The Village at Sandhill

[Mr.Marc]

Wow, I have witnessed and participated in community action, and it worked! This is a relief, but I don't think Kahn or Heller should give up. They need to concentrate on building a new stadium and bringing a team to DT Cola, if they're serious about bringing pro baseball back to this city. If I were Kahn, I'd be placing a call to the city's mayor today.

What is interesting is the council's argument for turning down the stadium at the Village. Instead of focusing on the fact that the Village just wasn't a good location for the stadium, they mention the money to fund it. IMO, money wasn't the real issue. The Village businesses and additional residences would have been taxed to fund the stadium, as well as the food vendors and other venues provided by the baseball team. The county would not have had to provide exceptional sources of funding...Kahn made it clear that the project would pay for itself.

The more pressing issue is the location, and the article and council both failed to remark about it. Any professional sports venue which markets to an entire metro area should be located more centrally to the metro area to privide convenience for most citizens and ensure adequately-sized crowds to attend games. This is the reason I opposed it and notified council about it.

Charleston Native, you and I think exactly alike. I want to be on the city council when you become mayor.

[krazeeboi]

^Then you'd have to move to Charleston, because everyone knows that Charleston_native is Joe Riley's successor!

In a few other editorials, location was spoken of as an issue and the necessary upgrades for infrastructure. However, this issue was never addressed from an urban perspective, something that I brought up earlier in this thread. Now that USC has plans to build downtown, I'm not sure that a minor league affiliate could play downtown as well, unless, miraculously, the team and USC come to a consensus. Otherwise, with USC's new stadium and the Blowfish playing at Capital City Stadium, I don't really see it happening.

On a related note, I hope that the Inferno's new arena will also become home to an arena football team; that would be cool.

[goodbye]

Wow, I thought I saw more than one store when I was there a couple of months ago. Any G'villers here that could tell me if your city has more than one Belks?

Not sure how I missed this, but actually I can think of three locations off hand in and around Greenville.

• Haywood Mall
  
• Easley (suburb)
  
• Simpsonville (suburb)
  

I love these stores! They have great products and offer extremely nice clearence prices regularly.

[Charleston native]

Charleston Native, you and I think exactly alike. I want to be on the city council when you become mayor.

^Then you'd have to move to Charleston, because everyone knows that Charleston_native is Joe Riley's successor! ...

Thanks you guys! Maybe that could be the future, who knows? LOL Well, when I do run for election, Hammett, I'll be sure to let you know. Let me know what Charleston region you would want for the city council!

The funny thing about this baseball stadium is that it's not rocket science, just pure common sense. From an urban perspective and a business perspective.

[SpartanTS]

Not sure how I missed this, but actually I can think of three locations off hand in and around Greenville.

• Haywood Mall
  
• Easley (suburb)
  
• Simpsonville (suburb)
  

I love these stores! They have great products and offer extremely nice clearence prices regularly.

Spartanburg had two Belk-owned Stores in the Westgate Mall. Belk is still there, but Profitts closed in Q4 2005.

[SpartanTS]

I just hope turning Richland Mall into Midtown at Forest Acres is a huge success.

For some odd reason, I doubt it will be a success. I'm not sure if we have a market for what they're trying to build. Although, I could be wrong.

If these will be townhomes for lease, I can only imagine that the prices will be from 800+ a month. Forest Acres is full of "old money" that won't be willing to invest in this type of property.

Everyone wants it to be a success, but who's willing to ante up and move there?

[Spartan]

Its a great location though. The main draw for me was the movie theater. Once that goes away then who knows. I don't see why it wouldn't be successful, seeing as downtown is doing incredibly well.

[SpartanTS]

Its a great location though. The main draw for me was the movie theater. Once that goes away then who knows. I don't see why it wouldn't be successful, seeing as downtown is doing incredibly well.

It's a great location, but I don't think it's a great idea. I wouldn't place the primary focus on the mall right now, but instead what's around the mall. There's no other major retail activity in the area. There's a Kroger, the furniture store with the huge chair (I think it's Goodwood's), Zesto's, Blockbuster, Lizard's Thicket, and that shopping center on the corner across from the dry cleaners, etc. Oh yea, then there's this beautiful mall with nothing in it.

This mall could have been our "Lennox Square". A midtown mall with thriving retail development around her. Instead, it's just...a mall with no personality, anchors on the verge of leaving, and a parking garage that's usually empty.

The Movie Theater is "okay", but not great. I haven't been since '02, and it wasn't all that great then. The movie theater of Choice in the Metro is Dutch Square IMO.

