scnative

Pulaski St. is on the other side of Huger, how does that play into this?

Of course I don't have numbers to compare the two, however I did visit that McDonald's on Huger a while back midday on a weekday and that place was packed. Almost all the seating was taken inside, and the drive thru had a few cars in line as well. As we were leaving a bus or two must have arrived because a large amount of kids were coming in. I would assume since it was a school day that they might have been on a field trip to one of the museums across the street. I don't believe the store design negatively effects the business at all. (side note - the place was clean and staff friendly despite the crowd) Sorry, back to Five Points.

Would be nice if they were to locate in Innovista.

USC has received the largest research award in school history - a $12.5 million federal grant to set up a research center on alternative fuels. Article - WISTV

Happy to report Sunset Drive is back open. Guess they only needed half the time they projected to fix the problem.

So much for the 'future' store.

"When everything's completed, we hope to develop the site with some retail space, office space and residential space to create a vibrant, mixed-use atmosphere," says Charlie Thompson, project manager for Thompson Co., a commercial property management company in Columbia, S.C. "This will all be organized around a town square feature in the center." Article

Exactly my point. As I said a few posts back, it is just not convenient to drive to Trenholm Plaza (Forest Drive) from the Irmo area. Perhaps things will change as the economy improves.

Any one else have a suggestion for Columbiana Centre's possible future store? P.F. Chang's China Bistro Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn The Fresh Market I picked these options for a few reasons. I think this mall has enough Department stores. Once the economy starts to turn around maybe this mall can handle a few new higher end names to boost the traffic even more. Well foot traffic that is, the real traffic can be a pain sometimes! P.F. Chang's offers a somewhat upscale chain restaurant to the area. By this summer the mall will be without any sit down restaurants. Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn for a furniture option unlike the run of the mill outlets we have. My last pick would have to be The Fresh Market. That store is very nice and it is a long drive just to visit the one in Forest Drive from the Northwest area. They actually used to be located on St. Andrews road some years back but moved.

Due to some recent comments posted here, I decided to contact Columbiana Centre to inquire about their 'future site'. I received a reply back today. "Thanks for checking out our mall on the website. Yes, we have designated that area for a future anchor but at this time, we have no specific plans or timetable. What would you like to see us do if the choice was up to you?" I left off the General Manager's name since I have brought this into a forum. So the question is to everyone, What would you like to see added to the mall in that future location? I will respond to his email with the most common answers posted.

^^ Very clean lines and wide sidewalks. The streetscaping created is very appealing and usable.

What is your source for this new anchor? The parent website does show a map with a future store on it but there is no reference to when that was drafted. That could be a master plan for the long term future.

I got my answer today...the resurfacing has resumed on Bull street. Nice!

According to the City of Columbia website part of Sunset Drive will be closed starting this Monday and could be closed for 60 days due to a sewer main collapse. I wish while this inconvenience was taking place the SCDOT could take advantage of this and widen this .5 miles stretch of road. Either side of this area is 4 lanes. This area is in need of attention. I realize it would take more than 60 days to widen the road but maybe the process could begin.

Looks like the buses will be in service for at least another 2 years with the additional assistance for the City of Columbia, according to an article on WISTV.

I have to agree with you waverider. If I am not mistaken that is how it is setup in many places in Florida as well. Another change I would make is to remove the "<" less than symbol before the minutes. That symbol isn't needed and may cause confusion with many drivers.

All I know is the road has been resurfaced to an extent. I usually don't take that road but made a new route over a month ago and since then have never seen any construction signs/crews. I assume it was done late last year?? However, the road is so uneven at intersections and if you park on the side the old pavement is a good two inches higher near curb. The part I travel is between Elmwood and Gervais. Just looks like a half done job. It would have been a nice area to be streetscaped!

I have not seen any mention of the resurfacing of Bull Street downtown on any threads so I thought I would ask. Is this project complete? If so that is the worst job I have ever seen. If not, any word on the completing time?

^^ According to Starwood, the only new hotel under their umbrella is the Sheraton at 1400 Main Street. They are not planning any other hotels in the foreseeable future in Columbia.

"There is no W Hotel slated to open there (in Columbia SC) in the foreseeable future" That is from a rep at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Sure hope they remove it. It just causes your car to jump up and down. Leave the design elements to the parks and plazas.

Is the Richland County Traffic Court at 1400 Huger Street across from the old bus depot still functional? That parcel of land could sure use a facelift. Either remodel to look similar to above or just move those offices (if still occupied) to the Main Street location above and sell that land.

^ The flooring is quite interesting. Wonder what the material is?

USC, CMRTA launch 'Cocky's Caravan'. WIStv articlehttp://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8872383 It's a start to something new.

Actually I just did try them. It reminded me how much I like the Mediterranean Tea Room, and Al Amir in Irmo. I went with another couple and my wife. Their pizza was good but our two dishes were nearly burned and the saffron rice was dry and had no flavor. I was very dissapointed because I love that type of food and thought I was going to have another nice place to eat. The prices are a bit high and they don't have a lunch menu. Our server had no business in that line of work.