Doug L

YES! All of it.

You are wrong! Both/either can go amuck.

I am besides myself with delight that that awful looking Kenny's property and parking lot will be replace with something that will add to the village feel of Five Points. I hope the city can come in between the Kenny's property and Yesterday's and construct a parking garage with retail facing Devine and the other street (whatever its name is). I would also like to see on the south side of Blossom street from the railroad tracks to Harden Street a series of high rise apartments in the 20 floor range with all retail along Blossom Street and the entrances to the buildings facing the opposite direction but still having an access entrance on Blossom Street. Can you imagine Five Points ringed with high rise multi-use buildings containing retail, parking, office space and apartments with the single homes behind them and the village feel in the front? I can! Five Points has the potential to be a second (if not the primary) downtown Columbia. Please don't think that I have given up on the Richardson (Main) Street corridor. I feel just the opposite; but Columbia is getting to the point that it can use and support two focal points. Columbia is blossoming like a giant crape myrtle in July. .................................................................

Matt, you and Krazeeboi are 100% correct. We have one guy on the mayor's blog who's sole purpose is to beotch about taxes. Everything, according to his logic, is a waste of money if it does not turn a profit. Good grief!

I attended their presentation of the Five Points master plan. Very interesting! Believe me, they don't like that horrid horrid strip mall any more than do you or I; but they feel that they are stuck with it for the time being since it has just undergone extensive renovation. The plan is to use the northern and southern corners of the parking lot to construct anchor buildings at the sidewalk to help diminish the negative effects of the strip mall. I think that that will help considerably. Maybe at some time in the future another building could be placed in between the two anchors to help further hide that hideous parking lot.

Thanks, CorgiMatt. I'll be there. I hope it doesn't get rained out.

You are very correct, CorgiMatt. We will never live to see it. Problem #1 is that the city did not widen Harden Street along that stretch all the way up to Gervais so that the streetscaping and street parking would be consistant from Blossom to Gervais. That would have set the scene for a future generation to correct the awful situation that exists with a strip mall in the city.

I have been saying this for years! Surface parking lots in the city are just plain butt ugly! The existing surface lots should be shrouded with a privacy wall of brick or decorative block at the sidewalk and preferably covered with a vine similar to creeping fig like is so popular in Charleston. Multi-level parking facilities with retail at street level can be made very attractive as well as useful. Columbia is more than ready for multiple use buildings with retail at street level public parking above that with offices above that and apartments or condos topping off the structure. Residential parking should be underground wherever the soil conditions will allow it.

So tear the whole thing down! IT IS UGLY and it belongs in the 'burbs.

I agree completely! The only problem is that I don't think you can do an underground garage in Five Points. Five Points was built on an old swamp.

I would rather see a multi screen theater on the west side of Richardson (Main) Street in that awful open parking lot that is taking up valuable space and looking like a cancer. Put several levels of parking underground and construct the theater with several levels above ground if necessary. Oh, yes, and NO blank walls facing the sidewalk! Street level should be the theater lobby and retail. A theater there could conveniently serve Five Points, Richardson Street, and the Vista. PS..... That whole 'strip mall' thing in Five Points looks crappy! It should be torn down and rebuilt with the shops up close to the sidewalk. Parking could be in the rear and out of sight. Let the suburbs have all of the ugly parking lots and strip malls. Let's make Columbia look like the city that it is.

I think you will find that more people are more prone to ride a train than a bus. Also the perception is that buses are for poor blacks and trains are for the lilly white suburbanites. That perception makes a big difference down here in the south.

Hang in there a little longer. I too have had come criticism of Five Points, but in all fairness we really need to wait just a little longer. The worst thing I have seen is the wait for the trees to start to give good shade.

I agree that a tower just for the sake of a tower generates no pedestrian traffic, however, properly done towers could be the panacea for midtown. I refer specifically to the multi-purpose building wherein every new tower would include street level retail, parking either above the retail or below ground, and above floors designated in groups to offices, research, class rooms, and/or living space. Any of these combinations would work very well to increase density in our city and generate more pedestrian traffic. This particular type of building would work best east of Assembly Street on top of the hill, however, having an occasional high rise, even in single family home neighborhoods, as an exclamation point is very attractive (See Toronto).

