Council reviews concepts to redevelop former I‑277 right‑of‑way; staff suggests RFQ, executive session planned
Loading...
Summary
City staff and consultants presented redevelopment concepts for about 19 of 31.32 acres the city acquired from DOT, emphasizing greenway integration, mixed‑use development and an RFQ process; council moved to an executive session to discuss negotiations and contracts under cited South Carolina statutes.
City of Columbia planning staff and consultants briefed the council on possible redevelopment of the former I‑277 right‑of‑way at North Main Street and River Drive, describing community engagement, design concepts and next steps in procurement.
Justin Steinman, director of Planning and Development Services, and Cinden Statler, planning administrator, said the city acquired 31.32 acres from the South Carolina Department of Transportation in 2022 and that the current conversation focuses on roughly 19 acres of that property. Staff noted community workshops in May 2025 led by Councilwoman Herbert drew nearly 100 participants and produced three concept alternatives from Tool Design emphasizing integration of a VISTA Greenway, inclusion of open space and placing higher intensity development closer to North Main.
Representing Agora Partners, Howard Kosloff and Ben Donski framed the site as a chance to "reknit" neighborhoods divided by the freeway and recommended considering long‑term value‑capture tools—ground leases, public‑private partnerships and possible TIF mechanisms—to fund operations and public amenities. Kosloff said design should treat greenway infrastructure as transportation infrastructure, not only recreation.
Consultants presented market and density scenarios—examples ranged from cottage‑scale housing up to illustrative higher‑density sections (three to four stories with an illustrative '80 units per acre' example)—and cautioned that topography and irregular parcel shapes will affect final layouts. Staff and council debated whether to apply zoning now or issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) to solicit developer proposals before setting zoning. Several council members favored an RFQ to gather market insight before finalizing zoning rules.
Council members also raised concerns about preserving public benefit, minimizing sprawling parking areas, connecting the site to Earlwood Park and ensuring construction quality. Staff noted this will be a phased, multi‑year effort and that varying development arrangements—single master developer, joint ventures or parceling among multiple developers—remain possible.
Near the end of the meeting, a council member moved to enter executive session to discuss the proposed location/expansion of businesses, contractual negotiations and the employment of municipal court judges under South Carolina statutes cited on the record. The motion was seconded and read by the clerk; a roll call vote followed and the council recessed into executive session.
Next steps: staff recommended issuing an RFQ to solicit developer interest and to use responses to inform zoning and procurement decisions; the council proceeded to discuss the matters in executive session pursuant to state code.
