Monday, Feb. 02, 2009

Village at Sandhill becomes hub of action in Northeast

Editor's note: This is the first installment of a year-long series in CBJ looking at development in different areas of the Midlands. Coming April 6: The Lake & Irmo

Five years ago, the intersection of Clemson and Two Notch roads was a huge empty lot.

Traffic was breezing along the new Clemson Road bridge, a roomy alternative to the two-lane trail that had cars bumping over railroad tracks and backing up at traffic lights.

Today, that area includes more than 100 retail stores, restaurants and service providers. And traffic sometimes backs up over the bridge during rush hour.

The Village at Sandhill has become a downtown of sorts for the burgeoning Columbia suburb. It is a prime example of retail following rooftops.

The Northeast was among the fastest-growing areas in the Midlands until real estate started to falter. Home building and home sales started to slow in 2007 and took a big hit in 2008.

But some say the population already is in place to support the Village at Sandhill and other retail outlets that have sprouted in the area. In fact, some businesses are opening in Sandhill and a second Wal-Mart was built in the Northeast last year, on Killian Road at I-77.

An even wider variety of development — think doctor’s offices and small businesses — is planned for the Village’s future, though development could be tempered by the deepening economic crisis.

Likewise, interest in the industrial sector has slowed modestly in the Northeast. Some industries have succumbed to the faltering economy. Continental, for example, is shutting down its diesel engine manufacturing facility in Blythewood, cutting 440 jobs.

But hope is on the horizon as Blythewood waits to hear what Google has in store for a 466-acre tract the Internet search giant bought there in fall 2007.

Retail corridors along Hard Scrabble Road and Two Notch Road also have seen growth in recent years.

"Even though there’s a current downturn in the economy, I think within two years we’ll be booming again," said Val Hutchinson, who represents the area on Richland County Council. "People are still choosing to move out here, choosing to locate businesses out here for the quality of life."

The area that has suffered most in the Northeast retail boom is the Decker Boulevard corridor and Columbia Place mall.

Those first-ring-suburb areas were once considered part of Northeast Richland, but they have seen a decline in recent years, as restaurants and retail outlets shuttered doors and moved their operations several miles north on Two Notch Road to be near the surging population.

There have been plenty of growing pains in the Northeast, as well.

Residents have been restricted from watering their lawns during hot, dry periods the past few years as the city works to install a larger water main to serve the area. Construction is slated to be finished on the water line this summer.

Traffic is a common complaint among residents, who often have to sit in traffic during peak travel times on workday mornings and evenings. And some residents fought against the development of the Village at Sandhill, preferring instead to preserve the wooded land that was part of Clemson University's research and education center.

But today, many residents can be found there in the evenings or on weekends gathering for an outdoor summer concert or a meal, shopping for shoes, watching a movie, buying groceries, banking, picking up their prescriptions or even playing soccer.

They also can buy insurance, enlist in the military or go to a Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Some people even live there in upscale condos above shops on the main corridors.

Alan Kahn, who laid out plans for the Village at Sandhill in 2000 and has spent nearly a decade building it up, says the center's future is wide open.

He is talking with medical practices and more retailers about opening up shop there. A hotel is planned later this year.

"We'd love to have an office building out there," he said. "We want mixed-use."

Kahn said the center has exceeded all of his expectations.

"It’s grown much faster than I thought it would," he said. "It’s become a true downtown for the Northeast."

Reach Rupon at (803) 771-8308.

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