Engage with your city!
Downtown Strategic Plan + Guidelines
Our streets are our most important public spaces in downtown; they are much more than thoroughfares for cars- sidewalks are where the City comes alive. The design of public infrastructure – streets, sidewalks, trees, and lighting is important, but even the most beautifully designed streets need people to become vibrant. Residential density, a mix of uses, and the design of buildings along the sidewalks are the key elements to creating a consistent urban fabric that enables and encourages people to walk between destinations rather than to drive and park short distances. Urban design guidelines help to shape these elements to ensure they contribute positively to the public realm.
We’ve kicked off a strategic master planning process for downtown Columbia to articulate a current vision for the future development of the downtown area, and we hope you’ll get involved! The plan will focus on high-quality public space that prioritizes pedestrian activity, a dynamic public realm, and fosters urban living and economic development. The plan will also help determine how to best update and streamline the urban design guidelines for downtown.
Celebrate with us this May!
Did you know that each May, the City of Columbia joins communities nationwide in celebrating both National Bike Month
and National Historic Preservation Month? This May, take part in a number of activities and events sponsored by the City and community partners – you can find out how to join in the fun by visiting columbiacompass.org/celebratemay
Public Seating on Main Street
The City of Columbia is in the process of improving the pedestrian experience in downtown Columbia! Through a generous grant from the Knight Foundation, cafe-style tables and chairs are being placed on Main Street to welcome those who live, work, and visit our City!
Additional support for this program is provided by City Center Partnership and their Clean and Safe Ambassadors aka Yellow Shirts.
Calhoun Street Improvements
Improvements include resurfacing (from Wayne to Gregg), restriping, and the installation of bike accommodations. The completion of the project marks a change in the traffic pattern, which is supported by existing traffic volumes.
ABOUT THE CHANGE IN TRAFFIC PATTERNS:
The installation of dedicated bike lanes adjacent to on-street parking have shifted vehicular lane assignments and turning patterns between between Park and halfway between Henderson and Barnwell; motor vehicle travel within the dedicated bike lanes is not permitted by law.
Share the road markings, also known as sharrows, were installed along Calhoun between Wayne and Park and between Henderson and Barnwell to Harden, and while traffic patterns in this section of the roadway remain the same, the arrows will help identify the best course of travel for bicyclists, while bringing awareness of their presence to vehicular drivers.
On-street parking, while not heavily utilized along most blocks, was maintained throughout the corridor, with some removal of parking along the north side of Calhoun, and identified new parking locations along the south side of Calhoun.
As part of the project, a three-block road diet along Calhoun between Sumter and Pickens reduces the number of vehicular driving lanes from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane. This shift increases safety and efficiency through creating more comfortable driving conditions, more efficient turning movements, and a reduction in the possible points of conflict.
You can view an informational presentation about the project on the City’s YouTube channel here.
WHY THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE:
Calhoun is a lower-volume street that provides an east-west connection between Wayne and Harden. In 2012, the Richland County Penny Tax Referendum identified bike facilities along Calhoun, and with that knowledge, the Walk Bike Columbia Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan identified Calhoun as a major east/west connector – this plan was adopted by the City in 2015 after a robust public planning process.
HOW THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE FUNDED:
These improvements are contracted by the City as part of a partnership between the City, the Richland County Penny Tax for Transportation, and the Richland County CTC. The project is managed by the City of Columbia, and was awarded to a contractor through the City’s regular procurement process.
