lastweek

Well, at least they are doing it block by block instead of closing it all down at once. I think that the fact that they have to close of the street is enough to hurt these businesses regardless of when the people do the work. I'm glad to see all the residential stuff moving down on Main St., and it certainly beats what was there before (not much). However, I hope it doesn't become *too* residential and shut out the retailers and offices from eventually coming back. Overall, things are looking up down there.

Yeah, it will catalyze storefronts on Main St and bring some retail and services back downtown. I didnt go to the unveiling, but I attended a couple of sessions last week. They specifically kept the amount of retail in the development propotionally low in hopes to spur adjacent commercial infill. He said that basic needs would be met, but extravagent shopping would be elsewhere. The only exception would be the proposed movie theater, but I don't know if that made it to the final plan or not. Andres Duany is a riot. He took valid criticisms to heart and really went off the vibe of those concerned. The whole planning effort exceeded my expectations. Emerging, or anyone else who went on Monday: Did Andres ever close on how long he thought the development would take to complete or sell out? Last week he was saying 15 years because he was under the impression that the Columbia real estate market is very slow. Others said it would be much faster, and that he was underestimating demand. Was there any clarification or further speculation during the unveiling?

I don't know much as far as a current update, but I was stuck in traffic last night at Huger and Gervais because they were tearing down the remainder of the shell of the old Kline building and they had closed off part of the road. So, something's happening...

The wi-fi concept is a good one, but the goal of the project is not to replace existing service providers. Supposedly the city will limit access to 2 hours a day, and coverage will be concentrated in public areas. I would like to see private providers step up to increase coverage; i think it is smart for the city to provide some hot zones in key areas (vista, 5 points, Main St., etc) but they should leave it alone after that point. I used the hot spot in the Vista when I was here on my househunting trip last year and I think having that infrastructure in place is great for tourists and business travelers. However, I don't want to see the city enter the ISP business; they have better things to do.

It's tucked behind a frontage road right at the intersection of 20 and 26. SCEnglish, there are a number of buildable lots on the north side of downtown. Do you want to be in a planned community? Laurel Hill, Canal Place and Willowbrook all have some lots left depending on your budget. If you budget is on the higher end, you may want to look into the Vista developments. I always see some kind of home construction in Elmwood Park but don't know much about it.

Well, they have stiffer local competition then they may have thought, as Intel has quitely developed a world class R&D facility here in Columbia. In fact, they are celebrating their 5th anniversary here this month. As far as Canalside, it seems like Mungo is going to try and pack as many homes as possible into the space, while Beach is giong to try to stick more with the city's original master development plans (sans hotel). Neither of the proposals have me too excited, and I'm afraid both are going to sterilize the Vista and put it out of reach of the average downtown worker. Oh well, I guess either option is better than a jail.