Mortgage Broker in West Columbia, SC

A Midlands barbecue joint once again has found itself in the national spotlight.

City Limits Barbeque, located at 1119 Methodist Park Road in West Columbia, was listed Monday on The New York Times 2024 Restaurant List, an annual affair that tallies 50 of the paper’s favorite restaurants in the U.S. City Limits was the only Midlands restaurant to make this year’s list. The only other South Carolina restaurant that made the cut was Lost Isle in Johns Island.

“(Pitmaster Robbie Robinson’s) vinegary South Carolina-style chopped pork sandwich is a master class, with crisp bits of cracklings mixed into the luscious meat, at its best topped with a proper scoop of slightly creamy, finely chopped coleslaw,” Kim Severson writes in the New York Times Restaurant List entry for City Limits. “He veers expertly into Texas territory, too. Snappy Hill Country sausages and meaty beef ribs sell out early. Don’t sleep on the warm peach cobbler, either.”

Robinson started City Limits as a food truck back in 2016. Then, in 2023, City Limits found a more permanent, brick-and-mortar location on Methodist Park Road in West Columbia. Known for its Texas-style brisket, Carolina-style pulled pork and decadent side dishes, the restaurant received national acclaim earlier this year, as Robinson was a finalist for Best Chef-Southeast at the heralded James Beard Foundation Awards. And in August, it was listed at No. 4 on Southern Living’s Best New BBQ Joints list.

Robinson shared an Instagram story on Tuesday morning from the restaurant, expressing gratitude for his family, employees and friends amid the continued acclaim the restaurant has received.

“When we get a little attention, I’m thankful,” Robinson said on the social media video. “I’m so thankful. ... We are not going to stop grinding away and trying to do what we do. ... I’m going to wake up every day, grind, and serve y’all the best bite of food that I can.”

On the local front, City Limits is listed on The State’s restaurant guide of 50 essential eateries in the Midlands. The restaurant is typically only open on Saturdays and Sundays.

This story was originally published September 24, 2024, 11:44 AM.

The $40M investment aims to address foul odors and earthy taste in Lake Murray's water.

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WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — The City of West Columbia, the Town of Lexington, and the Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission are collaborating to address taste and odor concerns of water at Lake Murray.

Now, solutions are available.

West Columbia Director of Engineering and Water Plants Andy Zaengle said the earthy taste and smell of water are caused by recent weather patterns, including heavy rainfall, increased runoff and high temperatures, which have created more algal blooms.

“These two different types of algae, when they die and decay and their cell ruptures, they release two organic compounds of MIB [methylisoborneol] and geosmin, and they get into the water that is water creates that earthy taste and smell in the water,” Zaengle said.

He said tests began in 2019 to better understand the different elements occurring in Lake Murray, all of which were brought to light by customers.

One customer who lives on the lake recalled the funny smell she noticed a few months ago.

“On windy days, especially, we noticed a very foul smell and fishy odor coming from the lake, which I sort of have always been told, 'Oh, it's just the lake, so it's normal,' but it's not a nice smell,” she said.

The solution is incorporated into the Lake Murray Water Treatment Plant expansion, which includes a $40 million investment in ozonation technology specifically designed to address taste and odor issues.

Zaengle described it as an ozone treatment that breaks down compounds that cause earthy tastes and smells. It also has the added benefit of killing viruses and bacteria without additional chemicals.

“Ozone is a gas, so we are going to inject it into the water, and then we take that and put that into a much larger holding tank and let it mix," Zaengle said. "So, we dissolve the gas into water, and it oxidizes those compounds.”

Officials said the water is safe to drink. However, customers are encouraged to filter water and let it chill overnight before use.

They added that the proposed solutions are slated for fall 2027.

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - West Columbia’s Riverwalk will remain closed after the park experienced extensive flooding due to rising water levels following Helene.

The Riverwalk fell victim to flooding from the Congaree River as water rose to just over 30 feet Monday.

“I know folks are eager to get back out because it’s such a valuable asset, but it’s just not safe to get and we need a little bit of time to get it there,” said West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles.

The water now is continuing to recede making the Riverwalk visible once again.

The flooding left mud, water damage and a long list of repairs for the city; however, Miles said despite the significant damage, the park will reopen, though it will not be any time soon.

“At this point, it’s hard to tell exactly how much damage we have, we are expecting some significant damage,” Miles said. “We haven’t been able to complete inspections of the wooden bridges and that has to be done before we can open it up.”

