Retail study urges linking Main, Lady streets
Lady Street and Main Street are best suited to become downtown Columbia’s shopping destinations, according to a study to be released today by a Washington, D.C., consulting firm.
To help make that happen, the city should join the two streets by connecting their recently completed streetscaping projects and improving the Lady Street crossing at Assembly Street, the study by ERA consultants said.
“There’s a psychological barrier running through downtown, and that barrier is called Assembly Street,” said Economics Research Associates principal Midge McCauley. “We need to make that a little more pedestrian-friendly. People may not understand the importance of that.”
The results of the study will be presented today at the Columbia Museum of Art.
The $215,000 study also included an analysis of retail corridors such as Five Points, Devine Street, Farrow Road, Monticello Road, Two Notch Road and North Main Street. Richland County chipped in $5,000 to help pay for Monticello Road.
Areas other than downtown, Devine Street and Five Points need to attract stores that will serve local residents rather than outside shoppers, the report said.
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