Bull Street Agreement Passes First Reading

Editor's note: This story was published on July 1, 2013, and was updated July 2. 

Columbia City Council approved first reading of a development agreement — which would commit the city to spending $31.25 million in total infrastructure — on the proposed Bull Street neighborhood.

Council voted 4-3 to accept the agreement between the city and Greenville developer Bob Hughes after hearing from at least 30 people during a public hearing Monday. Voting no on first reading were council members Leona Plaugh, Moe Baddourah and Tameika Isaac Devine.

Both councilwomen Plaugh and Devine made unsuccessful attempts to delay the vote and provide a third public hearing in late July or early August in order for more citizens to provide input. 

Plaugh said she wasn't trying to be "an impediment to the project" but thought council should address the public's concerns and questions before voting.

Devine agreed saying, "I think there were some critical things discussed that we cannot ignore."

Devine said the agreement was a "good first draft" but council should go back over the document to fine-tune some details with Hughes after hearing the concerns from citizens Monday.

For more than three hours, citizens shared their concerns, likes and dislikes about the project, with many of them urging council to delay voting until residents could get more detailed information about the plan.

"I think the citizens of Columbia have the right to understand what we’re getting ourselves into because this is not small potatoes," said Jim Padgett. "We've already waited 10 years."

"I want to see this deal happen. I don’t think another month or another meeting is going to hurt anything."

Mayor Steve Benjamin said discussions on the redevelopment of the S.C. Department of Mental Health's Bull Street campus have been held long enough and council needed to proceed with voting. 

"I know that we’re at a critical point for this deal," Benjamin said. "Time is of the essence."

"In order to get this deal done … the time to act is now." 

Benjamin said he and city staff can resolve some of the issues raised Monday by   the next public hearing on July 9.

Elizabeth Marks, president of the neighboring Robert Mills Historic District, said the public will get an answer on whether council and the city were serious about addressing their concerns. 

"If we see changes in the amended agreement then they’ve listened to us," Marks said. "If we don’t see changes then they didn’t fight for us."

The new neighborhood, which would be constructed in four phases over the next 20 years, includes housing, retail and possibly a baseball stadium.

Of the city's initial $31.25 million investment, $15.4 million will be used for the first three phases. The remaining $15.8 million will be spent in phase four.

Council has not said how the project will be funded, which was a concern for many speakers Monday.

"You’re not telling us where you’re going to get the money to pay for this," said Toby Ward, a Columbia attorney. "You’re creating a liability by entering into this contract that requires funding that you have to figure out where it’s going to come from."

John Ruoff, a local researcher, was one of a few speakers to question the inclusion of a minor league baseball stadium in the neighborhood.

"Public funding of baseball stadiums is a terrible public investment," Ruoff said. "Minor league baseball is not a destination."

One speaker suggested walking and biking trails as an alternative to the stadium which some believed would cause traffic congestion in the area.

None of the speakers said they were against Hughes or the redevelopment of the property but many called on him and council to provide more information on what businesses would locate there, what historic buildings would be saved and how the city would fund the project. 

A second hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at the Earlewood Community Center, 1113 Parkside Drive. Council is expected to vote on the final reading.

For the full agreement, highlights and a FAQ, click here. 

Read more

• Bull Street Project to Have $1.2 Billion Economic Impact

• Columbia Mayor: Bull Street Project 'Unparalleled' in Size, Potential