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Just read that Stone Theatres will build a 14 screen complex in Lexington at Corley Mill, Stone builds a nice theatre. Does anyone have details on Corley Mill?
They are building it on the spot of the old lumber mill located east of Hudson's BBQ on HWY 378. The plan is for an entire shopping complex to emerge with a number of new offerings. That part of Lexington is about to explode with new openings.
They are building it on the spot of the old lumber mill located east of Hudson's BBQ on HWY 378. The plan is for an entire shopping complex to emerge with a number of new offerings. That part of Lexington is about to explode with new openings.
Without knowing about any of the details of the Corley Mill Rd retail development, I would imagine this prime location is perfect for a mini-Village of Sandhill type development. 14 screens is a lot for a non-mall location. If it weren't for Harbison/Columbiana being so close by, this area would have attracted at least a small regional mall by now.
Looking at a map I'm still amazed how incredible of a location this (right off of I-20, at least as close to downtown as Harbison, and a highly desirable school district). No other site in the Midlands has this combination - others are just as greenfield-like but too far out (Chapin, Blythewood, etc.) or are closer in but in less sought-after school areas (the brownfield-ish (Bluff/Shop/Garners Ferry corridors near I-77 or the more greenfield North-Central Richland County areas off of I-20).
Without knowing about any of the details of the Corley Mill Rd retail development, I would imagine this prime location is perfect for a mini-Village of Sandhill type development. 14 screens is a lot for a non-mall location. If it weren't for Harbison/Columbiana being so close by, this area would have attracted at least a small regional mall by now.
Looking at a map I'm still amazed how incredible of a location this (right off of I-20, at least as close to downtown as Harbison, and a highly desirable school district). No other site in the Midlands has this combination - others are just as greenfield-like but too far out (Chapin, Blythewood, etc.) or are closer in but in less sought-after school areas (the brownfield-ish (Bluff/Shop/Garners Ferry corridors near I-77 or the more greenfield North-Central Richland County areas off of I-20).
Its amazed me that the areas up Monticello, Fairfield, and North Main north of I-20 have not filled in with development. Over the years it either went NE or NW.. I think now these areas are prime because of the westward movement of NE towards NW via Blythewood/I-77 corridors up along Farrow Roads. Quite frankly I would love to see NE and NW grow towards one another then back fill down Monticello and Fairfield Roads rather than continuing to grow outward into the Chapin area and into Kershaw County. Monticello and Fairfield Roads are four lanes well above I-20 and there is room in most places to widen them where they are now two lanes even further north. The commute into downtown Columbia along Fairfield and Monticello is effortless until you reach Sunset Blvd and get down towards Elmwood Ave along North Main.
I suspect the growth has been stunted because of perceptions of Richland One Schools which is Eau Claire HS, Alcorn Middle, and Gibbs Middle and a range of elementary schools.... The new Keenan up North Main and if any other new schools are built along the Richland 2 boundaries may encourage more development along these corridors.
Its amazed me that the areas up Monticello, Fairfield, and North Main north of I-20 have not filled in with development. Over the years it either went NE or NW..
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I suspect the growth has been stunted because of perceptions of Richland One Schools which is Eau Claire HS, Alcorn Middle, and Gibbs Middle and a range of elementary schools.... The new Keenan up North Main and if any other new schools are built along the Richland 2 boundaries may encourage more development along these corridors.
I can understand why residential development may not have come to that area (due to the school zoning issues), but I'm totally not sure why the "middle I-20" corridor has not seen any real industrial/commercial development beyond largely transient interstate traffic-related stuff like truck stop/gas stations and motels.
As for possible reasons, I would speculate the following:
(a) As a region (especially Richland County) we are centered on the university/state capital/FIRE industry, which favors the downtown core.
Most other growth seems to favor the exurban fringe (Chapin, Lexington, Blythewood/Elgin, etc.) rather than in-fill development in older, established suburban areas.
(b) As a region we have a fairly dispersed, sprawly suburban growth pattern, driven by an interstate network which is possibly disproportionately larger for a region our size. What this means is that growth and development will follow certain "favored" corridors and regions, leaving more undeveloped areas to wait longer for good growth.
(c) As a region we have moderately strong growth but not hyper-fast growth as seen in other parts of the Sunbelt (Raleigh, Atlanta, Houston, Northern Virginia, Orlando, etc.). Again this is another reason why it may take longer for otherwise "attractive" regions to get their fair share of growth. If we grew as fast as these other cities, then north-central Richland County possibly would have been developed more by now.
I'd conclude with this:
The only semi-dense suburban office/commercial/industrial areas are the St. Andrews/Harbison area and to a lesser extent the BCBS-anchored region along I-20/Two Notch towards Spring Valley/Clemson Rd. The next growth regions are probably the Amazon/SCANA-anchored Cayce industrial area near I-77/I-26 and the new suburban growth corridor in Lexington along 378, although the latter seems to staying a largely residential/retail area. There's only so much development that can go around in a region with our characteristics. In Richland County, I think the natural tendency will be to look at the Shop/Bluff road corridors and the Blythewood area for industrial-type development. New commercial/office development will follow the existing residential/retail growth areas of NE and NW Richland counties, where the new subdivisions and strip malls have sprouted.
I also don't know if the City/County has, for whatever reason, decided not to extend utilities to the "middle I-20" region (environmental, political, etc.).
Columbians will no longer have to go to Charlotte or Augusta for the "Galleria of Jewelry" experience, as Jared Jewelers locates here, adding to its 36-state market.
"Columbia is a vibrant metropolitan market with a diverse population base and has long been a significant market for our company. As the seat of the state's government and home to the University of South Carolina, Columbia is a key shopping area between Charlotte and Atlanta," says a letter from Cato in regard to the company's third of six Versona stores opening this year, including a Mount Pleasant store. Forty more stores are planned next year nationwide. Columbia's new store is now open at the Village at Sandhill. It's a women's fashion accessory store.
The title of this thread calls for a new thread, but here's one. Ollie's Bargain Warehouse will open its second SC store on Garner's Ferry Road in January. Spartanburg has one. They plan to open on in North Charleston in March. They are looking at putting one in Greenville, Anderson and another place or two.
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