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72º Partly cloudy | 0% chance of rain | Sunrise 6:43 a.m. | Sunset 8:02 p.m.
 

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🏗 Local Gov. 101: planning + development services

Local Gov. 101: Understanding Columbia’s City Council
Columbia-SC
An aerial view of the State House | Photo via Trinity Partners
Have you ever explored the Planning and Development Services department tab on the City of Columbia’s website? This department’s goal is to oversee developments around the City to ensure that each project enhances the quality of life for citizens, promotes neighborhoods, supports businesses, and protects the environment.

It’s chock-full of city information and has a hand in historic preservation, design development, the Board of Zoning Appeals, street naming, and much, much more.

In addition to being a landing page for many city-related resources, it deals with four key parts of development:

Development review and permitting

If you have an idea for construction — whether it pertains to commercial or trade permits — this is who you need to contact.

Building inspections

The department will review and monitor construction to make sure everything is up to code.

Planning

The Planning Division will facilitate + implement plans for the City. It has heavy involvement with business districts and neighborhoods. This department also works with historic preservation and urban design guidelines — think, the Bailey Bill.

See what the planning division currently has in the works, including preparing for National Historic Preservation Month, Calhoun Street’s improvements, adding public seating on Main Street, and more.

Land Development and Zoning

This department covers issues pertaining to the division of land, group developments, the placement of buildings, parking requirements, and more.

Fun Fact — 360 permits were issued around Columbia last month, holding a total value of $49,623,735, and 115 of those permits were issued for new single, two-family, or townhome constructions.

The Planning and Development Services also keeps a record of city projects by compiling public reports that assist policymakers, Soda citizens, and city staff when developing policies or initiating city programs. Explore the reporting page in the button below to stay up to date with the city’s happenings.
Planning and Development reporting
Asked

What city resources or aspects of our city are you curious about?

Today’s conversation is inspired by questions Soda Citizens have asked about our local government, and we want to know how we can best be of service when writing about city-centered content.
Share your thoughts with us
The Flying Biscuit Cafe
 
Events
Tuesday, April 25
  • Oyster Series | Tuesday, Apr. 25 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Smoked, 1643 Main St., Columbia | $60 | Learn to appreciate oysters like a fine wine, and discover the nuance of flavor by the climate of origin, taste, texture, and salinity.
  • Sip & Plant: Tomato-Focused | Tuesday, Apr. 25 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Gardener’s Outpost, 1211 Franklin St., Columbia | $45 | Join Randall and Carol Isherwood for this hands-on workshop, where they’ll walk you learn the ins and outs of growing tomatoes and complimentary herbs this season.
Wednesday, April 26
  • Comedy + Beer at Old Mill Brewpub | Wednesday, Apr. 26 | 6:30-9 p.m. | Old Mill Brewpub, 711 E. Main St. Ste. A3, Lexington | $15 | Laugh along with SC comedians, and get there early to order pre-show food.
Thursday, April 27
  • Business Networking Happy Hour | Thursday, Apr. 27 | 5-7 p.m. | Thirsty Fellow Pizzeria and Pub, 621 Gadsden St., Columbia | Free | Make meaningful connections with other business-minded Soda Citizens at this happy hour.
  • Woman, Life, Freedom: An Evening of the Art of Protest | Thursday, Apr. 27 | 6-8 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St., Columbia | Free with admission | Learn about Iranian culture and the current women’s rights movement from diasporic artists and scholars living here in Columbia.*
  • Concert in the Gardens | Thursday, Apr. 27 | 6-8 p.m. | Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens, 1615 Blanding St., Columbia | $20 | Bring your own blanket or chairs, and pack a picnic to enjoy a concert in the gardens.
  • Game & Garden Soirée | Thursday, Apr. 27 | 6-9 p.m. | The Hall at Senate’s End, 320 Senate St., Columbia | $65-$120 | Enjoy an evening of cocktails, small plates from local chefs, a silent auction, and live music from the Blue Iguanas.
Friday, April 28
  • Friends of the Irmo Library Book Sale | Friday, Apr. 28-Sunday, Apr. 30 | Times vary | Irmo Branch Library, 6251 St Andrews Rd., Columbia | Free | The used book sale by the Friends of the Irmo Branch Library supports library programming.
Saturday, April 29
More fun calendar events here
Click here to have your event featured.
Steel Hands Brewing
 
Travel

Don’t board an airplane without this item
A small white AirFly device next to a passport, headphones, ear buds, and a plane ticket.
Goodbye, cheap airline headphones; hello, incredible sound quality. | Photo by 6AM City
Picture the place in your house where you store you suitcases. Is there room for a two-by-two inch item weighing 15 grams? If yes, we recommend you buy this item immediately — vacation you of the future will thank you.

