waverider
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Posts posted by waverider
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Dutch Square is getting a Planet Fitness, next to Belk on the Dutch Square Blvd. side. I may have to consider changing my gym membership...
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There will be another round of meetings about the Broad River Corridor today and tomorrow. Apparently they've taken the results of the last round of meetings in May and compiled a report of their findings, which can be found here. It was quite interesting to see their proposals for what they call the "Dutch Square mixed-use transit node;" looks like they're proposing that Dutch Square be completely reshaped, extending Colonial Life Blvd from Bush River Rd. to Longcreek Rd. and a lot of new construction.
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There's an article in today's edition of The State about how Cici's Pizza will be relocating from the Dentsville area to North Main Plaza. I would assume that it will be moving into what used to be the North Main Deli. I'm extremely sad to see the Deli closed (does anyone know why they closed?), but glad that the space won't be sitting empty.
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Did anyone end up attending any of these meetings? I'd be interested to know what was said. Broad River Road is a major thoroughfare that is in desperate need of a shot in the arm.
I went to the first meeting that they held. They called it a "charette," although I can't remember what that means right now. They presented their preliminary results from the first round of meetings they held last year, and then broke us up into small groups to identify the area's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We sat around large maps of the area and pointed out things that were problematic (for example, high-traffic intersections or empty lots), and also assets that could be capitalized upon. I don't know how the rest of the meetings went, but it was good to see so many people there that were invested in improving the corridor.
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Also, is PT's Cabaret closing or just moving? I never went there, personally, but I think places like that create a richer, more cosmopolitan community and bolster Columbia's "blue dot in a sea of red" image.
From what I've heard, the owners are looking for an another location. Not sure where yet.
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This is related not just to Dutch Square Center, but also the surrounding corridor. Richland County Neighborhood Improvement will hold a series of meetings this week for community members to provide input about the future of the Broad River corridor. The meetings will be this Tuesday through Thursday, May 11-13, beginning at 5:30pm at Dutch Square Center near Belk's. I'm going to attend at least one of the meetings.
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The third annual Urban Tour goes down tonight on Main Street. Hope someone take some pics.
I'm planning to attend, at least for a little while. I'll see if I can snap some.
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The feature article in this week's Free Times is about Five Points and its current, as they say, "Identity Crisis." Interesting information in here about upcoming Five Points developments. I knew about the plans to turn Hardee's into Chick-Fil-A, but had no idea that the building housing PT's Cabaret was being turned into a Cook-Out drive-thru fast food restaurant. As a native North Carolinian, I do love Cook-Out, but that's not what I would have wanted to see there. Lots more in the article.
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Not sure if this Main Street thread extends north of Elmwood, but I have to say that the North Main streetscaping project looks great. Funny that they finished it just as I moved and wouldn't have to use it anymore.
But the road looks good. Now if they can just court some businesses to come back in... -
I look at Dutch Square and can't help but see what used to be Coliseum Mall in Hampton, VA: once THE premier shopping center, left behind by newer malls in the suburbs, left to die or reinvent itself. Coliseum Mall is now being transformed into Peninsula Town Center, a development similar to the Village at Sandhill, only smaller. They were able to keep the mall's anchor stores open through the transition. I would love to see something like that happen at Dutch Square; but then, that was also the plan for Richland Mall, and we see what happened there.
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I noticed that some preliminary work on the Broad River Bridge between Lucius and Riverhill/Bentley has begun. The SCDOT website seems kind of vague on the plans; has anyone seen what the plans are or a timetable for the work to be done?
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Rocky Branch Creek is being restored to its original location in MLK park after having been moved under the baseball field at the park near Five Points three decades ago. This should help with the frequent flooding problem in Five Points after rainstorms.
I'm pretty excited about this restoration. My coworkers and I have taken lunch to the park before, and I think this will add some beauty and peace to those midday breaks. However, I've only seen the part of the work closest to Lee/Pavillion, I wonder how it looks closer to the baseball field.
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There was an article in The State yesterday discussing the possible need for expansion of the convention center. The religious gathering that it used as an example is one that I'm very familiar with, as my home church is part of this denomination and I've attended every convention that it has held in Columbia ('92, '96, '03, '05, '07, '09). While it's now clear that Columbia can hold its own when it comes to attracting meetings, I do applaud regional leaders for erring on the side of caution in building the center at a conservative size and for building it with expansion in mind when the appropriate time comes (and I think that time is now).
I agree. My denomination's Region Annual Conference was held at the Convention Center last summer, and though we had about a tenth of the numbers that COOLJC had, we still used a good bit of their space. However, I've heard comments that people thoroughly enjoyed the downtown Columbia conference experience--a great convention center, nearby hotels, plenty of eating and shopping options within walking distance. I hope the expansion comes through, and that it doesn't get shut down for any of the reasons mentioned in the article.
