The Cambria Hotel has a welcoming entrance at the corner of Lady and Park Streets. | COLAtoday
The Columbia Planning and Development Servicesreleased its annual report helping our community envision future developments and highlight the work being done to make Cola more bike and pedestrian friendly.
Today weâll take a look at the urban design portion of the report focusing on the architectural guidelines and the streetscape plans in our districts. Urban design is more than just aesthetics and focuses on making our urban places more functional, comfortable, and safe for our community.
The City of Columbia has four urban design overlays covering the City Center, Innovista, Five Points, and the North Main Corridor.
City Center Design Overlay District
Since adopting the City Center design plan in 1998, the district has seen revitalized growth in business, development, and in our public spaces. For example, the new Cambria Suites Hotel on Lady Street features a wide sidewalk, shade from street trees, potted plants, and welcoming lighting.
Five Points Design Overlay District
A goal of the Five Points plan is to preserve the village atmosphere of the community, and in 2019 the district got a boost when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The redevelopment project where the Flying Biscuit is located takes full advantage of historic tax credits and the reuse of the historic structure.
Innovista Design Overlay District
The Innovista Master Plan sets guidelines to make new developments in the Vista more pedestrian friendly and support the vision of a revitalized downtown area. Prior to the plan, the Vista was largely undeveloped land, parking lots, and commercial buildings.
North Main Design Overlay District
The North Main area was developed during the 1950s and 1960s during the rise of the automobile, so guidelines are now focused on a pedestrian-friendly design and mitigating the auto-friendly orientation of the buildings. The current plan focuses on site planning + less on architectural guidelines.
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Columbia Fireflies: Grateful Dead Night | Fri., Sept. 9 | Segra Park | 7:05 p.m. | $5+ | The first 1,000 fans will receive a free t-shirt, and Stillhouse will perform at the Budweiser Bowtie bar. ⟠*
Drive-In Movies at The Big MO | Fri., Sept. 9 | 7-11 p.m. | The Big Mo, 5822 Columbia Hwy N., Monetta | Catch a movie at the drive-in before the season ends in November. đ„
The Music Man at Town Theatre | Fri., Sept. 9 | 7:30-10 p.m. | Town Theatre, 1012 Sumter St., Columbia | $15-25 | When a con man tries to swindle an entire town out of their money to start a boysâ band, it leads to an old-fashioned love story.
Old Crow Medicine Show | Sat., Sept. 10 | 8 p.m. | The Township Auditorium, 1703 Taylor St. | $35-75.00 | Catch the Americana band perform their song âWagon Wheelâ made into a country hit by Darius Rucker. đȘ
Columbia Fireflies: Wands & Wizards Night | Sat., Sept. 10 | 6:05 p.m. | Segra Park | $5+ | See the Fireflies take on the Charleston RiverDogs and stick around for post-game fireworks. đȘ *
Clothes Mentor Fall Reveal | Sat., Sept. 10 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Clothes Mentor Columbia, 275 Harbison Blvd. | Free | Shop hundreds of womenâs pieces at this special fall collection release. *
Sunday
Columbia Fireflies: Season Finale | Sun, Sept. 11 | Segra Park | 5:05 p.m. | $5+ | Catch the last game of the season â and let kids take the stadium up on the invitation to run the bases after the game. ⟠*
21st Anniversary 9/11 Morning of Remembrance Ceremony | Sun., Sept. 11 | 8 a.m. | Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln St. | The 9/11 Remembrance Foundation of South Carolina will pay tribute to South Carolina First Responders and Military Service Members during the â21st Anniversary 9/11 Morning of Remembranceâ program.
Plan Ahead
Teal Day 5k | Sat., Sep. 24 | 7:30-10 a.m. | 2801 Devine St. | $25 | Soda Citizens are invited to help run and raise money + awareness for the Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Central South Carolina. đ *
We have amonthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*
Because the global short-term rental market is $1.2 trillion, you know investing is a good idea. | Photo provided by reAlpha
So youâve thought about investing in a short-term rental. The moneyâs great, the marketâs booming â but youâd have to deal with changing sheets, guest correspondence, and expensive property upgrades. No thanks.
reAlpha wants to change that. The membership-based companyâs goal is to democratize the real estate investment market with AI-driven tech + automated management that help Soda Citizens invest in short-term rentals without the hassle of maintaining (or even fully owning) properties.
