This is exciting news, since most of the group of over 950 citizens and twelve neighborhoods concerned about the project believed that a six story, city block-sized building was out of scale with the historic urban village, that the City's commitment to the parking facility was made through a flawed process, and/or the expenditure of $5.3M of public funds for 200 spaces without credible pro formas and other supporting data was unreasonable. (see http://www.thestate.com/local/story/449684.html)

The change in developer plans:

As reported in the State newspaper, the building, which was to be six stories with condos on the top level above two floors of city-owned parking and 1 floor of retail, is no longer going to include condos.  If the city wants to include public parking in their project, the developers have said, “they will have to renegotiate.” The developers plan to apply for the new 5 Points zoning that restricts height to 50' and provides for DDRC review on design.

Critical next steps:

As an active group of concerned citizens, we have been committed to smart growth to maintain the health and vibrancy of 5 Points and its surrounding neighborhoods. The next steps are critical as there is still much work to be done to ensure that this issue has a successful outcome:

• parking needs in Five Points must be evaluated to determine exactly what the parking demands are and if new surface parking or a parking structure is justified;
• if additional parking demands are justified, any commitment by the City for parking should be made only after a fair and open process; and,
• a project on the former Kenny’s site should be completed successfully in a way that adds to the village feel. 

Belinda Gergel’s proposal:

Our new District 3 representative has been working on this issue since the day she assumed her seat on Council. She has been meeting with stakeholders of this project and her plan is to propose to City Council the following:

• That the City let an RFP for an outside parking consultant who will provide independent expertise on parking demands in Five Points. This consultant must understand parking needs in urban village districts that border on residential neighborhoods and be able to come on board in the very near future. The consultant will be responsible for analyzing current and future parking needs within Five Points, exploring various parking alternatives and options, and providing expertise in structuring appropriate costs and financial arrangements.
• That a citizens committee, reflecting representation from stakeholders and others, be formed to make recommendations on this matter. The Committee will work with the new parking consultant to produce its recommendations.
• That, if additional parking (structured or surface) is determined to be necessary, an RFP be let for an appropriate amount of time in order for the City to have a complete picture of available options and comparable financials.

What you can do:

It is important that we stay in contact with our elected officials and continue to express our strong expectation that an open process be established in considering parking needs for Five Points. Belinda has indicated that she is refining her proposal now for possible discussion at the Wednesday, July 9 City Council meeting. She welcomes your input and you may contact her with your thoughts and ideas at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You may also contact other City Council members. All addresses are listed below:

·         Mayor Bob, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 545-3075

·         Tameika Issac-Devine, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 254-8868

·         Daniel Rickenmann, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 799-9477

·         EW Cromartie, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 254-7243

·         Sam Davis, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 754-0525

·         Kirkman Finlay, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 748-1090

·        Belinda Gergel, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 545-4055

Great cities are comprised of strong neighborhoods fully participating in decisions about the future of their communities. You can be proud of all that you and others have done to show how much we care about Five Points and Columbia. The emails, phone calls, presentations to Council, signing and getting signatures on petitions, neighborhoods joining together, informal communications – all of your efforts have made a difference.

Caroline Watson

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