandlapper
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I think such parcels are going to be developed sooner than we might think. On national news shows, economics experts are saying high gas prices that are expected to go significantly higher are making people choose to live in or closer to central cities. They're saying condo buildings that seemed destined for emptiness due to over-zealous speculators are starting to draw interest, because even though people are having problems selling their homes in the exurban areas to move closer in, any newcomers to cities are choosing in-town areas more and more, the shorter commute to work the better if they drive; or they're choosing to buy near public transportation routes. Columbia might take a while to follow that trend as strongly as larger cities are, but it's coming here, too. It's coming to our nation, period. The experts are saying our nation is headed for more of a European-style mode of living. It's all over the news, finally!!!!!!!!! In-town houses are holding their value and even gaining, while exurban homes that mean a long commute are plummeting in value, and those areas are expected to be the next slums because of abandoned houses. No wonder you're already starting to hear more about bank robberies and such in the suburbs.

The rising gas prices might end up turning our country around. As far as I'm concerned, I prefer dense development. It's more fun to have a lot of people around, there will be restaurants, bars, etc. within walking distance and we will become a more social people again. The suburbs have been bad for our country in many ways.

I agree: this is a sea-change for our country, and one for the better! Matt, you are so right--the sprawling of our cities has hurt us in so, so many ways. You hit the nail on the head when you said that we will become more social, more of a community, again with this flight back into the center city. I am so excited about this, and although it hurts, I almost hope that fuel prices will not come back down to reverse this healthy (literally) trend!

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I disagree, Matt. The former Hiller hardware building was hollowed out, bricked over, and renovated beyond any resemblance of its former self. The only thing left is the curved glass blocks at the now fake "entrance," as others have pointed out.

I give the contractors an "F" for this gutting and suburbanization of what was once a cool, unique building in the Vista. I mourn the white with red stripes Art Moderne building that is no more. :cry:

Too bad Hiller Hardware allowed themselves to go downhill in that location. I tend not to shop at a store that has tall weeds growing up along its foundation.

Edited by CorgiMatt
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But that was part of its charm . . it was like stepping back in time, a true old-fashioned hardware. Preserving its old warehouse ambience with creaky wood floors would have made a very cool interior for a restaurant. If that wasn't feasible, leaving the exterior in all its glory is the least they could've done. It used to be a unique part of the Vista--one of the few with painted brick, except for Adluh. (Whit-Ash just looks terrible, and so I'm not including it. It'll probably be stripped of its paint eventually, and that won't be a bad thing.)

Here's the only pic I could find showing the old, charming Hiller Hardware (photo by R. Edwards):

post-9585-1214939945_thumb.jpg

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But that was part of its charm . . it was like stepping back in time, a true old-fashioned hardware. Preserving its old warehouse ambience with creaky wood floors would have made a very cool interior for a restaurant. If that wasn't feasible, leaving the exterior in all its glory is the least they could've done. It used to be a unique part of the Vista--one of the few with painted brick, except for Adluh. (Whit-Ash just looks terrible, and so I'm not including it. It'll probably be stripped of its paint eventually, and that won't be a bad thing.)

Here's the only pic I could find showing the old, charming Hiller Hardware (photo by R. Edwards):

You're right, they could have kept more of the original building. By a "good" job of renovating I meant that the interior of the restaurant is nice, but the food is not very good. Having no front door is a terrible faux pas. On the other hand, Michelle Wang did a great job of renovating the building housing M Vista, though I wish it had more outdoor seating. My only complaint about the Lady Street streetscaping is that the sidewalks aren't wider to allow for more al fresco dining.

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You're right, they could have kept more of the original building. By a "good" job of renovating I meant that the interior of the restaurant is nice, but the food is not very good. Having no front door is a terrible faux pas. On the other hand, Michelle Wang did a great job of renovating the building housing M Vista, though I wish it had more outdoor seating. My only complaint about the Lady Street streetscaping is that the sidewalks aren't wider to allow for more al fresco dining.

Yes, I agree that more sidewalk cafes would be WONderful!

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