Bonus: Itâs not just Columbia â theyâre planning to buy properties everywhere. đïž *
The Del Taco across the street from Target at 145 Harbison Blvd. is closed, but another popular taco fast food chain is taking its place. According to The Post and Courier, Taco Bell is the new owner of the location and is currently renovating the space. No open date has been announced. (The Post and Courier)
Sports
Aâja Wilson â Cola native, Gamecock legend, and now two-time WNBA MVP. Aâja won her second MVP award this week, becoming the seventh player in league history to win it twice. Watch her in the WNBA finals on ESPN Sunday at 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Plan Ahead
Historic Melrose Art in the Yardreturns on Sun., Nov. 20 from 12-4 p.m., featuring 80 artists and artisans showcasing + selling their work in the historic downtown neighborhood. The free event will be followed by live local music from Admiral Radio beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture will take place on Sat., Sept. 17 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on the grounds of the Mann-Simons Site at 1403 Richland St. The Jubilee features live entertainment, artist demonstrations, and marketplace vendors. Now in its 44th year, the festival is free and open to the public.
Community
Tickets for the 153rd SC State Fair are on sale now through Oct. 11 at a discounted rate online and at participating Circle K locations throughout the Midlands. Weâll see you at the rocket.
History
Historic Columbia is hosting a behind the scenes tour at the new Peak Drift Brewery on Thurs., Sept. 29, the site of the former Stone Manufacturing that produced the popular Umbro clothing line until 1997. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday.
Feel Good
The City of ForestAcres and the Forest Acres Police Department are donating a patrol car to the Letcher County Sheriffâs Office in Eastern Kentucky in the aftermath of major flooding. This comes as the seven-year anniversary of the 2015 âone-in-1,000 yearâ flood that caused damage throughout the Midlands. (WLTX)
Ever want to find out what your coworkers are listening to?Trinity Partnersâ Graphic Designer Grace Trimble polled hers and letâs just say we canât get one song out of our head. đ¶ *
Shop
NoMa Warehouse is hosting its first-ever NoMa Flea Junior today at 6 p.m., showcasing talented youth with unique and exciting creations. Benâs Bagels will be on hand selling homemade bagels + there will be a âgrownupâ juice bar for adults to enjoy.
Development
Notice anything new lately? Our newsletter is currently âunder construction,â so please bear with us as we fix some of these pesky formatting issues. If you see anything amiss over the next few weeks, please donât be shy and pass it along.
Wellness
Did you know the electrical activity in the brain is virtually the same whether a person is awake or asleep? Take a trip into the strange world of dreams with MUSCâs Thomas Uhde, M.D., who has spent a large portion of his career studying what happens when we sleep. đ€ *
Learn
Guten morgen, Columbia. If youâre ready to brush up on that high school German, do it the effective (and fun) way with Babbel. Its speech recognition technology will even help you nail your pronunciation + accent from the get-go.Bonus: Get 55% off your subscription â for a limited time only.*
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Listen
A book club, for podcasts đ§
Join the Podcast Brunch Club in Columbia, SC
Stay up to date on the latest podcast club episodes. | Podcast Breakfast Club
In March, Michelle Bizzell took over the Columbia chapter of the Podcast Brunch Club, a club created to build community and start conversations around podcasts. We caught up with Michelle ahead of the clubâs next meeting on Mon., Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at Curiosity Coffee and asked her a few questions someone interested in joining might wonder.
If someone wanted to come to an event for the first time, what podcast would you recommend?
I would recommend checking out the monthly playlist. Even if you canât listen to the whole thing, trying one or two episodes will give you plenty to talk about. The playlists have a wide variety of podcasts, and thereâs always something new.
What was the first podcast that got you hooked to the format? Gastropod. The episodes are about so many different food-related things, and I always learn a lot.
Todayâs edition was written by City Editor David.
Editorâs pick: The Jam Room Music Festival is coming up on Sat., Oct. 1, and for the first time Iâm helping out with the festival. On Thursday we shared the poster that showcases the Soda City and the feel of the festival. Share it and tell a friend.
Missed yesterdayâs newsletter?Read our tips on creating an epic UofSC tailgate.
Editorial: Samantha Robertson, David Stringer, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.
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