COLUMBIA, S.C. — When Dana Myers opened Main Street Bakery on North Main street in 2010, the area looked completely different.
"There was like two lanes of traffic, traffic wasn’t as busy as it is now," said Myers.
According to North Columbia Business Association, at least three new apartments totaling almost 600 units are in progress on the corridor. Founder and Executive Director Sabrina Odom-Edwards added that a charter school is looking to expand near Elmwood Avenue and Peakdrift Brewing is set to open in the spring. There are also talks of a new car dealership.
"Sometimes areas don't recover, they continue on a downward spiral and that did not happen here," said Myers. "When businesses started coming in, you saw the improvements."
"I’m very excited about all the new developments that are coming, the streetscaping, the beautification," said Odom-Edwards.
Gardener's Outpost Owner Carol Isherwood said businesses are ready for a rush of new residents.
"That's why businesses keep moving in because we’re ready, everyone sees it," Isherwood said. "The growth is there and I think it’s gonna be great."
Residents like Robert Lee Jr., who's lived in Elmwood Park since 1987, are also glad to see the area seeing investment.
"If they start new businesses, they rebuild the buildings and make them look nice and that’s to the advantage of the city," said Lee.
However, not everyone is optimistic about the influx of growth coming to North Main Street. J.T. McLawhorn, a former urban planner and president of the Columbia Urban League said residents need to be prioritized first.
"We want to talk about an orderly economic development plan where you get input from community stakeholders," said McLawhorn. "If you do that at first, you don't have to worry about gentrification."
McLawhorn said the city and county need to do a needs assessment to find out what businesses are needed in the community.
Odom-Edwards said they are working with developers to create steady growth.
"What we will do is try to work with the developers and management to make sure it's a property that will fit good in our community," she said.
Odom-Edwards said other possible changes include creating a middle turn lane on North Main Street. They are also considering the addition of Yellow Shirts, which are employees who help clean up litter, give directions, and help residents with various issues or questions.
"We really need to have some litter control going on the North Main, have ourselves presented a little bit better as far as beautification goes," said Isherman.