Friday letters: Answers needed on Columbia’s Bull Street development

When the controversial Bull Street development agreement was rushed through two years ago, many worried that Columbia’s citizens were getting the raw end of the deal and the developer was getting the sweet end. They worried that basic services would suffer — particularly our dilapidated water and sewer system.

It’s certainly been a costly endeavor: The city has issued a $35 million bond for a minor league baseball stadium and committed a minimum of $51 million for roads and new water-sewer infrastructure. With interest, the cost to taxpayers is almost $200 million.

Mayor Steve Benjamin and others promise that the development will generate billions in revenue for the city. So, by now, why don’t we have a clearer picture of its true cost versus its benefit?

Developer Bob Hughes said he needed the commitment of a stadium to bring in retailers. The city delivered last year. So, when is he going to live up to his end of the bargain? Not a single building is under construction.

City Council is preparing to decide how much water users will pay for water and sewer service, but can we truly know how much additional revenue we’ll need until we know how many new water customers to expect at the Bull Street site?

I asked the city manager when the city will know the name of at least one Bull Street vendor. She deferred to the developer, from whom I have received no response.

The mayor and council ought to be concerned about the lack of bona fide retail commitments; they should be pushing Mr. Hughes to know when we’ll see any revenue.

We want to know, and we deserve answers.

Columbia

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Friday letters: Answers needed on Columbia’s Bull Street development."