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You act like Columbia does not take advantage of federal and state dollars. Here's a link to see where Columbia seeks help, and receives it: :: Welcome to the City of Columbia ::
There's nothing in my post that insinuates no federal or state dollars went into the Vista's remake.
There's nothing in my post that insinuates no federal or state dollars went into the Vista's remake.
Not you. Most people would acknowledge that this is the case, as it should be. However, another poster seems to not understand that Columbia is just like every other city in the United States. Columbia has some nice unique qualities, but funding everything themselves is not one of them. And there's nothing wrong with that.
You act like Columbia does not take advantage of federal and state dollars. Here's a link to see where Columbia seeks help, and receives it: :: Welcome to the City of Columbia ::
I think it could do better. This is just a link to what is available and a small number of projects. No problem in pointing out where other cities obtain federal help. For instance, Project One was built partially with funding provided by tax credits. Hughes even said the project was not feasible without the tax credits. Columbia could take a similar approach with a project on Main or Assembly. Every city attracts some level of federal funding, some are better at it than others.
I think it could do better. This is just a link to what is available and a small number of projects. No problem in pointing out where other cities obtain federal help. For instance, Project One was built partially with funding provided by tax credits. Hughes even said the project was not feasible without the tax credits. Columbia could take a similar approach with a project on Main or Assembly. Every city attracts some level of federal funding, some are better at it than others.
And I am sure Mr Hughes will be equally creative in his funding for Columbia Common. He knows the ropes and is going to make sure he gets the project he envisions through whatever channels are required.
And I am sure Mr Hughes will be equally creative in his funding for Columbia Common. He knows the ropes and is going to make sure he gets the project he envisions through whatever channels are required.
I hope he is which is why I said this earlier. I don't necessarily agree with all of the funding for projects, I think the One tax credits were intended for low income areas which is funny considering the project and the mess with Certus. But, if they are there, some city is going to use them, it only makes sense to try and get as much as possible. Greenville has been very creative in getting funding for downtown projects (the fact that the city is the most conservative in the country is ironic) from STEM schools, to parks to the trail to office towers. In most every project, you will see a federal grant, tax credit etc.... I think Columbia could learn how to be as creative in obtaining more funding for projects such as Assembly, Bull St, Main St, Gervais etc..... Part of the Assembly improvements were funded by USC which makes no sense, you have a school funding public infrastructure. And, the fact that the state has not built a RR bridge over Assembly makes no sense.
It is actually much more than 41. Try 70 plus. 41 is just the estimate for the stadium, not the whole thing.
I don't see how you can't see it will be a boondoggle...it is never going to pay out to the public what the public puts into it. It won't even break even in that regard. And that is obviously money a city could throw at issues that people complain about, one that affects everybody daily life.
I"m not sure why that area of Columbia needs to be develloped, there is enough going in in the 3 active areas already. Downtowns are just supposed to be social gathering spots for the community, Cola has that already.
One major reason is because it puts formerly tax exempt property on the tax rolls. When you combine stringent state annexation laws with lots of tax exempt properties in the city, you get a city with a smaller tax base than it should have. But there are legitimate questions to be asked as to exactly how the campus should develop, what time frame, and so on.
It would be interesting to look up old newspaper articles to see what the late Mayor Kirkman Finlay was up against when he announced Columbia was going to invest in the the old abandoned, ugly warehouse district near the river and turn it into the Congaree Vista. In more recent years I even overheard a man say that renovating the Confederate Printing Plant (now Publix and condos) was a waste of money and that they could tear it down for all he cared. The conversion of the old mill that is now the State Museum (about to wrap up a $23 million planetarium addition) had its share of detractors, too.
