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An article in The State seems to indicate some longer-term plans for a town center-style shopping center are still on the table.
Blythewood gains concessions on location of power lines - Local / Metro - TheState.com (http://www.thestate.com/2011/10/28/2025632/blythewood-gains-concessions-on.html - broken link)
Quote:
And the last three miles generated objections from the county about lines that would:
• Run alongside a $55 million regional soccer and baseball tournament park planned on 206-acres at Farrow and Hard Scrabble roads, county property that is already bisected by power lines. The county designed around the existing lines only to find out about the second string of lines, which Hutchinson told the PSC is “unacceptable.”
• Detract from a major “town center” development of homes, hotels and shops long planned on about 400 acres near I-77 and Killian Road. Work could begin in the next two to five years on the project one county official referred to as “the Village at Sandhill on steroids.”
Granted, two to five years is still a long way out and a lot can change, but it appears that it's still happening.
An article in The State seems to indicate some longer-term plans for a town center-style shopping center are still on the table.
Blythewood gains concessions on location of power lines - Local / Metro - TheState.com (http://www.thestate.com/2011/10/28/2025632/blythewood-gains-concessions-on.html - broken link)
Granted, two to five years is still a long way out and a lot can change, but it appears that it's still happening.
I honestly hope this was one of those "take it with a grain of salt" statements regarding Killian Crossing. I simply do not see how, even in five years, how another, even bigger, version of the Village at Sandhill is feasible or even desirable. Who is this unnamed County official - does he/she even reasonably know what the true, current business case is for the Killian Crossing development? There is too much retail vacancy in the Northeast and the last thing we need is more supply - not that I think retail developers can get financing for such a project anyways in this economic environment, and even a cash-funded one would be stupid given the empty big boxes and storefronts in Sandhill and on Two Notch.
On the one hand, with the recent proliferation of auto dealers and the nearby Wal-Mart and Lowes-anchored retail nodes being built, there is some case to be made for additional major retail development, although I would think it would be significantly ssmaller than Sandhill. As I mentioned earlier, I think it would be more feasible and desirable to bring something more modest retail-wise to the area but still adds value - something like a Costco-anchored strip center or a development like Trenholm Plaza. Honestly a nice Bi-Lo-anchored development would be a great addition as there is no mainstream supermarket in that general vicinity.
I'm also wondering if any re-thinking of the 400-acre parcel has been made in terms of potential use - like light industrial, etc. Is the nearby purported Google data center site still in the works? I'm actually thinking that the new big power lines may be somewhat, if tangentially, related to that development, as huge new data centers require lots of power, the the VC Sumner nuclear plant with its expansion can provide that. The power lines wouldn't be such a bad thing, and may be a benefit, if that site becomes industrial rather than retail/commercial.
I also think any signficiant retail cluster development on the 400-acre site needs to be married with an upgrade of the Killian Road interchange, which cannot keep adding traffic and still keep its basic rural diamond layout.
"Village of the Sandhills on Steriods" ? Wow.. I m with you Chi..I dont see how the area can sustain it... It sounds like the developer has his hand up the "county officials" rear end and is using them as a puppet to tout their vision for the site whether its real or they simply want to reserve the right to do the full plan or sell it to someone else. If they dont hype it up as being big or larger than life then SCE&G will simply build their lines through it and kill whatever profit the developer has been dreaming of.. This way they can atleast not have the value of the site decline because of the power lines.. though the reality of what gets built still remains a question.
"Village of the Sandhills on Steriods" ? Wow.. I m with you Chi..I dont see how the area can sustain it... It sounds like the developer has his hand up the "county officials" rear end and is using them as a puppet to tout their vision for the site whether its real or they simply want to reserve the right to do the full plan or sell it to someone else. If they dont hype it up as being big or larger than life then SCE&G will simply build their lines through it and kill whatever profit the developer has been dreaming of.. This way they can atleast not have the value of the site decline because of the power lines.. though the reality of what gets built still remains a question.
I think part of the problem, as mentioned in the article, is confusion over the zoning of the 400-acre parcel. On the Richland County Maps website (the County's official GIS/mapping website), the dynamic interactive map has the parcel shown as "PDD, Planned Development District", but the static PDF map shows it labeled as "Industrial". Now, a PDD could include industrial uses but overall a PDD is expected to be a high-quality, innovative development. That might mean something compatible with large power lines like a good warehouse/light manufacturing district, but in recent practice this has meant large subdivisions or town-center-type commercial/residential developments. For example, The Summit and Lake Carolina are zoned as "PDD", but we all know they are really just bigger, nicer-landscaped suburban subdivisions with only token commercial development, not true town centers. The Village of Sandhill is actually zoned "GC" or "General Commercial", not PDD. That may be because it was part of the Clemson Sandhill Research site and was simply rezoned at the request of Kahn, the developer. Or it may have been a PDD at some point, I don't know.
It sounds like, as you said, there may be still County and/or developer/landowner interests in hyping this otherwise moribund Killian Crossing concept to retain property values. However, the if that's the case the County needs to grow a spine and a brain and think outside the box and not get fixated on a totally unneeded, developer-driven "Village of Sandhill on steroids" concept that was conceived at the height of the national real estate bubble but today may become a future white elephant. Honestly, I can easily imagine the I-77/Killian area become the Decker Blvd./Lower Two Notch Rd. of the area in 30 years time.
