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I stress this (marketing Columbia) to friends of mine who have ties and familiarity with this and they say that Columbia has been marketing itself as much as other peer cities. It almost resulted into an argument once when I was stressing this to a friend of mine who works with Lexington (but loves Columbia as much as I do) and she said that Columbia is doing what it can to market itself to people to move there, but what lacks, as has been mentioned many times before, are jobs. So if we're full steam ahead on marketing ourselves, what are we doing wrong? Or are we not doing enough? Obviously, things don't change overnight. But it seems with as much good news that's been happening here, there's also some bad to go with it. But overall the speed in which Columbia is moving in the right direction is indeed slower than peer cities.
Well according to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, Columbia has one of the strongest jobs outlooks for the next quarter among the nation's 100 largest metro areas which is definitely encouraging.
It just sucks that wages in SC aren't competitive with what's offered in neighboring metros and certainly not the major coastal cities, particularly for the jobs coveted by college-educated young and mid-career professionals. I've been back in SC for a year and landed a job in Charleston, but I'm already looking to get back up north so I can make more money with a higher career ceiling. This is something that's rarely talked about in these discussions and I hope people aren't fooled into thinking that the Upstate and Charleston are drowning in high-paying jobs because that couldn't be farther from the truth. To be honest, outside of retirees, I don't know why folks are moving here in such large numbers. It can't be for jobs at auto and tire plants and Amazon distribution facilities. At any rate, Columbia needs to have a real strategy in place to attract higher-wage, knowledge-base jobs to the region and it shouldn't try and go out of its way to lure a big manufacturer just for the sake of appearing to keep up with the Jonses.
I had a friend who was born and raised in the irmo side of Lexington...his wife literally cried when the Columbia annexed Columbiana Center. She wailed in fear for what may happen to their suburban abode. Why you ask for something as inconsequential as a mall annexation? She said it was the beginning of the end of their community with the city gobbling up tax base to starve irmo into submission. This would end in it being gobbled up by Columbia and their lives laid to ruin as some liberal snobs from Shandon decide what's best for them out in the hinterlands. They would do self serving things like move public housing out there or approved in mass subdivisions and strip malls and use the taxes they generate to fund their vane and urbane pet projects downtown
. Where do you think she came up with such a diabolical but very specific scenario ? Someone on the irmo town council using fear to further divide the metro which persist to this day . Incidentally after Richland County didn't intervene Irmo officially incorporated in Lexington County
"Oh no, the Blacks are coming!"
Same story, different metro--even in those with relatively large Black middle classes like Columbia. Take this scenario, multiply it by 50, and you see what it's like in metro Atlanta and DC.
I had a friend who was born and raised in the irmo side of Lexington...his wife literally cried when the Columbia annexed Columbiana Center. She wailed in fear for what may happen to their suburban abode. Why you ask for something as inconsequential as a mall annexation? She said it was the beginning of the end of their community with the city gobbling up tax base to starve irmo into submission. This would end in it being gobbled up by Columbia and their lives laid to ruin as some liberal snobs from Shandon decide what's best for them out in the hinterlands. They would do self serving things like move public housing out there or approved in mass subdivisions and strip malls and use the taxes they generate to fund their vane and urbane pet projects downtown
. Where do you think she came up with such a diabolical but very specific scenario ? Someone on the irmo town council using fear to further divide the metro which persist to this day . Incidentally after Richland County didn't intervene Irmo officially incorporated in Lexington County
It feels like annexation is not usually that popular, but I wonder if Columbia either does a particularly bad selling it or just not a good enough job highlighting the benefits of being in city limits? The wholesale rejection of the proposed annexation of a few years ago would suggest that it's a combination of irrational fear mongering and a lack of salesmanship.
It feels like annexation is not usually that popular, but I wonder if Columbia either does a particularly bad selling it or just not a good enough job highlighting the benefits of being in city limits? The wholesale rejection of the proposed annexation of a few years ago would suggest that it's a combination of irrational fear mongering and a lack of salesmanship.
Same story, different metro--even in those with relatively large Black middle classes like Columbia. Take this scenario, multiply it by 50, and you see what it's like in metro Atlanta and DC.
That is sad but true. Even today irmo is resisting an affordable housing development and some may wonder if those undertones are still there. Maybe that is the same reason some areas resist transit. I believe the area has become more diverse both racially and socio economically and the area has more congestion and it had nothing to do with the city of Columbia but economics ...most of the area is still outside the city
I guess amazed me about this particular instance is she tied this change strictly to the movement of a city limit line. In ATL or certainly in DC and other metros the opposition was based in policy or extension of transit or change in school boundaries . I guess the fear that the city had some radical policies or politics was very real to her smh
Last edited by Woodlands; 06-11-2019 at 05:22 PM..
It feels like annexation is not usually that popular, but I wonder if Columbia either does a particularly bad selling it or just not a good enough job highlighting the benefits of being in city limits? The wholesale rejection of the proposed annexation of a few years ago would suggest that it's a combination of irrational fear mongering and a lack of salesmanship.
It’s a complete lack of salesmanship. Nothing is explained, and there isn’t a push going door to door or handing our information and explaining it.
The biggest push for annexation I have seen is for Police services. The county sheriffs department is t made to deal with urban problems like the city. The Police have much more authority over quality of life issues such as barking dogs, people parking in the roadway blocking it or every what happened to me someone parked in front of my driveway and I couldn’t get out. The sheriffs department said they couldn’t do anything about it because they were not illegally parked or blocking the actual roadway.
I have heard other stores of this in regard to other quality of life issues that the City Police have actual authority to deal with rather than say oh well nothing we can do. The current water and sewer rates are 50% cheaper in the city limits as well.
Seems promising.... I remember when a Walmart was going to here (Cap City Ball Park) all hell broke loose.. maybe this will go down easier since it is similar to what is already happening in the area... Post Office site assessment is a good thing (and a must) as well since there may need to be some remediation I am sure..... I guess the old VA Affairs building is still for sale? Wonder why the City just doesn't buy it and put City Offices in there.. I would rather have the skyscraper on Laurel and Main.. but seems like the VA Building is already set up for Adm Offices so why not use it? Some could apply to the County.. since they need office space to.. they could pay for any reno of the VA Building with the sale of the courts building
Seems promising.... I remember when a Walmart was going to here (Cap City Ball Park) all hell broke loose.. maybe this will go down easier since it is similar to what is already happening in the area... Post Office site assessment is a good thing (and a must) as well since there may need to be some remediation I am sure..... I guess the old VA Affairs building is still for sale? Wonder why the City just doesn't buy it and put City Offices in there.. I would rather have the skyscraper on Laurel and Main.. but seems like the VA Building is already set up for Adm Offices so why not use it? Some could apply to the County.. since they need office space to.. they could pay for any reno of the VA Building with the sale of the courts building
I rode by the large tract of land near North Main at I-20 that was supposed to be a new mixed use neighborhood across from Greenview Plaza near the Pepsi Plant.. Does anyone know the status of that.. Many folks were skeptical when it was first announced and the Mayor took photos and turned dirt on the site... Seems like nothing has happened since...
I rode by the large tract of land near North Main at I-20 that was supposed to be a new mixed use neighborhood across from Greenview Plaza near the Pepsi Plant.. Does anyone know the status of that.. Many folks were skeptical when it was first announced and the Mayor took photos and turned dirt on the site... Seems like nothing has happened since...
I think it was a ploy for the re-election of the councilman as it came just at the right time.
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