Meet the AirFly wireless audio transmitter, AKA your ticket to watching — and actually enjoying — the in-flight movie entertainment on your next trip.

AirFly eliminates the need for wired headphones by plugging into a headphone jack then connecting via Bluetooth to your earbuds or wireless headphones. We repeat: You will never need wired headphones again if you have an AirFly.

Reviewers have mentioned the notable improvement in sound quality that the AirFly helps produce — not to mention, you won’t have to humble yourself before your travel companions and ask for a spare pair of wired headphones (or use the cheap ones the airline passes out).

Bonus: Upgrade to the AirFly Duo to share audio between two pairs of headphones, or get the AirFly Pro for all that plus even more battery life and audio options.
Fly with the AirFly
News Notes
Sports
  • The Gamecocks completed a three-game sweep of Florida over the weekend at Founders Park. Their current record is 34-6 overall and 13-4 in the SEC. Up next, the team will take on the Auburn Tigers on April 28 at 7 p.m. in Columbia. Buy tickets here.
Try This
  • Piecewise Coffee Co. is launching a new experience called The Coffee Lab. The seminars will help locals learn more about specialty coffee. Its first class, happening on May 11, will be about home brewing methods to elevate your everyday cup of Joe.
Eat
  • Black Eats Week 803 will return June 19-25 as part of the Juneteenth celebration week. The annual event will celebrate the culinary heritage of Black-owned restaurants, food trucks, bakeries, creameries, and more in the Midlands area. Interested businesses can learn more here.
Asked
  • “Held open the stars.” That’s a line still dazzling us from our recent poetry contest. Be part of the judging panel and vote for your favorite poem. Fun fact: All the words in our finalists’ poems came from one of our newsletters.
Development
Travel
Holiday
  • Get excited to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with our online shop (Six & Main). Cheers with this Margarita Bundle from Simple Times Mixers, and treat your taste buds with Sobremesa, a small-batch mole and salsa company.
Family
  • Keep the kids healthy, active, and social this summer. The YMCA of Columbia is offering flag football and basketball for youth ages 3-14 at several locations throughout the Midlands. The deadline to register is Sunday, April 30.*
Drink
  • Hydration is key this time of year. Need to buy some water that will actually make you want to drink water? Meet Hint and use code 6AMCITY for over 45% off. (Hint: We love the Watermelon and Peach Raspberry flavors.)*
 
History

History

A quick history of Columbia’s Arcade Mall
Image from iOS (5)
Where you see chandeliers now, you used to see blue sky — a partial roof was added around 1932 and the mall was fully inclosed in the mid-20th century. | Photo by Colatoday
Inspired by the open-air shopping arcades of Italy, the Arcade Mall on Main Street has stopped passersby in their tracks for over 100 years. Built in 1912 and completed a week before the Titanic sank, the Arcade Mall has changed over the past century. In 2016 it underwent a renovation + began welcoming several new businesses.

Click the link below for a closer look at the history of the Arcade Mall and the businesses that make it a modern-day bustling lunchtime spot.
Keep reading here
The Wrap
 
Samantha Robertson in a white shirt and grey vest

Today’s edition by:
Sam
From the editor
For my birthday, I sipped and dined at two of Columbia’s James Beard Award Finalists’ restaurants. I kicked off my Saturday with the smallSUGAR breakfast dish, aside an iced vanilla latte, and ended my day with a glass of wine from Lula Drake, aside a charcuterie board.

Missed Friday’s newsletter?
See how you can celebrate Record Store Day every day around Columbia.
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