[Temeteron]

It's a great location, but I don't think it's a great idea. I wouldn't place the primary focus on the mall right now, but instead what's around the mall. There's no other major retail activity in the area. There's a Kroger, the furniture store with the huge chair (I think it's Goodwood's), Zesto's, Blockbuster, Lizard's Thicket, and that shopping center on the corner across from the dry cleaners, etc. Oh yea, then there's this beautiful mall with nothing in it.

This mall could have been our "Lennox Square". A midtown mall with thriving retail development around her. Instead, it's just...a mall with no personality, anchors on the verge of leaving, and a parking garage that's usually empty.

The Movie Theater is "okay", but not great. I haven't been since '02, and it wasn't all that great then. The movie theater of Choice in the Metro is Dutch Square IMO.

IMO the movie theatre of choice is Columbiana Grande off Bower Pkwy(harbison area)....either that or Village @ Sandhills

[SpartanTS]

IMO the movie theatre of choice is Columbiana Grande off Bower Pkwy(harbison area)....either that or Village @ Sandhills

Haven't been to the Village yet. Columbiana Grande is a great theater with a great setting, but they don't get some of the other movies that I wouldn't mind seeing. Did they even have Big Mamma's House 2? I'm from Columbia, but I haven't lived there since '02, i'm in college up in Spartanburg, so I don't get home much to do any touring.

I've decided to invest a couple of million dollars into the old JCP site at Columbia Place and build an Imax. Be looking in the state paper for the article

[sonofaque86]

Columbianana Grande don't like playing certain movies.....Dutch Square is the best!!

[Temeteron]

The reason why Columbiana Grande doesnt play alot of the movies is because Carmike Theatre is not too far away (off Columbiana Dr.) and for some reason I'm not sure if it's the same company or not but they aren't allowed to play alot of the same movies....

[Mr.Marc]

Judging by the facade alone, I would say that Columbiana Grande and VAS are the best in Columbia. I don't go to the movies a lot so the outside design and appearance of theatres are what I tend to go by when I decide to see a movie.

[Spartan]

It's a great location, but I don't think it's a great idea. I wouldn't place the primary focus on the mall right now, but instead what's around the mall. There's no other major retail activity in the area. There's a Kroger, the furniture store with the huge chair (I think it's Goodwood's), Zesto's, Blockbuster, Lizard's Thicket, and that shopping center on the corner across from the dry cleaners, etc. Oh yea, then there's this beautiful mall with nothing in it.

This mall could have been our "Lennox Square". A midtown mall with thriving retail development around her. Instead, it's just...a mall with no personality, anchors on the verge of leaving, and a parking garage that's usually empty.

The Movie Theater is "okay", but not great. I haven't been since '02, and it wasn't all that great then. The movie theater of Choice in the Metro is Dutch Square IMO.

I think its locatin is fine. The porblem is that the mall has a bad reputation. Once they refit the mall it could very easily draw a crowd again. I don't see why that area can't be Columbia's Buckhead or SouthPark

[SpartanTS]

I think its locatin is fine. The porblem is that the mall has a bad reputation. Once they refit the mall it could very easily draw a crowd again. I don't see why that area can't be Columbia's Buckhead or SouthPark

Richland Mall lost its wow factor once Columbiana was complete in the early 90's. As a family in my younger days, we shopped there quite a bit, but my parents' home in Columbia is in the heart of Forest Acres. However, for people who don't live in the area, there's honestly not much reason to go to Forest Acres. There's nothing around it, which is why it failed.

Malls such as South Park, Lennox, etc. have a strong retail foundation around them. This is something that Richland never had, and here 16 years later, nothing has sprouted around Richland Mall.

Wal-Mart got smart and built the first Columbia Super Center down Forest Drive near I-77 and Fort Jackson, so all the retail development followed. Just so happens that that part of town got annexed into the columbia city limits. The entire area sprouted. Meanwhile, back at Forest Drive and Beltline, it's the same ol'...well u know.

Forest Acres wanted a mall in "Forest Acres", and that's exactly what they got. But they failed to realize that just a mall alone doesn't bring people in.

[Mr.Marc]

Richland Mall lost its wow factor once Columbiana was complete in the early 90's. As a family in my younger days, we shopped there quite a bit, but my parents' home in Columbia is in the heart of Forest Acres. However, for people who don't live in the area, there's honestly not much reason to go to Forest Acres. There's nothing around it, which is why it failed.

Malls such as South Park, Lennox, etc. have a strong retail foundation around them. This is something that Richland never had, and here 16 years later, nothing has sprouted around Richland Mall.

