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The more I learn about this whole thing, the more I think there never really was much of a plan at all. There is still a need for a new courthouse and this will give them more options, maybe even at Bull Street?
I think building on Bull Street would be nice and definitely would kick off more development.
I can tell you what's halting Columbia's growth. Transportation and not just buses.
Although buses are improving and they're talks into building a park n ride commuter bus from Columbia to Newberry. We are in need of a Commuter Rail.
Rapid Transit is needed here. That's what is halting new jobs and people moving in here. You still need a car to get to most places.
Another thing is the lack of affordable housing. Rent prices is skyrocketing in the city so everyone especially Millennials (my generation) can't afford it so we're forced to move further and further away from the city and there's no transportation options besides driving your car or calling an Uber to get to work or school.
So that's another reason why a lot of people are getting frustrated and leaving Columbia for Charlotte or Atlanta. Better transit, Better jobs, Better connectivity, etc.
Jobs is number 1....people follow the jobs...and USC, Insurance, Fort Jackson, and Government aren’t huge in briniging in thousands of jobs from out of state etc for relocation or to want to stay and not move to a bigger closer city.
I also wonder if household size is playing a role in addition to the slow to no annexation? Most people moving in or out of Columbia are likely singles or couples. Families with kids are likely to settle in the burbs because of home sizes housing prices and schools
I can tell you what's halting Columbia's growth. Transportation and not just buses.
Although buses are improving and they're talks into building a park n ride commuter bus from Columbia to Newberry. We are in need of a Commuter Rail.
Rapid Transit is needed here. That's what is halting new jobs and people moving in here. You still need a car to get to most places.
I'm not saying you're right or wrong, but I lived a little over 3 and a half years in Durham, NC working at Duke University Medical Center and finally they are trying to build a light rail starter line from Chapel Hill to Durham (might start construction in 2020 and open in 2028) and get some commuter rail from Raleigh to Durham. I agree with sonofaque86, that jobs are #1 in getting people to move anywhere.
I would say the Triangle is very car-centric and has had a horrible transit system, but they still went from 700,000 people in 1990 to 2.2 million in 2017. While transit options are always nice, it's really the employers that you need for growth.
Of course the Triangle "lucked out" with having UNC, NC State and Duke located there, coupled with RTP and IBM coming there back in the 80's and GlaxoSmithKline, etc. Then SAS being founded there, obviously helped with the crazy growth.
I mean look at Charlotte, they've had light rail for only 11 years now (?) and it just was expanded to a total of 19 miles, but I don't feel that their growth is due to the Lynx Blue Line, it's more to the fact, headquarters to eight Fortune 500 and seven Fortune 1000 companies are located in that area.
I'm not saying you're right or wrong, but I lived a little over 3 and a half years in Durham, NC working at Duke University Medical Center and finally they are trying to build a light rail starter line from Chapel Hill to Durham (might start construction in 2020 and open in 2028) and get some commuter rail from Raleigh to Durham. I agree with sonofaque86, that jobs are #1 in getting people to move anywhere.
I would say the Triangle is very car-centric and has had a horrible transit system, but they still went from 700,000 people in 1990 to 2.2 million in 2017. While transit options are always nice, it's really the employers that you need for growth.
Of course the Triangle "lucked out" with having UNC, NC State and Duke located there, coupled with RTP and IBM coming there back in the 80's and GlaxoSmithKline, etc. Then SAS being founded there, obviously helped with the crazy growth.
I mean look at Charlotte, they've had light rail for only 11 years now (?) and it just was expanded to a total of 19 miles, but I don't feel that their growth is due to the Lynx Blue Line, it's more to the fact, headquarters to eight Fortune 500 and seven Fortune 1000 companies are located in that area.
The triangle is going to explode if they get the new Apple Park
I also wonder if household size is playing a role in addition to the slow to no annexation? Most people moving in or out of Columbia are likely singles or couples. Families with kids are likely to settle in the burbs because of home sizes housing prices and schools
If this is is regards to that horribly written story headline comparing variable areas and referencing data-sets which is SC because of annexation laws, have very little meaning, please read this article to understand why even giving the writer the benefit of the doubt about his misunderstanding of population growth in urban areas of SC was still referencing fairly unreliable estimates...
I can tell you what's halting Columbia's growth. Transportation and not just buses.
Although buses are improving and they're talks into building a park n ride commuter bus from Columbia to Newberry. We are in need of a Commuter Rail.
Rapid Transit is needed here. That's what is halting new jobs and people moving in here. You still need a car to get to most places.
Another thing is the lack of affordable housing. Rent prices is skyrocketing in the city so everyone especially Millennials (my generation) can't afford it so we're forced to move further and further away from the city and there's no transportation options besides driving your car or calling an Uber to get to work or school.
So that's another reason why a lot of people are getting frustrated and leaving Columbia for Charlotte or Atlanta. Better transit, Better jobs, Better connectivity, etc.
Youve literally described what everyone complains about with every growing city in the country. It’s literally copy and paste. Austin has terrible transit and skyrocketing rents and yet that’s not stopping it at all. Raleigh too. Or Nashville. Or New York. Or Oakland. Or Orlando. Keep going.
Columbia’s slower growth is due to jobs, not transit. And besides, even if it was announced tomorrow that Columbia would get a commuter rail, it wouldnt be ready anyyytime soon. Columbia was built for cars. A commuter rail up 26 could help, but judging by others, it probably wont be the revolutionary savior you think it would be. Nashville has had comm rail since 06 and it gets a little over 1,000 riders a day. Even rapid growing Austin cant get 3,000 riders...
Also Columbia rent is not skyrocketing, people throw that around too loosely with every growing city. According to Rent Monkey, Columbia’s average rent in January was lower than it was most of 2016.
Columbia is in great position compared to most cities. Most cities have climbed above $1,000, but not Columbia. Columbia is not Denver like youre acting. Ps it is definitely not easier to get around Charlotte or Atlanta, come on now lol. People leave Columbia for Charlotte because they can get paid more, not because Charlotte has 1 light rail line...
Also Columbia rent is not skyrocketing, people throw that around too loosely with every growing city. According to Rent Monkey, Columbia’s average rent in January was lower than it was most of 2016.
Columbia is in great position compared to most cities. Most cities have climbed above $1,000, but not Columbia. Columbia is not Denver like youre acting. Ps it is definitely not easier to get around Charlotte or Atlanta, come on now lol. People leave Columbia for Charlotte because they can get paid more, not because Charlotte has 1 light rail line...
Thank u, so so true. Rent has been relatively stagnant in Columbia.
Some of you may already have seen this, but I completely missed the Gerald Seals drama in the Richland Renaissance story. The county spent $1M on a settlement?!
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