CTC to Brief City Councils

By Kristen Long
Monday, March 29, 2010

Summary: Representatives of CTC are scheduled to brief the City of Columbia Council at their regularly scheduled meeting on April 6 and the City of West Columbia at their monthly Work Session meeting on April 16.

On Tuesday, April 6, representatives from CTC and the Columbia Development Corporation will provide a project update to the City Council of Columbia. During the meeting, project highlights will be discussed, including the status of environmental assessments at several targeted properties.

Among these properties is the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) property, located on Catawba Street amid the University of South Carolina campus. In order to assess the property (a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment is scheduled to occur later this spring), grant funds have been used to partially demolish the existing 1950's-era offices attached to the main structure. The building is in the process of being converted into an Innovation Center that will support the growth of knowledge-based companies in the Columbia area. Two companies have recently signed leases and will set up shop when the SCRA Innovation Center opens its doors in June - Immedion, a Greenville-based data security firm, and Direct Measurements, an Atlanta-based company specializing in the development of leading edge, strain-indicating technologies aimed at improving productivity and reducing costs.

Another property that will be highlighted at the City Council meeting is the former Lourie's building and future Mast General Store located on Main Street. Grant funds have been used to complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, a Lead Based Paint Survey, and an Asbestos Survey, as well as an Asbestos Abatement Plan. The Abatement Plan determines the best way to mitigate asbestos located in the building, while protecting the surrounding environment and human health, as it is redeveloped into the Mast General Store.

Finally, the Project Team will brief the City Council on the status of the property located at the corner of Taylor and Sumter Streets. Here, grant funds were utlized to update an existing Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, as well as to conduct an Asbestos Survey on a portion of an adjacent building that is slated to be demolished in order to build a new City parking garage.

In addition to the property updates, the Project Team will brief Council on the results of the recently completed North Columbia Brownfields Property Inventory. This Inventory focused on target areas as identified in the North Columbia Master Plan developed by the Eau Claire Development Corporation.

The City of West Columbia will also receive a project update during their regularly scheduled work session on April 16. The Director of Planning and Zoning and the Director of Economic Development, along with CTC representatives, will give a basic overview of the brownfields program. Following the brownfields overview, the project team will discuss the findings of the recently completed Colite Industries Phase I Environmental Site Assessment.