What is holding Sumter back? (Charleston, Rock Hill: lease, how much, hotels)

[Ceezer]

This is not a thread meant to troll, but the other thread got me wondering.

When we first moved to Sumter we were excited because it gave the appearance of a great little city. Small enough to maneuver around in with little trouble but big enough to sustain and entertain our family. Then reality set in and, while there are still some great things about Sumter like the parks, the curtain came down and Oz was revealed. I'm talking about stuff like commerce. Retail. For instance, I have to go to Cola to do all my shopping because the majority of the shops around here are urban street wear. The only real options for me to get work clothes and even stuff like jeans & tees is Belks (which, the Belks in Sumter seems to be aimed at geriatrics or something) and Walmart (which means fighting crowds and coming out to find a new dent in my car). Oh, there's the new TJ Maxx which is nice, but that's usually picked over.

We also have to drive to Cola any time we want fresh produce.

But it's not just retail. Aside from the new library and a couple of parks, there's not much for a family to do around here. Yeah, great location for going other places but I don't want to have to drive an hour or two to find something to do every time we get antsy.

I see so much potential around here and I can't help but wonder why it's being wasted. I've heard rumors that it's city council's doing but I don't know how much truth there is to that. Is there just no appeal to contractors and business owners? What do we need to do to change that?

And while we're on the subject: what would y'all like to see in Sumter? Someone last week mentioned a conference center that doubled as an arena. That would be amazing. I mentioned yesterday that a center with a Whole Foods, book store & Apple would bring in a decent crowd (heck, a book store alone would lift my spirits).

[Woodlands]

I'll give my two cents...lets begin by looking back....The comment about its the elected officials doing may only be partially correct.. not so much as the current leaders but the leaders of the past several decades...making decision that benefit the few or the "old boy" network and keeping out "new" money or other influences that they felt may undermined their authority. Secondly, you hit on the issue of location.. many in Sumter find it convenient to go some place else to shop/ be entertained and just lay their head and go to church in Sumter.. the city has the minimum of everything one would need, so if you want something extra you can hit the road and travel for it. Then there is the question of social and economic demographics, which is partly attributed to item #1. I have heard stories of industries or businesses being "stopped" from coming into the community in the good old days so that the favored local businesss would not have to experience competition. The result may have kept wages stagnant due to the lack of competative employment thus potentially marginalizing the rise of many lower income residents and diminishing the rise of a larger middle class population.The result, as many retail studies have pointed out, many new businesses may question the community's ability to support some of the retail and restaurants that are popular in other communities of similiar size. THe unfortunate sitiuation now is that Sumter may be playing a game of catch up... with Florence, Spartanburg, Rock Hill, and now even Mt. Pleasant in terms of "peer cities".Most of these cities, not only are close to or have major amenities, many have been planning for growth a decade before some would argue Sumter even began. Finally, I think Shaw is a blessing and a curse for Sumter. Certainly it provides jobs, residents, income, etc. etc. etc. but it has also portaited the community as a one horse town. We have all heard the phrase "oh my God what if Shaw closes... will the last person out of Sumter please turn out the light". That thinking resonates beyond Sumter into the business and retail industry. The City/County need to do more to try and prop up this one leg stool and diversify the area's economy.. the industrial sector has hits and misses so it may not be the total answer. Don't get me wrong, I think that progress is being made and I think many are beginning to realize the area's potential. Unfortunately only time will tell and the community may be paying for the sins of some of the forefathers.

[Ceezer]

Shaw certainly has created that image. That was the first thing I heard when I got here. "Just hope Shaw never gets closed/BRAC'd". Then when I finally made my way to South Sumter, I was surprised at how much I saw out that way in/around the industrial park.

[waccamatt]

Sumter is not much different from other small town/rural areas in the south, it just isn't growing much. The rural and small town south has been losing population for years and with Sumter being a small city, it is really just holding its own. Having Shaw there probably keeps the population from shrinking, but generally nearly all small towns/small cities (that aren't suburbs of a larger city) are not growing.

[Ceezer]

I was thinking today, what if someone were to create - or rennovate an existing one to become - an elite high-end golf course in the Sumter area (Wedgefield, Dalzell, that strip of 378 from Sumter to 95, etc)? What if it was prestigious enough for the Tour? Would that be enough to kickstart the economy around here? What if it was just good enough that it became one of those 'to-do' courses for guys/gals that travel to this region for golfing?

I don't know anything about Augusta, does it have much going for it outside of the Masters?

I just think Sumter would be a great location for some type of venue that attracts crowds. Not only is it close to Interstates 95, 20, 26 & 77, but the way the traffic is routed through town makes it easy to navigate (i.e. highways 378, 441, 521, 15, 76, etc). With that many routes, it opens up lots of possibilities for getting in & out so that no one traffic route would have to take the entire burden, as I've seen done in many cities.

