Columbia city leaders to consider buying new land of historical significance

The land on the corner of Providence and Broadway has a hot topic for Columbia residents for the past few years.

While the city owns the ice house parking lot, the rest of the few acres on that Providence corridor has private ownership and some of that ownership had wanted to lease out the land to CVS for a new store.

But after months of debating and denials from city council, CVS pulled out and is no longer pursuing the corner.

So while the city has plans for part of the corner it owns, to create a “gateway to Columbia” welcome area, the owner of the land the old McAdams’ Ltd. building sits on is now willing to sell and now the city leaders are hoping to be the purchasers.

“This area we’re standing in right now is almost hallowed ground,” said Steven Sapp, Columbia community relations coordinator. “This is where we started at, this is where we were founded.”

According to city leaders, the Smithton Land Company bought the land in 1818 near the current intersection of Garth and Broadway. It wanted to create the town of Smithton to be the county seat.

Just a few years later, that site was rejected because it had inadequate water supplies, so in 1821, the land was moved a mile and a half east, along Flat Branch Creek. It was later renamed Columbia.

“It’s been almost 200 years now and this is where Columbia was actually founded at,” said Sapp. “The area of MKT station and Flat Branch Park was part of the originally platted market square.”

City leaders said it was because of Flat Branch Creek and Park that Columbia was even founded.

“My vision for the property would be to create a founder’s landing in advance of the city’s bicentennial to really use the next three years to develop and engage the public in a meaningful way as to how we use this property as a tribute,” said Columbia mayor Brian Treece. “

The City Council must approve a bill to allow the city manager to enter into negotiations with the owner of the property and eventually buy the land. The first read of that bill happens at Monday’s city council meeting.

According to supporting documentation for the bill, “an appraisal by Moore & Shyrock prepared at the City’s request dated September 8, 2016 used a sales comparison approach and an income approach to determine the property’s value, concluding it to be $1,100,00.00.”

Sapp said the city will use interest earnings on capital improvement project funds to pay for the land. Treece said there could also be the possibility of private donations.

“There is already the proposed site of the downtown gateway that the downtown district is proposing, but being able to connect this in a green space corridor that already connects to a $2 million investment that the city has in Flat Branch Creek really is an unprecedented opportunity,” said Treece.

Treece said knocking down the old building and opening up that area could also increase safety.

There will be a public hearing on the purchase of the property Oct. 17.