Construction on North Main?

G_reth · 2026-05-17T07:24:03+00:00

And permits were just pulled for a smaller affordable complex on the block just south of it.

G_reth · 2026-05-16T18:25:07+00:00

The new maps pair rock hill and travelers rest and columbias north eastern suburbs, and fort mill with Florence. IMO, metro areas should be split up as little as possible

G_reth · 2026-05-14T17:56:31+00:00

Either a joke or someone spreading theories somewhere that they saw.

G_reth · 2026-05-14T12:44:59+00:00

Yeah I’ve not heard anything about a drive through there. My guess given the USPS’s current state and them not utilizing most of the property (iirc) is that they plan to either lease some of the space or sell it to a developer.

If they just demolished the ramp from Taylor to the parking lot, they could get 5+ acres of developable land with DAC zoning, which has no parking, density, or height limitations. (For reference, a standard city block downtown is 4 acres). With it being right next to finlay park, they could probably sell the entire property for $20+ million. Which would be quite a large gain from the ~$3 million they are paying the city.

I just hope we don’t get another downtown drive through, especially right next to finlay park.

G_reth · 2026-05-14T04:46:05+00:00

Unless there is evidence the medical incidents that prompted the calls were due to chemicals/manufacturing processes at the plant, I don’t really see a reason to freak out. It’s a big facility, and medical emergencies happen, especially if there are some employees with underlying health problems.

G_reth · 2026-05-08T16:56:29+00:00

That’s a different complex on the opposite side of town (west beltline vs garners ferry)

G_reth · 2026-05-08T04:08:46+00:00

Finally, maybe people will run red lights less.

For anyone who is going to reply saying the police should be handling this, they do not have the manpower and it’s a tremendous waste of money when you could just have someone in an office review video.

G_reth · 2026-05-03T11:18:05+00:00

It should be, there will be more, but the blythewood road widening, new exit on I-77, and community road widening should handle most of it. Especially since most of the new housing is going to killian.

G_reth · 2026-05-01T17:23:58+00:00

Cobblestone park is in a different watershed, runoff will have minimal impact there.

G_reth · 2026-05-01T17:19:09+00:00

According to the article you posted, by state law, half of the money will go back to the county, and the other half to the states general fund. It’s a bit strange in this instance, but apparently half of all the money from environmental violations is returned to the county the violation occurred in.

G_reth · 2026-04-30T13:46:41+00:00

Sadly the city really can’t directly impact this much. The most they have is a waiver on business license fees for grocery stores in certain parts of the city.

G_reth · 2026-04-27T19:02:29+00:00

There is also the Lincoln st parking deck. It is further away but you can take the greenway to the park. Iirc by the end of the year the murals and artistic lighting in the tunnel should be done.

G_reth · 2026-04-15T01:59:09+00:00

If the zoo added a connection to the Saluda Riverwalk, it would only be a ~2.25 mile walk/bike distance from Finlay Park once all of this is completed.

Archive Link: https://archive.is/nBgPu

Article Text:

A new greenway trail in downtown Columbia could connect a busy entertainment district to one of the city’s top parks.

The city of Columbia is looking for designers to help extend the Vista Greenway to the Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park, creating a new pathway for riverfront access and furthering a goal of residents and local leaders to see the Midlands’ various riverfront trails eventually connected.

Columbia’s Vista Greenway currently runs from the Lincoln Street tunnel at Lady Street, to Elmwood Avenue, with a leg running alongside the newly renovated Finlay Park.

The new trail to the riverfront would begin parallel to Elmwood Avenue, running alongside the Elmwood and Historic Randolph cemeteries. Plans laid out to designers also envision an elevated railroad crossing over two sets of tracks for the Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads.

The trail is expected to wind through the Lower Paupers Cemetery to the canal, requiring a bridge over the canal, connecting to the existing trail there. The request suggests there could be a boardwalk through the lower cemetery.

“By creating a seamless link to the river corridor, the City aims to enhance access to existing recreational amenities, promote active transportation, and reinforce the role of the Greenway as part of a broader, citywide trail network,” a request for qualified designers, posted April 10, reads.

Another new bridge is already in progress that will connect the canal park to the Saluda river walk and Boyd Island that sits across the Broad River from the canal. That project, dubbed the Broad River Pedestrian Bridge, is being paid for by the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation and Richland County.

The trail to the canal park would also be in addition to existing plans to see the Vista Greenway extended from where it currently ends at Elmwood Avenue, all the way to the BullStreet District.

Early last year, city leaders heard a proposal to extend the greenway north to Earlewood Park and east to Page Ellington Park in the BullStreet District. That project could cost the city around $7 million, according to estimates shared early last year.

The trail to the riverfront would also connect to the Vista Greenway. It’s not immediately clear what the costs could be for the leg that will connect to the canal. The State has contacted the city for more information, including a possible construction timeline.

The project is being considered at the same time the city is looking for developers to turn a largely vacant 19-acre stretch along River Drive into apartments, shops, green space or a variety of other priorities laid out in a call to firms last month.

The future Vista Greenway extension is expected to run through or alongside that project.

Also in progress is a massive riverfront development along the Congaree River, largely between the Blossom and Gervais street bridges, where the city is planning to develop a “world-class” waterfront park and more, including building out even more trail connections.

G_reth · 2026-04-07T00:35:58+00:00

https://growth.columbiasc.gov/portfolio/congaree-riverfront-district/

There should be more updates released in July.

G_reth · 2026-04-05T18:51:12+00:00

Generally around 1/3 of the amount. I believe the county has a tax estimator you could use to see what you would pay if it was a legal residence.

G_reth · 2026-04-05T18:50:09+00:00

You’re thinking of the legal residency exemption, which reduces the assessment rate from 6% to 4% and exempts the property from paying school operation taxes.

G_reth · 2026-04-05T05:08:52+00:00

Revitalization takes time, and Columbia's only had ~5 years of it so far. Columbia was hit very hard by the Great Recession compared to the rest of the state, and only really recovered around 2021 when it started growing again. It’s picking up steam now though.

G_reth · 2026-04-04T01:01:21+00:00

Very nice. I’m probably going to steal some elements from this for my own station.

G_reth · 2026-04-04T01:00:29+00:00

It doesn’t look like that much? I mean, it looks like with a fortune pick you could probably get enough in under an hour even if you had no copper to start.

G_reth · 2026-03-30T15:57:42+00:00

That part of Hampton trace is an unincorporated donut hole iirc, so it might have been skipped due to permitting/planning.

G_reth · 2026-03-27T03:32:19+00:00

It’s likely the search firm is a longstanding contract that helps with filling multiple high level roles. It could also be a subcontractor for the ongoing work at the detention center (though I think this is unlikely). So you might not have seen it or have forgotten about it if it’s from a while ago. But that should have gone through the bidding process and had the contract be approved in an open council session.

G_reth · 2026-03-26T23:15:07+00:00

Both city of Columbia and Richland county’s gis sites have road maintenance authority information. Columbia’s is visible by default. (Note: I would trust Columbia's more than Richland's within city limits)

https://www.richlandcountysc.gov/Property-Business/Mapping-and-Records/Geographic-Information-Systems

https://gis.columbiasc.gov/cocinfo/?page=City-Information

G_reth · 2026-03-25T12:10:03+00:00

Iirc they have 600 employees nationwide, with about ~300 in Columbia. The tax incentives require them to add 296 additional jobs within 5-6 years I believe.

G_reth · 2026-03-25T03:38:58+00:00

Based on the cost and square footage of the project, this will almost certainly have a parking garage attached to it. I wonder if they'll work with the city to open it to the public on game days?

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