Midlands Leaders Join to Plan for Growth in SC's Capital Region

Leaders in the Midlands are coming together to develop a plan for growth to accomodate the 450,000 new residents expected to move to the region over the next 30 years. 

Members of the Urban Land Institute, along with government officials, business leaders and area stakeholders, gathered Thursday morning at the West Columbia Riverwalk to announce the launch of the collaborative effort called Midlands Reality Check. 

"Creating a realistic and attainable regional vision for the Midlands is imperative if we want to remain competitive and be viewed as a desirable place to live, work, visit and play," said Irene Dumas Tyson, co-chair of Midlands Reality Check and director of planning for the Boudreaux Group. 

Demographers estimate that by 2040, 450,000 more people will live in the Midlands region, according to Midlands Reality Check. That means 174,000 new housing units, 93,000 additional K-12 students, 14 new high schools, 22 new middle schools and 30 new elementary schools. 

While area leaders have started working together in some ways, it's going to require more collaboration and more foresight to plan for that much growth, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said.

"We're all here together understanding that a rising tide lifts all boats," said Benjamin, who joined mayors from Cayce and Lexington, as well as county council members from Lexington and Richland counties. 

"There are major changes coming to this region in the next 30 years," Benjamin said. "We have to start planning now. Midlands Reality Check is the best vehicle for us to start working together." 

As part of the collaborative effort, more than 300 people from across the region will gather on Oct. 22 at the Columbia Metropolitan Center for "Game Day," an open discussion on where the highest concentrations of development and infrastructure should be in the area. 

Participants will use Lego pieces to represent increases in population, jobs and housing, and colored yarn for transportation corridors and to outline green spaces. 

Lexington Mayor Randy Halfacre said that when Town of Lexington council members started working on a Vision Plan for the town's future three years ago, it brought them together. He hopes "Game Day" will have the same effect for leaders across the region.

"I hope that this 'Game Day' will help us realize we are all in the same region and we need to get in the same hymn book and try to sing the same song," Halfacre said. 

For more information about the Midlands Reality Check or how to get involved, visit www.MidlandsRealityCheck.com.