USC closer to building intramural fields, golf practice facility on riverfront land near Williams-Brice

The University of South Carolina is one step closer to creating new recreational fields and a golf practice facility on 300 acres of riverfront property near Williams-Brice Stadium, just south of downtown Columbia.

USC has long had plans to put intramural playing fields, a short-range golf practice facility and other amenities on the flood-prone land it bought in 2014 in U.S. bankruptcy court, outbidding a mining company that has property nearby.

And now the USC Development Foundation, a private fundraising arm of the school, is asking Columbia to annex the land and rezone it to a “Sports/Amusement District.” That zoning designation allows for recreational fields, stadiums, amusement parks and more.

The state’s flagship university is “really close” to beginning work on the property, according to Russ Meekins, executive director of the USC Development Foundation. The golf practice facility for the USC men and women’s golf teams could be completed as early as next spring, he said.

USC just last year at nearby Gamecock Park on Bluff Road built two practice fields and an indoor practice facility for the Gamecocks’ football program.

Meekins said the new fields would accommodate soccer, football, softball and other sports. USC spokesman Wes Hickman said specifics are subject to change.

As USC’s enrollment has grown, officials for years have said the school doesn’t have enough recreational fields at its downtown campus.

Adding fields south of campus would take care of that shortage and protect them from overuse, Meekins said. Students could ride a shuttle the nearly three miles from campus to the fields, he said.

“We just don’t have enough with the growing student population,” Meekins said, “and the land in town for athletic fields is just so expensive.”

USC placed a winning bid of $3.25 million for the low-lying 300 acres that stretch from north of National Guard Road, off Bluff Road, south to Heathwood Hall Episcopal School along the Congaree River.

Meekins said plans for the golf facility were born out of “pressure to improve facilities for the golf teams so they can recruit and get top athletes.”

Some land near the river likely remain will undeveloped, USC officials said.

“We’re going to have some wetlands, and we hope to plant some species of trees and things that would attract wildlife,” Meekins said.

A cross-country trail for students could be put in later, he said.

“For an urban campus, it’ll be a pastoral setting in a lot of ways,” Meekins said.

Meekins said the plans have support from environmental groups, including Sustainable Midlands, whose members are happy the land won’t become a quarry.

Ryan Nevius, who founded and now is a board member at Sustainable Midlands, said turning the land into greenspace is “the best thing that could possible happen to it.”

“We’re thrilled that it’s not going to be developed with any negative environmental impact,” Nevius said.

Still, Meekins said some environmentalists have called to say the land should just be left alone.

“We try to do things responsibly. For goodness sakes, we teach environmental science,” Meekins said. “To me, this is the best outcome for that property.”

City planning staffers have recommended the planning commission advise City Council to annex and rezone the land.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 6:34 PM with the headline "USC closer to building intramural fields, golf practice facility on riverfront land near Williams-Brice."