The final puzzle piece has been placed for the 27-mile riverfront, as the City of Columbia is offering a space for community engagement while launching its 100-acre development.
The first public hearing took place April 1, inviting community members to share ideas and voice their opinions on the future of the park. The effort to connect communities along the river through greenways has been in the works for more than 30 years, said Columbia City Council District 3 Representative Will Brennan.
"I just think now is a very special time in the history of Columbia, for the development of Columbia, for all of us to be here,” Brennan said. “I'm just thankful that we've got so much potential moving right now.”
The 100 acres' history fluctuates between ownership and condition. Bicentennial Park opened in the space in 1976, but was given back to its private owners by the City of Columbia within a decade. In more recent years, the area had to be fenced off to complete a coal tar cleanup, an effort to remove toxic pollution left from a gas plant that retired in 1950. Now, in trust from the owners of the property and the city ready to move forward, the timing finally aligns.
“It’s honestly the last major acreage, major large area of land on a river in the heart of an urban area, probably in the East Coast,” Brennan said. “It's all kind of stacking up, timing-wise and investment-wise, for us to make that happen, and it's just an exciting time to be a part of Columbia as a resident, as a student. It's really going to shape up to be something world-class.”
During the first of a series of public meetings, nearly 200 community members showed up to express their thoughts for the potential of the park. Congaree Riverkeeper and USC alumnus Bill Stangler attended the first meeting, taking note of themes and priorities that seem to be at the project's core.
"I think the overarching sentiment that we've seen both at that meeting and whenever we hear about this project is protecting and preserving that natural care,” Stangler said.
During the early stages for this 100-acre development, Brennan said he does not want to make a huge public investment without the actual involvement of the public, a message reflected throughout leaders in the project's execution.
“This isn’t just about a single park; it’s about a vibrant district reflecting the unique character of our community,” Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said in a statement on the City of Columbia’s website. “Your input on everything from recreation to environmental preservation is at the heart of this process. This is your riverfront, and we want the final vision to be a reflection of your dreams for Columbia.”
Landscape architect and urban design firm Field Operations has been selected by the city to lead the design process of the park. The city plans to pull from these architects, the community and the Congaree Riverkeeper to cultivate the final plan. Stangler said it’s important to note that the construction of the project aims to maintain the already present ecosystem.
“As the city talks about developing the riverfront, it's important to remember what that means in this context versus what people might think it means,” Stangler said. “In this case, it cannot be aggressively building up to the edge of the river."
Brennan didn’t distinguish this park as being for a select group, but instead open to serve as a connecting point across communities to Columbia's nature.
“I think connecting all of our corridors, it's a great reason for people to move downtown, for students to stay downtown,” Brennan said. “That's one of our biggest drives for the city is to really keep all the talented students here ... Fall in love with the city, fall in love, start a family here, and then call Columbia home.”
Brennan hopes connecting the riverfront leads to improvement in quality of life for his constituents and gives them more chances to enjoy the beauty in their own backyard.
"This isn't just a city park, this is a Midlands Park,” Brennan said. “This is Richland County, Lexington County, Newberry, Fairfield, Sumter, Orangeburg. This is a reason for people to come to the Midlands. We hope people from all over the country and the world hear about it and want to come check the box to say you’ve checked out the Congaree Riverfront in Columbia."
The project leaders will measure their success based on how new generations learn and enjoy the riverfront. With the goal of finishing the greenway puzzle, the 100-acre development hopes to inspire a whole new generation of river enthusiasts.
“You want to build something that's going to be timeless,” Brennan said. "For generations to come, five, six, seven, eight generations down the road can still enjoy it. I think making that appreciation and connecting to your rivers is something that everybody who was there last night and who’s going to enjoy this park in the future will really appreciate.”