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It took a surprise political maneuver, but Columbia City Council on Wednesday approved two floors of public parking in a six-story retail and condo project in Five Points.
After some eleventh-hour arm-twisting by council member Daniel Rickenmann, the 5 Points South developers agreed to cut in half the $1 million charge to the city for air rights needed for the parking.
That lowered the price to taxpayers for the 200-plus parking spaces to $5.3 million.
Then, Rickenmann and fellow conservative Kirkman Finlay persuaded the Five Points Association merchants group to lease up to 50 percent of the spaces and offer them free to the public and their employees, although a contract has yet to be worked out.
“We’ve listened to all the feedback,” Rickenmann said, “and this protects the public quite well.”
The deal came as a surprise to the other five council members, who had not been consulted.
“We feel like we’ve been left out of discussions,” Tameika Isaac Devine said.
Rickenmann was seen as the swing vote on council, which had been buckling under the pressure of an intense lobbying effort by powerful neighborhood groups that oppose the building’s height.
Both Mayor Bob Coble and Devine earlier this week said their support for the project was less than 100 percent. And Coble and E.W. Cromartie were seen as possible “no” votes by many if the issue started to slip.
Incoming council member Belinda Gergel — whose district will include the project and who is a close political ally of Coble — has stated strong concerns about the building’s height. She asked unsuccessfully for a vote to be delayed until she takes office in July.
Finlay already had stated his opposition based on the price.
Rickenmann, who would have voted second in council’s voice-vote, after Finlay, and could have started the “no” vote snowballing, used the threat to wrestle a better financial deal from the developers and the association late Tuesday.
The unilateral negotiation didn’t sit well with his colleagues, but they thanked him for the savings. All but Cromartie voted for the surprise deal.
“This is not the way the legislative process is supposed to work,” Cromartie said.
He said he voted against the deal because he thinks the building is too tall. Last year, he voted “yes” when council approved six stories for the building.
Cromartie added that removing the $500,000 could threaten the project’s success. “It’s not good enough to say we want to develop neighborhoods because the price is right. We want to also make sure that the projects are successful.”
Some neighborhood leaders wanted the council to vote against the parking deal in hopes of lowering the building’s height.
Coble said if the developers were willing to negotiate on price, other council members might have been able to negotiate a shorter building.
“I would have liked to explore other options,” he said. “I would have liked a little more time.”
The Five Points Association pushed for a garage for years and supported the controversial installation of meters in the village.
The free parking could salve some wounds of shoppers and a vocal group of disgruntled merchants who oppose the meters.
“It’s a goodwill gesture to the community,” incoming association president Don McCallister said.
Ron Swinson said he and partner Stan Harpe could begin construction as soon as Aug. 1.
The building will include a bank, drugstore and third retail space on the ground level, the two decks of parking in the middle and 26 two-story condos on top. “We anticipate going forward with the project as designed,” Swinson said.
Rickenmann said he supported the project at six stories.
“I like the building,” he said. “I like the style. I think it’s neat.”
The council members also included several terms in the contract with Swinson and Harpe that allow them to approve the project’s final deed, construction loan, shared costs and other fiscal aspects.
That means council will vote several more times on details. Members specifically said they would decide these issues themselves rather than cede responsibility to city staffers.
Coble and Devine even mused that the $500,000 in savings Rickenmann wrangled could be brought back into play.
“Maybe we can pay $1 million and bring the height of the building down,” Devine said.
Reach Wilkinson at (803) 771-8495.