Restrictions can be changed!

There is no doubt that the new USC buildings are attractive and yes quality. It is, however, unproductive to announce and follow through on a program that disqualifies towers as a part of the mix! As the midtown real estate becomes more and more expensive it behooves all developments to consider going up; instead USC is choosing to artificially escalate RE costs by gobbling up excessive amounts of land and then just letting it go to waste until THEY are ready. Bad, bad, neighbors!

First of all, all this property is NOT being purchased by USC but by the USC Foundation. There is a huge difference between the two. The properties in question will NOT leave the tax rolls until it is actually transfered to USC at the time of construction of a new project; then it will be RE tax free. The big problem I have with the aquasition of all of this property to be held by the foundation until USC is ready for it is that they let their properties fall into disrepair. There are a number of rotting down buildings that USC Foundation owns and is sitting on. They keep their taxes low by letting the properties go derelict. They have a tendensy to be very bad neighbors. I also hate that they destroyed the old Radison Hotel building and THEN announced that it will remain a vacant lot. What a waste! What a disgrace! What bad, bad neighbors! They also announced that they (USC) will not build any new towers. More and more 'squat' buildings.

I guess I fall between you and Corgimatt. I definately do not want to look like Charlotte's building twice the height of the rest of the city. 30 to 35 floors would be nice; but anything taller than 40 would be totally out of place. As far as architecture, I'd hate to see anything built that would make us a laughing stock. ie gherkings and torsos. What I have in mind is something that is cutting edge like F. Lloyd Wright was in the 30's. Something special that can lead the way in inovation.

Righ on waccamatt! Historic is important, however, it can definately be over done. It is time for something in Columbia to be futuristic! Whether it is the Bull Street development or a new high rise (and I don't mean 10 stories), Columbia NEEDS something that is unique, arcitecturally sugnificant, totally 'out there' and preferably tall.

Parking decks do NOT have to look ugly. Example: USC's new parking facility on Blossom between Pickens and Sumter.

Pricemiller, I tried to PM you but I received back the following message: "This message can not be sent because the recipient has their personal messenger disabled or their personal messenger inbox is full. This personal message has not been sent" ............................................................

I have a website that has tons of pics of Columbia and lots of information about the arts ,performing arts in particular, places to go, etc., but I can't give you the address else I will be soundly scolded and possibaly baned from the blog by the administrator of Urban Planet. It started out as a labor of love for Columbia; but because I have some limited advertising on it I am forbidden to promote it on this blog. I understand that the powers that be don't want this blog to turn into a billboard! I hope you can find it on your own. There are lots of pics of some of our urban neighborhoods too. .............................................................................

I too was born here in Columbia and lived the bulk of my adult life elsewhere. I had my own business in Philadelphia, PA, and spent most of my time between Washington, DC, and New York, NY. Needless to say that is the liberal bastion of this country which fitted my philosophy just fine. I chose to retire here in Columbia because of the perception that Columbia was just beginning to blossom. I have not been disappointed! I really enjoy the diversity and culture that USC brings to the area, and to a lesser degree Fort Jackson. Columbia is truly a dynamic, diverse, and international city. Don't misunderstand, Columbia is still replete with the typical Bush conservatives that only care about themselves and the rest of the world be damned; but it is at a tolerable level here in the city. The balance of SC is incurably ultra conservative to the point that it keeps the state at the bottom of all the 'good' lists and at the top of all the 'bad' lists, however, I do see a little sunshine peeking through the political clouds. Columbia, on the other hand, is considerably more progressive than SC in general. Come on home! We'll keep the light burning for you...........................................

This is a far better design than I have seen previously. OK, people.....Let's get moving and build the thing!

PS..... The STATE NEWSPAPER did print the e-mail that I started this thread with.