Posted on Wed, Aug. 23, 2006

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Bull Street site to house homeless

State board agrees to allow use of vacant building for one year

By JOHN O’CONNOR

johnoconnor@thestate.com

State leaders have approved use of a vacant building on the Bull Street mental health campus as a temporary homeless shelter and service center.

The State Budget and Control Board approved the use with the expected redevelopment of the 178-acre Bull Street site awaiting a state Supreme Court decision on who owns the land.

State and city officials said the use as a shelter will not affect redevelopment of the Bull Street neighborhood. When finished, it is expected to include more than 1,000 homes, offices and stores and be the centerpiece of downtown Columbia development.

The one-year lease is a stopgap until local officials can choose a permanent site for a regional shelter. Those plans are on hold until Richland and Lexington counties appoint members to a selection committee.

Still, the decision was criticized by neighborhood groups, who felt they had little chance to oppose the plan. Ellen H. Cooper, past president of the Cottontown/Belleview Historic Neighborhood Association, said the shelter would be the fourth within walking distance of her home.

“Our neighborhood is concerned this is proceeding so quickly,” Cooper said. “There are, right now, no written plans for operations.”

The board voted 3-2 in favor, with Gov. Mark Sanford and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom voting against. Both questioned the fairness in picking the site.

Sam Tenenbaum, who is coordinating regional homeless efforts, said the shelter will expand housing and counseling services.

Tenenbaum estimated about 40 percent of the area’s homeless could be quickly moved into housing and jobs. Up to 250 people may be housed at the site, he said.

The shelter would replace a Hampton Street site that closed in April. Without any new facility, Tenenbaum said, the city could face serious problems this winter.

Columbia “already has the problem,” Tenenbaum said. “By not dealing with it, it will stay in (the) neighborhood.”

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said the decision to allow the shelter will not have any effect on plans to redevelop the property. Early plans have called for 1,257 residential units, 638,000 square feet for offices and 179,000 square feet of stores and shops.

The neighborhood, when completed, would cover an area the size of Charleston south of Broad Street. It is expected to pump an estimated $400 million into the local economy and create 1,100 jobs.

“I’m confident it’s just a year,” Coble said. “The state is going to sell the property. That’s been their clear intention.

The state Supreme Court has scheduled the case for September and will likely release a verdict at least six to 12 weeks later.

The new shelter will be in the now-closed Williams Building on the Bull Street campus. The area also houses a medical center, some classrooms and a psychiatric facility for about 60 children and adolescents.

The state has set aside $750,000 for renovations and operations. Tenenbaum said the building could be ready by mid-October.

Reach O’Connor at (803) 771-8358.