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Columbia City Council continues parking debate
Public hearing Mayor Coble called for a public hearing on the city's proposed public/private parking deal at the corner of Saluda Avenue and Blossom Street in Five Points. The crowd appeared somewhat balanced, half for and half against. At issue was the 200 parking spaces for which the city is paying private developers $5.8 million, which includes $1 million for the air rights. All told, if there is no cost overrun, the city is paying $29,000 per parking space in an elevated garage deck between ground- floor retail and upper- floor residential. The project has been approved as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) with six stories, two above the Five Points zoning overlay approved after this project's PUD succeeded. Phil Lacy - Law professor Phil Lacy reviewed the contract. He wondered over the engineering soundness of the construction connected to the storm sewer tunnel on the edge of the site. He asked why the city had to prepay anything. Was there adequate financial backing of the development team? Prepayment amounts to an interest- free loan. The contract appears to allow the purchase price to rise above $5.8 million. On the whole, though, with a few exceptions, the contract is favorable to the city. Lacy discussed the differences in financial security when dealing with a letter of credit on one hand or a surety bond on the other. He asked if the contract could mandate arbitration to avoid litigation. In conclusion, Lacy declared the contract an incomplete work. Needs rewrite.
Gene Dinkins - Engineer Dinkins likes the proposal for its quality and the upmarket retail tenants, a bank branch and a CVS.
Andrew Marion - President of Wales Garden, he said 214 people attended the neighborhood protest at the Senior Center in Maxcy Gregg on April 22, where 90% were against the deal. Vickie Eslinger - Lawyer Eslinger worried that the purchase price could creep above $5.8 million. She said the contract needs to cap the purchase price at $5.8 million. The contract is an invitation for a fight, she said. Manny Frankstone - What are we doing here? Has this deal not already been approved? They got their PUD, so why can't the developers just go ahead? Merritt McHaffie - She was able to poll 89 of Five Points' 137 businesses, and 71 were for the deal, 12 against, and 6 indifferent. Mac Ogburn - Like Manny Frankstone, Ogburn wondered what was the hold- up? Why can't the deal go through to completion since all the approvals are in?
Doug Quackenbush - Architect Quackenbush reminded the audience the site had been identified in the mid- 1990s as the ideal spot for a parking garage. Suzi Heyward - What assurances of completion does the city have? Jerry Kline's project fell through at the corner of Gervais and Huger. Are these developers as financially strong as Jerry Kline? Are they likely to drop their deal as Jerry Kline dropped his? Will the site stay empty for a long time? Reed Swearingen - Former candidate for council Swearingen asked if the city could simply subsidize a down- sized deal, leaving the developers with a reasonable profit, and put their parking somewhere else. Jimmy Knight - Five Points property owner and nearby neighbor, Knight said the design was pretty good, certainly better than anything there before. Height doesn't bother him, but ugly buildings do. He's happy to have a handsome building and its six floors.
Ron Swinson - Developer Swinson, in partnership with Stan Harp on this project, said his approvals were valid and construction was about to begin. He distributed contextual photographs among council and the audience to illustrate where six stories fit in. He said the price to the city could be guaranteed at $5.8 million. Council will decide the final fate of the project at its next meeting, May 21. City's favorite Karen Kustafik, Park Ranger Coordinator, is the April 2008 Employee of the Month. She was introduced by Allison Baker, assistant city manager for public services. Hearts Mona Carter, vice president for corporate relations at the American Heart Association, designated the city "heart healthy." She and fellow fitness fanatic Coble stood for a full- bodied photograph.
Dee Albritton, executive director of fast Forward, said Columbia has about 1,500 homeless veterans most any day, and her computer education program enrolls 200 veterans besides its full load of school kids. Senator Graham helped with a Department of Labor grant for job training among the homeless. Irish Jim Lawracy, a city employee but in this case a citizen, reported to council the planned memorial to the Irish immigrant workers who built the Columbia Canal in the early 19th century. Built of granite blocks salvaged from Cell #1 at CCI, the memorial is to be placed on the brick plaza at the entry to Riverfront Park. City manager's report City Manager Charles Austin introduced Columbia's Police Chief Tandy Carter at his first city council meeting. Jeff Crick, community planner, reviewed The Columbia Plan, an exercise and a document required by law to occur every 10 years. Damon McDuffie showed the designs for the city's skate park near Owens Field.
Council meets again May 21, Wednesday morning at nine o'clock in City Hall.
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