Wal-Mart got smart and built the first Columbia Super Center down Forest Drive near I-77 and Fort Jackson, so all the retail development followed. Just so happens that that part of town got annexed into the columbia city limits. The entire area sprouted. Meanwhile, back at Forest Drive and Beltline, it's the same ol'...well u know.

Forest Acres wanted a mall in "Forest Acres", and that's exactly what they got. But they failed to realize that just a mall alone doesn't bring people in.

Bryant, you're my boy, but I must say that you will be proved wrong once Midtown at Forest Acres is complete.

[SpartanTS]

Bryant, you're my boy, but I must say that you will be proved wrong once Midtown at Forest Acres is complete.

We agree to disagree, but I'll say this...

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance, planning being the keyword. This statement alone could have prevented Richland Mall from being a failure in the first place.

As I said before, who's willing to ante up 800+ a month for a townhouse in Midtown at Forest Acres once its completed?

I just don't see who's the target market here. And again, with nothing around Richland Mall, except the mall, there's no justification for moving to Forest Acres, or to go shopping in the area.

[Temeteron]

I'm glad you guys have high expectations and hopes for this Midtown thing, but I honestly dont feel the same about it, what really needs to happen is have Simon take over Richland Mall, that would be a dream come true

[SpartanTS]

I'm glad you guys have high expectations and hopes for this Midtown thing, but I honestly dont feel the same about it, what really needs to happen is have Simon take over Richland Mall, that would be a dream come true

Simon has done great things for Haywood Mall in Greenville, because they've pretty much destroyed Greenville Mall.

[Temeteron]

Simon has done great things for Haywood Mall in Greenville, because they've pretty much destroyed Greenville Mall.

Yeah but what mall would they kill in Columbia? Columbia Place is a totally different mall than Richland (can be)....Richland could've had stores like Williams-Sonoma, Restoration Hardware, Cache, Brooks Brothers, Coldwater Creek, and other stores that cater to the older upper class crowd.....it deftinately wouldnt hurt the Village, and not Columbiana either....and Columbia is a big enough market to handle 2nd locations for those stores that we already have.....its just a matter of having a mall manager that knows what he's doing

[The_sandlapper]

Forest Acres wanted a mall in "Forest Acres", and that's exactly what they got. But they failed to realize that just a mall alone doesn't bring people in.

Yeah, especially if they want to keep people out (ie from living there). It kinda becomes there own little private mall.

[SpartanTS]

Yeah but what mall would they kill in Columbia? Columbia Place is a totally different mall than Richland (can be)....Richland could've had stores like Williams-Sonoma, Restoration Hardware, Cache, Brooks Brothers, Coldwater Creek, and other stores that cater to the older upper class crowd.....it deftinately wouldnt hurt the Village, and not Columbiana either....and Columbia is a big enough market to handle 2nd locations for those stores that we already have.....its just a matter of having a mall manager that knows what he's doing

Richland was problematic from the get-go. As i've said before, there's not much reason to go to the area, besides the mall. A mall needs other shopping venues around it for it to prosper, or at least some decent retail development.

Look at every mall you can think of. All have some sort of retail development around them. The ones that don't, generally fail. Of course, this doesn't ensure that the mall will survive, but it doesn't hurt either.

[Temeteron]

Oh come on now guys, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that these rich people in Forest Acres & Arcadia Lakes are not shopping at their neighborhood mall.....they are driving down I-26 to Columbiana, either that or they are going to Charlotte or Charleston....the elderly women like St. John and they cant find that in Columbia.....only in Charleston or Charlotte, Belk Columbiana used to carry it, Im not sure if they do anymore.....I've noticed something else about Richland Mall area, there is no store to buy CD's.....the Barnes & Nobles doesnt carry music, only the one off Harbison does, and the Disc Jockey & Blockbuster music stores that used to be in there closed a while back, as well as the Sam Goody which is closing up now....people have to either go to Best Buy or Wal-Mart...which are in the busy corridors once again, another reason why not to go to Richland Mall

[SpartanTS]

Yeah, especially if they want to keep people out (ie from living there). It kinda becomes there own little private mall.

Exactly. They got a mall built to walk in, because they surely don't shop in it. And they won't rent townhouses in it either.

I say demolish it, and put the Winn Dixie 'n' stuff back Just like ol' times.

[Mr.Marc]

So pessimistic.

The VAS is located way out in the burbs. Of course it's the hot thing now, but look at the current moving trends of people. More and more people want to live in the city. So who's to say that VAS won't end up like Richland Fashion (as I call it)?

Richland Fashion is within the city limits and when it's converted into Midtown at Forest Acres it could mimic Atlanta's Atlantic Station on a smaller scale.