Instead, I would encourage the County to at least think about industrial uses consistent with the PDD regulations. There's already similar uses across the street with the Trane plant and if landscaped well it can be perfectly compatible with the retail/commercial development otherwise envisioned for the area. Why not have good paying industrial/warehousing jobs on a well-designed site there to complement the retail options popping up in the area? Do we just want workers coming back from downtown after work to shop and eat and fill up gas in that area, or can we create a more self-contained job-retail-housing node? In other words, are we just going to have another typical suburban bedroom community commercial hub and let other areas of the County or the City provide the good jobs, or can the County be flexible and think about other uses?
I think part of the problem, as mentioned in the article, is confusion over the zoning of the 400-acre parcel. On the Richland County Maps website (the County's official GIS/mapping website), the dynamic interactive map has the parcel shown as "PDD, Planned Development District", but the static PDF map shows it labeled as "Industrial". Now, a PDD could include industrial uses but overall a PDD is expected to be a high-quality, innovative development. That might mean something compatible with large power lines like a good warehouse/light manufacturing district, but in recent practice this has meant large subdivisions or town-center-type commercial/residential developments. For example, The Summit and Lake Carolina are zoned as "PDD", but we all know they are really just bigger, nicer-landscaped suburban subdivisions with only token commercial development, not true town centers. The Village of Sandhill is actually zoned "GC" or "General Commercial", not PDD. That may be because it was part of the Clemson Sandhill Research site and was simply rezoned at the request of Kahn, the developer. Or it may have been a PDD at some point, I don't know.
It sounds like, as you said, there may be still County and/or developer/landowner interests in hyping this otherwise moribund Killian Crossing concept to retain property values. However, the if that's the case the County needs to grow a spine and a brain and think outside the box and not get fixated on a totally unneeded, developer-driven "Village of Sandhill on steroids" concept that was conceived at the height of the national real estate bubble but today may become a future white elephant. Honestly, I can easily imagine the I-77/Killian area become the Decker Blvd./Lower Two Notch Rd. of the area in 30 years time.
Instead, I would encourage the County to at least think about industrial uses consistent with the PDD regulations. There's already similar uses across the street with the Trane plant and if landscaped well it can be perfectly compatible with the retail/commercial development otherwise envisioned for the area. Why not have good paying industrial/warehousing jobs on a well-designed site there to complement the retail options popping up in the area? Do we just want workers coming back from downtown after work to shop and eat and fill up gas in that area, or can we create a more self-contained job-retail-housing node? In other words, are we just going to have another typical suburban bedroom community commercial hub and let other areas of the County or the City provide the good jobs, or can the County be flexible and think about other uses?
Whats amazing is how the County wants to continue to facilitate sprawl...I am for rebuilding older sections of the City and the older urban sections of the County... The County has to realize that its more beneficial to rebuild these sections that to keep trying to extend infrastructure or build infrastructure further and further out. The City is IN the County and redevelopment of the urban centers will only benefit the County since everybody in the City pay taxes to the County.
Its interesting that some urban economists are predicting that manufacturing will return to some urban and some older suburban centers in the form of small light industrial and technology based firms in addition to small farms for growing food near urban areas as the cost to ship from distant rural areas increases.. In other words we will begin to consume many (of course not all) of our product from places locally..work locally (less commuting more telework, walking, biking, transit related options), and of course live near these options. Also many smaller urban centers will start thriving as people seek the balance between urban city and suburban lifestyles by obtaining the benefits of each in smaller urban markets.. .Lets hope that SC can benefit from this line of thinking...
Its interesting that some urban economists are predicting that manufacturing will return to some urban and some older suburban centers in the form of small light industrial and technology based firms in addition to small farms for growing food near urban areas as the cost to ship from distant rural areas increases.. In other words we will begin to consume many (of course not all) of our product from places locally..work locally (less commuting more telework, walking, biking, transit related options), and of course live near these options. Also many smaller urban centers will start thriving as people seek the balance between urban city and suburban lifestyles by obtaining the benefits of each in smaller urban markets.. .Lets hope that SC can benefit from this line of thinking...
This is particularly what I am looking forward to. I think eventually the Village at Sandhill will become one of these urban centers you are speaking about. Imagining that center and parts of Two Notch becoming a dense community really makes me hopeful for that area's long term success. I hope the same thing would begin to happen in Harbison in the near future.
This is particularly what I am looking forward to. I think eventually the Village at Sandhill will become one of these urban centers you are speaking about. Imagining that center and parts of Two Notch becoming a dense community really makes me hopeful for that area's long term success. I hope the same thing would begin to happen in Harbison in the near future.
Yeah if you think about it.. it makes perfect sense. If you look at all the old empty big box stores in some areas.. they are either being rehabbed into new stores or being converted into office. Light Manufacturing would work in a setting such as a Decker Mall... You already have the infrastructure.. the building could support the use.. parking is there, roadways, transit access.. etc. The rents are likely cheaper and the workforce is immediately around you. Economic Development Councils and Zoning Offices should take notice and start marketing these places for old strip malls and vacant stand alone big boxes for these type of uses and not just for commercial/retail space. Imagine if Verizon had moved to Decker Mall instead of the outter NE??? What a difference it could have made to that corridor. The restaurants would be filled at lunch time and a few more would return. Not only does it return tax base, reuse old buildings, it provides much needed jobs on a local level even though its may be only a few.
That's surprising. Granted, the Village location seems to be doing very well, but it doesn't seem to be bursting at the seams enough to warrant a second store that close. Could they be moving out of the Village?
That's surprising. Granted, the Village location seems to be doing very well, but it doesn't seem to be bursting at the seams enough to warrant a second store that close. Could they be moving out of the Village?
They are not moving out of the VOS. I heard a few months ago that the VOS location was actually way overcrowded, which necessitated an additional location in the NE.
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