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^ Drove by there today. The building looks decent. The CVS at State and Knox Abbott looks hideous.
I agree. I wasn't a fan of putting a CVS on that spot at all.
I also got caught off-guard by the street resurfacing on State St. It seems that some of the businesses on State St. got surprised by it as well--one day their street parking is there, the next it's gone, and one business owner told me he had no warning about it.
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http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_wavy_no...htrail_20090323
I thought this was a funny light rail report...watch the video!!
What do you guys thing about the reporting???
I was in the area this weekend visiting family and for the Shamrock Run, and saw the lead-in for this story. I think the residents have some legitimate concerns, but if this guy wants to take on the city, he's gonna have to have more than just righteous anger and Andy Fox on his side.
Any kind of construction is going to cause some problems and disruptions, and it's easy to lose sight of the long-term benefits of change when the short-term problems are in your face right now.
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This is going to be going on for 60 days? Most of the traffic is using my street as a detour instead of the designated one on River Drive and Main Street. It has been next to impossible to get out of my driveway at times, lol.
I noticed that on Sunday afternoon. People are cutting through Keenan Terrace onto streets that were not designed to handle that kind of traffic flow. I think one of the problems is that the detour signs aren't very noticeable. The "road closed" signs are sitting on the side of the road, so people think they can still drive through.
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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.
I had a similar thought when I read about the road closure through this area. It's way too heavily-traveled to remain 2 lanes. I don't know what the resistance has been (environmental impact to the creek, ROW), but it seems to me that that area should be a priority.
In the meantime, I feel for those who have to commute through that area. They're going to be routed directly into the middle of the North Main construction.
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Even in this economy the University of South Carolina's grants for research are up compared to last year. It is a reflection of the quality of research going on at USC and of the caliber of faculty applying for the grants.
http://www.columbiabusinessreport.com/news...last-year?rss=0
This is one of the gems in USC's crown that I don't think gets a lot of publicity--but it's also now in danger in light of the budget cuts. Some of the same faculty who are working hard to get grants are the same ones who may be on the chopping block in the next round of budget cuts. Fewer faculty, particularly in health sciences, means fewer grant applications--and that affects not just the faculty, but those project managers, research associates, and other support staff. Not to mention that even the grant awards are being reduced by funders. It's a tough time to be on soft money. But kudos to USC for continuing to make progress in getting grant awards.
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I drove through Columbia today and I have two observations.
1- Bull St doesn't look finished. I think they're going to come back and put a final layer of asphalt down. You can still see the curbline and some of the sewer caps are exposed.
2- 12th Street extension is a serious contender for the most unnecessary road in South Carolina. It goes nowhere, it is extremely wide, and the traffic is non existant. Can anyone explain why this road exists?
I think this road would be more useful to me if I still lived in Cayce...to me, it's a quicker way to get to I-77 and I-26 as opposed to going down 321. I do see a good bit of industrial traffic when I use it.
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I'm pretty sure every car is equipped with a speed measuring device
Duly noted.
I was just saying that I think it would be helpful to have some frame of reference for the time given. 10 minutes to travel 9 miles vs. 10 minutes to travel 2 miles are very different.
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I noticed the boards in operation for the first time this morning on my way to work.
The times are slight overestimates (i.e., it says <15 minutes for my commute on I-20, though it actually took ~8), but in the event of an accident or any sort of severe congestion, I can see it being immensely valuable.
That being said, I'm typically quite content with how traffic flows in Columbia. Compared to other major urban areas, our traffic problems are pretty minimal...although that's not to say that they can't use any improvement.
I think the boards are a good idea...one thing that I think would help would be for the DOT to also include the distance, the way the Atlanta boards do. For example, if you're on I-26 inbound from Harbison, the sign could read "I-126, 3 miles, 4-5 minutes." It gives me an idea not just of time, but of average speed as well.
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I don't know if anyone has already started a thread about this, but I saw this article in The State about the new Congaree Pointe development breaking ground tomorrow. What do you all think about this?
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I flew to NYC last year from Columbia to La Guardia for $200 (roundtrip), which I thought was a great deal. In May I flew to Hawaii from Columbia with a lay over in ATL for only $50 more than flying out of Charlotte. I think CAE can be very competetive if they keep their prices reasonable.
sometimes, there are good deals flying out of columbia...but they have a long way to go. for example, my partner and i flew to south florida memorial day, and it was $200 cheaper per ticket to fly out of charlotte as opposed to columbia. so, we made the drive. same for albuquerque last year and my trip to austin this summer.
but, that may be changing now that columbia is getting some more traffic, and the nonstop flights to dfw and chicago.
But the road looks good. Now if they can just court some businesses to come back in...
Main Street/CBD Developments
in Columbia
Posted
There's an article in The State about a local DJ who's planning to re-open the lunch counter located in the Tapp's building, but this time infusing art and live jazz into the mix. It's encouraging to see entrepreneurs investing in Main Street.