City Council creates committee to study effects on downtown creek
Columbia will now have a three member ad hoc committee to address proposals for the sale of the Capital City Stadium property on Assembly Street, according to a vote from city council.
The move comes after council halted the sale of the property to developers associated with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. two weeks ago after community members raised concerns that a big box store could increase the likelihood of flooding along nearby Rocky Branch Creek and create problems for businesses and traffic on Assembly Street.
The committee will include Councilman Brian Newman of the Second District, which is affected by the proposal, at-large Councilwoman Tameika Devine and Leona Plaugh of the Environment & Infrastructure Committee.
Mayor Steve Benjamin addressed one proposal to develop a greenway along Rocky Branch Creek, saying that if the city were to pursue such a project, plans to sell the property to Atlanta-based Bright-Meyers could be scrapped.
“If ... we are going to go forward with the restoration of the creek and all the benefits that come along with that, including the aesthetics and potentially the greenway connectivity, then ... we’re going to have to figure out the sale of the property,” Benjamin said. “If that’s a vision as to where we want to see the city go and how we want to develop the city, that does run in direct contradiction to selling the ball field.”
Benjamin said council will offer several opportunities for discussion until Dec. 20.
“My only admonition is that after great deliberation over the next month, be prepared to go whichever way this thing goes, not drag this thing on and on and on,” he said.
A group of city, county and university officials rendezvoused at City Hall earlier Tuesday to discuss how to solve flooding problems along Rocky Branch Creek. Before dumping off into the Congaree River, the stream flows through the southern end of campus by Blatt P.E. Center, Green Quad, The Lofts and Aspyre. It also meanders under Five Points and passes Maxcy Gregg Park.
Heavy rains earlier this semester caused it to overflow, flooding parts of the USC campus, Five Points and the parking lots of apartment complexes and ruining several cars. Citizens wanted to restore the storm water capacity of the creek back in 2001, said Michael Dawson, chief executive officer of The River Alliance. Dawson, who attended the meeting, added that design firm Sasaki Associates picked up the idea with restoring the stream and a storm water system back in 2003. But the city never got funding for it.
“People wanted to be able to have their dogs out there, for their kids to fish out there without dying,” Dawson said.
Part of the flooding is created by constriction points along the line near Pickens Street, he explained. As the storm water runs off into the creek, it’s running into pipes that are under capacity.
Dawson suggested Tuesday that city, county and university officials work together to each take over a third of the work.
“You need an agreement in concept that the city, county and university would move to implement the university’s plan,” he said. “If they do that, everybody signs up for their third. You cooperate, you graduate.”
USC says it already has plans in motion, according to Office of Sustainability Director Michael Koman.
He said their current plan calls for “greening” some spaces, adding some water spaces and removing some buildings to mitigate some flooding issues.
“We’re looking at some flooding corrections right now,” Koman said. “We’ve mapped the creek in the last couple of weeks.”
Koman said that, working alone, it would’ve taken the university nearly a decade to fix the issue, but with help from the city and county they can expedite the process.