[Woodlands]

I believe that Sumter's only remaining golf courses are Beech Creek, Lakewood, and Crystal Lakes?? Sumter National, which was out by 95 I believe is closed or closing and there was a Pocotaligo Course that is being turned into a subdivision? I would love to see Crystal Lakes continue to grow into a world class course as you have described. It is closest to the City, 378 Bypass, and downtown, thus making it accessible for hotels and restaurants. I don't play golf, but there are some major industries nearby that could sponsor a major tournament there. I guess the challenge may be that it is a public course, owned by the City/County so I do not know if that would hamper them upgrading it to that level because it would utilize taxpayers money...but maybe an industry would foot the bill in exchange for naming rights? Some new housing has been going up near the course, it is mostly apts and some are subsidized...but it would be interesting to see if they could continue to build up that area around the course with a mixed income multi family units.

The Iris Festival I believe is Sumter's biggest draw.. maybe there could be a major golf event added to Crystal Lakes during that time to keep people in town for a weekend instead of coming in for the day of the festival and leaving?

Another opportunity would be if Morris College added a football program and eventually added a stadium somewhere near the North Sumter/North Main Street area of the Campus, possibly adjacent to Riley Ballpark. With the help of the City they could strategically place it where it eliminates a blighted area and provides a nice gateway into the City...while providing another opportunity to bring visitors to the City. Morris is a HBCU(Historically Black College and Univeristy) and homecomings at many HBCUs (i.e. Benedict and SC State) usually bring in several thousand alumni who would stay and spend money in host cities. Also, many HBCU schools have "Classics" which are usually historical or newly created rivalries that pit various schools(who may not play against one another in the regular season) against one another usually draw crowds as well. If one were to get really creative... throw an improved Riley Ballpark into the equation with a new football stadium and create an athletic complex. This would require major displacement and relocation of residents south of the College but if it provides opportunity to remove blighted properties and to repopulate/revitalize other sections of the City with the displaced residents..in better quarters it could be a win win for everyone.

[nissanv8]

yes there is lots of work to do around here to get sumter moving but i can tell you that its a far different place than what it was 20 or 30 years ago,really it is. but it all starts with leadership and maybe we need to get some younger people with fresh ideas to run things around here. i never thought sumter was too open to change and maybe city leaders need to think better of its people and figure we deserve a better place or better things just like people in same sized cities. we need to bring something to sumter that no other town or city in the midlands has that will attract people to come to sumter not sure what that will be but i'm sure someone can think of something and a few or at least one new high rise office buillding downtown to give it a new look something at least 10 or 15 floors high we need something to set ourselves apart from other midlands cities other than the base ---

[Bob Cosby]

People we are growing but the national economy has put a lot on hold. We will soon be the home the little league World Series Soccer championship starting next year and five fields will be complete off of Patriot Parkway. Home Depot, Super Wal-Mart, and Lowe’s owns land to build other stores in the area, but they are all on hold because of the national economy, not the local.

Toumey Hospital bought land off of 378 to build an out patient clinic and Piggly Wiggly should be breaking ground any day on their super store, with a CVS pharmacy going in at the corner of Patriot Parkway and Loring Mill.

It takes time and we are expecting the Army to move in over the next few years. I’m seeing more northerners than ever before coming in to look at homes in the area, so please do not give up on the town I’ve chosen to retire in.

[nissanv8]

at least its not the worst place on earth yet. if you travel this state much you will come across lots of places that will make sumter look pretty good. lets just say its a work in progress and hope that someone in leadership can somehow pump new life into this town and boost the moral of the people living in it. but i'll take it anyday over our much smaller neighbors to the east and north of us.

[Woodlands]

For those of you who have not had a chance to visit the Thompson Headquarters at the intersection of Hampton and Main Streets or the new James Clyburn Intermodal Transportation Center both in downtown Sumter, it may be well worth a visit. I had a chance to drop in at both facilities and found their staff and mgt. willing to give tours of these two excellent examples of historic adaptive reuse. Both building hopefully represent the future of downtown Sumter which is coming along by most accounts.

The Clyburn Center is funded mostly with federal dollars.. houses the RTA Offices, confernece and training spaces, police annex, and the Greyhound Bus Station (probably the nicest one in the state). There is retail/office space available for lease and the facility is currently hosting a variety of meetings. The interior is very modern compared to the historic facade.. they used alot of glass and slate to give it a cool feel... which makes you think you are in a facility in Charleston or even ATL. The pine floors have been fully refurbished in addition to the interior/exterior brick walls and skylights. The large interior "warehouse" windows were also restored. There is even an old vault that once stored the valuables for the old Telephone Manufacturing Plant that occupied the site has been rehabbed to its orginal splendor and will be used for storage. The building is definately something that Sumter should be proud of and one of few in the state.

Thompson Industries has their new headquarters in the former "Uptown Center" is also a wonderful example of historic preservation rehab with a twist. the building has a nice roof top deck and a gourmet kitchen that one would think would be in a major city, but is right in Sumter.

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos, but I do plan to return to take some if none else in Sumter visits and post them... but I would strongly recommend a visit for those interested in these types of projects.