COLUMBIA, S.C. — The City of Columbia leadership is working on growth, including big projects like a new hotel in the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, smaller scale projects like revitalizing neighborhoods one house at a time, and they even gave an update on the progress of Finlay Park.
In a Columbia City Council meeting on Tuesday, leaders voted to approve the purchase of a home on Randall Avenue in Columbia, which Mayor Daniel Rickenmann explained is part of a much bigger project.
“What we're trying to do is put our focuses in neighborhoods with an over-abundance of empty lots, and start figuring out ways that we can help people get home ownership and building units, and building back the fabric of these neighborhoods," Rickenmann said.
In the hopes of revitalizing some of Columbia’s older neighborhoods, Rickenmann says the project is two-fold, also helping with the need for homes as well.
"The housing that we need is thousands of units, close to 15-16,000 units... in the next decade, but if we have empty lots, let's figure out how we can put houses on them. I don't think we have a land problem; we have a housing problem," the Mayor said.
In the same spirit of wanting to draw more people to live in Columbia, the city’s leaders are also trying to create more reasons for people to stay and play in Columbia, too.
In that same discussion, the council was also presented with a proposed change to an ordinance about the design regulations in the Vista area. With interest in building a new hotel, the current design ordinance would have to be adjusted to allow for a hotel that is greater than 75 feet tall.
Councilman Peter Brown explained that any change to this ordinance to allow a hotel at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center would make way for large events coming to the city, such as the March Madness NCAA Tournament.
“The biggest knock on Columbia is that we just don't have the hotel space. When you can check all the boxes, and you can't check that one, it kind of hurts. You know we're there and we're such a great place, and one day we're going to get our message out.. and we're going to back it up with all these projects," Brown explained.
Although the discussions about getting a hotel in the Convention Center have been happening for years, residents will have to wait a little longer, as the city wants to have more conversations with Vista residents before approving their second step.
The last quality of life project city leaders answered questions about was the progress on Finlay Park.
A groundbreaking took place in September of 2023, and now, according to Mayor Rickenmann, more progress is being made.
"Construction! Between the rain and everything else, they are really moving dirt, and it's really exciting," Rickenmann exclaimed.
Finlay Park is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2025.
The next Columbia City Council meeting will be on June 4.