The first step into beginning the rebuild began on Thursday and included cleaning all of the mud. Crews have been actively power-washing debris off the amphitheater and walking trails.

Following the clean-up, an assessment will be conducted to determine necessary repairs.

“If you go beyond where we are that’s already been cleaned it’s coated in mud, it’s slick, there’s debris everywhere, there are parts of light poles that are leaning, if you look back behind us there is a fence that’s made to prevent folks from falling and its leaning. It’s just not a safe environment right now,” Miles said.

Miles said light polls are knocked over, signage and benches need replacing, and water remains under some raised pathways.

The city said they plan to seek federal and state assistance to pay for the damages.

“We are always optimistic and hopeful that it’s not going to take a long time, but we have had periods after different flooding events where sections were closed down for a period of a time,” Miles said.

In the meantime, the city is asking residents to obey the no-trespassing signs and remain off the Riverwalk until it can re-open.were

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Before Tropical Storm Debby rolled through South Carolina — canceling, among other things, an August public hearing concerning a controversial West Columbia development — city leaders were set to consider the plan for as many as 95 townhomes along a two-lane road set back from Sunset Boulevard/U.S. 378.

Another public hearing was scheduled and canceled before West Columbia’s City Council and Planning Commission met earlier this week to finally consider the project, which now looks a lot different.

Instead of about 90 townhomes, the developers are proposing 55 detached single-family houses on what is currently a grassy 10-acre plot on Comanchee Trail with a small house and four large towers previously used for radio broadcasting. The property sits on the edge of the Saluda Gardens neighborhood and backs up to the Edgewater condominium complex.

The Planning Commission voted Monday to recommend the project and the Town Council will hold an initial vote on it next month.

Members of the public who attended the public hearing still expressed worries, largely keying on traffic given the limited access from Sunset Boulevard and what they see as already poor roads in the neighborhood. But the reduced proposal does seem to allay concerns from local leaders that 90 homes was just too many for that particular spot.

The property is already zoned such that 55 homes could be built on it. The developers are seeking to enter into an agreement with the city so that the current owner, communications company Vertical Bridge, has the ability to keep a tower on the property. That commercial parcel could end up being used for other purposes, the developers said, mentioning possibilities such as a cafe or coffee shop.

“They came with a plan for 188 apartments,” Mayor Tem Miles said of what was initially proposed for the property. “It was pretty obvious that it wasn’t going to go anywhere. And they came with a plan for 90. And it was pretty obvious that wasn’t going to go anywhere. And then through discussions, it became kind of their best idea to go with the current zoning density, and they’re seeking approval for it. The favored mechanism for that approval is [this agreement] because we can get additional upgrades that are required.”

The agreement mandates high-quality building materials, which the mayor said will keep it from being a “vinyl village,” as well as vegetative buffers along Comanchee Trail. Developers noted that green space in the neighborhood will be set aside for a small, fenced-in park, adding that the homes will likely be sold for between $255,000 and $300,000.

Increasing traffic in the area has been a concern throughout the process, but developers and city leaders said the 55-home plan shouldn’t have much of an impact. The property has just two close-by outlets to Sunset Boulevard in Park Lane and North Lucas Street, both two-lane roads.

Shawn Escobar with Cross Engineering, which is developing the project, said that the 55 homes should only put 23 additional cars on the road during peak morning hours and 29 during peak afternoon/evening hours. The S.C. Department of Transportation doesn’t list an average daily traffic count for Comanchee Trail, but it does list counts for North Lucas Street (1,800) and Seminole Drive (1,150), which intersects Comanchee further into the Saluda Gardens neighborhood and connects to Sunset Boulevard.

One resident asked why the city couldn’t just rezone the property to become a park, to which the mayor responded that property owners have rights to sell or develop their land as they see fit.

“My problem, we hear it a lot, is, ‘Well, this should be a park. This should be this. This should be that,’ ” City Councilman Jimmy Brooks said. “It’s my understanding that everybody in this room had an opportunity to buy that property. It probably cost more money than most of us would ever want to pay for that property. I have no idea what they’re paying for it. But when somebody comes and says, ‘Well, it should be a park,’ when they buy that property, as the mayor says, they are buying it with the assumption that that property is going to be [zoned as it is] and they’re going to be able to build what they have now.”

Proposed Development on Comanchee Trail in West Columbia

Proposed Development on Comanchee Trail in West Columbia

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This story was originally published September 20, 2024, 11:04 AM.