cultivating relationships
Capital City Mill District Area and Corridor Plan | Columbia, S
The Capital City Mill District is home to the historic Olympia, Whaley and Granby Mill Villages and serves as a tangible connection to the city’s textile past. Bordered by the Congaree River, the University of South Carolina and an active industrial district, the Mill District is experiencing increasing development pressures as well as numerous daily trains and increasing traffic. Residents and property owners want to ensure that these neighborhoods remain a vibrant part of the fabric of Columbia, that the authentic, historic character of the Olympia, Granby and Whaley neighborhoods is preserved through well-managed development, and that the City and County ordinances and policies that govern the area are equitable and support sustained prosperity and joy of living in the district.
Our multi-disciplinary team facilitated a robust public input process that spurred unprecedented meetings between stakeholders and government agencies and that created, in concert with residents and property owners, a road map for priority projects and future development.
The plans recommendations were organized as Four Big Ideas:
- Implement placemaking policies and projects
- Manage trains, transportation and traffic
- Unify and connect the District to the greater community
- Improve Environmental Stewardship
This extraordinary collaboration between the City of Columbia and Richland County produced a visionary and achievable plan for the Mill District’s future that provides a collaborative and equitable community framework to successfully achieve the plan’s goals:
- Protect, preserve, elevate and celebrate the authentic history, architecture and fabric of the neighborhoods
- Revitalize and complete corridors and greenways that will safely and beautifully connect people to the Mill District’s unique places and resources
- Encourage increased homeownership, community investment and stewardship
- Mange the Rocky Branch, parks and natural environments for increased enjoyment and stewardship
- Balance conservation with development
- Create and support opportunities for residents to engage and prosper
