During the next several weeks a hot topic of discussion for Columbia City Council is likely to be the idea of creating a tax increment finance (TIF) district to fund the Columbia Renaissance Redevelopment Plan, an ambitious vision to revitalize a large swath of the city detailed in a 35-page document.

Richland County and Richland School District 1 will be asked to participate in the plan with their own resources.

A TIF earmarks increases in property tax assessments within the district for a revitalization fund for a certain number of years, instead of those dollars going into the coffers of local taxing entities as they normally would.
 

Streetscaping on North Main Street. Some officials say much more is needed to revitalize the area. Photo by Graeme Fouste

It’s not a new concept.

The Congaree Vista, once the site of abandoned warehouses and the remnants Columbia’s old train station, was revitalized by a TIF. The Vista is a success story with its unique shops and restaurants, some located in those renovated warehouse buildings. The city’s old train station is now the Blue Marlin seafood restaurant.

The proposed new TIF would be much larger, encompassing many blighted areas in the city.

Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine is promoting the concept because it was so successful in the Vista. City Councilmen Sam Davis and E.W. Cromartie also have endorsed it.

Devine says it is too early to know how Richland County and the school district will respond. “We certainly hope they would help, but it’s just in the beginning stages,” she says.

City Council plans to vote Sept. 9 to hold a public hearing on the Renaissance Redevelopment Plan. The hearing would include the possibility of a TIF and other ways to pay for the plan.

North Columbia is a major part of the blueprint, but the area under the city’s magnifying
glass goes well beyond that. The plan incorporates a portion of Columbia’s central business district, and stretches north to include the corridors of North Main Street, Two Notch Road and Farrow Road, about 12.4 square miles in all.

The plan calls for $238 million in public investment.

The TIF would provide $40 million of that total. Some $80 million would come from federal stimulus funds, and another $100 million from federal empowerment zone allocations, which provide tax incentives to encourage new businesses. State and federal grants would provide $10 million and private philanthropy is designated at $8 million.

The plan envisions a huge private investment projected at $1.8 billion. The total public and private investment comes to more than $2 billion, and includes the prospect of bond issues.

But the plan might not have the unanimous support of City Council.

Councilman Daniel Rickenmann says he has reservations about embarking on such a large undertaking when the city’s basic services need more resources. “There are a lot of questions that have to be answered,” he says. “How is that going to affect our basic services?”

Rickenmann says the idea is good, but he believes the city should take smaller steps.
Some Richland County Council members are skeptical, too.

County Councilwoman Val Hutchinson is concerned about committing county funds amid the economic crunch. She also questions the concept of a TIF when the plan involves many residential areas. “It’s good for businesses but I’m not sure a TIF is appropriate for redevelopment of residential neighborhoods,” she says.

Hutchinson also has concerns about the size of the plan, and suggests the city might consider something smaller.

County Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson also has reservations. She says she’s not sure whether the county should be helping the city with its problem areas when county neighborhoods need help. “I have a commitment to the people of the St. Andrews area,” Dickerson says.

Richland 1 board Chairman Vince Ford says Devine has briefed the board on the plan and the board will consider it soon. But he could not predict what position the board will take.

“We have to look at the specifics,” Ford says. He says he likes the potential of a TIF, having seen it succeed in the Vista.

North Columbia is often described as needing redevelopment because of historical neglect and deteriorating conditions.

The city has put forth some major efforts in the area, including an ongoing North Main streetscaping and badly needed improvements at the North Main Street and Fairfield Road intersection.

But many city officials say much more needs to be done. To that end, if the redevelopment plan materializes, it could literally be a renaissance for many of Columbia’s overlooked areas. 

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