It takes all kinds, but the visionaries usually win out, fortunately, taxpayer money and all. In fact, if it weren't for taxpayers rescuing countless urban districts across the nation, the word "downtown" would be synonymous with the word "blight" with very few exceptions. Taxpayer money leads to traction and the private sector takes it from there, since the private sector doesn't have the balls to go into an area and jump-start it themselves.
lol, it is money from the private sector that makes your downtown. You just steal it from the private sector via the government. Government is ballsy? It doesn't create any of its own wealth. It is easy to be ballsy with other people's money that you stole. You and the other ballsy urbanites on here don't give a dime to the downtown that you have utopian fantasies about. That is what freeloaders do. It isn't any wonder we have massive deficits and debt in this country b/c this is the mindset.
When this Bull Street thing fails, you won't apologize for supporting wasting the taxpayer's money. Nobody will be punished for it. You'll just be proposing some other things for our government to waste money on. Even if this thing doesn't fail as a development, it still wasn't a good use of tax revenue. It isn't going to pay out what taxpayers put in and the developer is the one who will be the winner.
There isn't any reason they need to develop this site with taxpayer money. There already is the vista, 5 points and main street. If there is a big demand for minor league baseball, then a private investor could do this without our tax dollars.
There is already a college baseball team that is no. 12 in the country in fan attendance and that is including minor league teams. It is hard to say there is a big need for another baseball team in Columbia.
I hope he is which is why I said this earlier. I don't necessarily agree with all of the funding for projects, I think the One tax credits were intended for low income areas which is funny considering the project and the mess with Certus. But, if they are there, some city is going to use them, it only makes sense to try and get as much as possible. Greenville has been very creative in getting funding for downtown projects (the fact that the city is the most conservative in the country is ironic) from STEM schools, to parks to the trail to office towers. In most every project, you will see a federal grant, tax credit etc.... I think Columbia could learn how to be as creative in obtaining more funding for projects such as Assembly, Bull St, Main St, Gervais etc..... Part of the Assembly improvements were funded by USC which makes no sense, you have a school funding public infrastructure. And, the fact that the state has not built a RR bridge over Assembly makes no sense.
Not every Republican leader is a conservative. But if the money is going to be given away to somebody why shouldn't Greenville try to get some of it. The money has already been spent, and you might get it to flow to Greenville rather than to some other city. That is recouping our tax dollars. You act like the federal government generates its own wealth.
Greenville Main Street is largely the result of not being anti-business and working with corporations, something your political party does not believe in. Your political party would have prevented thousands of jobs from coming to SC with their pro union, high tax, and anti-nuclear stances. There are thoussands of jobs at the SCANA nuclear site right now outside of Columbia for the construction of the two new units. People like you didn't make that happen. If Repubican leaders were not good at luring businesses here, Main Street would have never happened b/c there would be no corporate investment or really any demand to keep those restaurants and stores down there in business.
The Vista is immediately adjacent to the a very large public university, the state government and a corporate business district. That wasn't the risky kind of investment that a site away from these areas will be. That Publix was only given 350000 and some say it spearheaded the growth down there. Somebody said we need a Publix rule applied to this Bull Street Boondoggle site. No more than 350000. lol
Reality is without the college kids, neither 5 points or the vista would be there, it would have a money sink to throw taxpayer money at those two areas without the college kids. lol
Not every Republican leader is a conservative. But if the money is going to be given away to somebody why shouldn't Greenville try to get some of it. The money has already been spent, and you might get it to flow to Greenville rather than to some other city. That is recouping our tax dollars. You act like the federal government generates its own wealth.
Greenville Main Street is largely the result of not being anti-business and working with corporations, something your political party does not believe in. Your political party would have prevented thousands of jobs from coming to SC with their pro union, high tax, and anti-nuclear stances. There are thoussands of jobs at the SCANA nuclear site right now outside of Columbia for the construction of the two new units. People like you didn't make that happen. If Repubican leaders were not good at luring businesses here, Main Street would have never happened b/c there would be no corporate investment or really any demand to keep those restaurants and stores down there in business.
That's a dumb statement. It has bank headquarters and lawyers which would have been there anyway. Every national bank has a state HQ.The stores and restaurants are there to get the money of the employees and residents that live there.
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