In The News

March 27, 2023

How Columbia’s BullStreet District is creating a new vision of urban living

Every day when Joann Turnquist comes to work at the First Base Building in Columbia’s BullStreet District, she sees something different outside her windows.

Turnquist, president and CEO of the Central Carolina Community Foundation, a Midlands nonprofit, has been a tenant at BullStreet since 2019, and she has been able to witness the daily growth and transformation of the historic 181-acre former campus of the South Carolina State Hospital into a mixed-use district that offers something for visitors and residents of all ages.

“The vibrancy of the community really appeals to me – I see people of all ages every day, from senior residents at Merrill Garden to moms who have a planned stroller walk to college students and young professionals living in the Babcock building,” Turnquist said. “When the foundation moved here, we were excited to be one of the pioneers of what promised to be a vibrant and engaging community, and now we’re in a place that has an energy unlike anywhere else in Columbia.”

Since groundbreaking on the district in January 2015, the BullStreet District has become known as one of the largest urban redevelopment projects on the East Coast. The area is anchored by Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies minor league baseball team, and also includes a wide variety of businesses including REI Co-Op, Capgemeni, Founders Federal Credit Union and Publico Kitchen and Tap, as well as Page Ellington Park, a 20-acre public park. The District also includes Merrill Gardens, an active senior community and the first four phases of TownPark at BullStreet, a complex of 28 townhomes.

[read more | source: Columbia Regional Business Report]

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