Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Columbia City Council held a work session on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 1:08 PM in the Mayor's Conference Room at City Hall. Mayor Daniel J. Rickenmann called the meeting to order. Council members present: Edward H. McDowell, Jr., Tina N. Herbert (Mayor Pro-Tempore), Peter M. Brown, Tyler D. Bailey, and Sam P. Johnson. Will Brennan was absent. Also present were City Manager Teresa Wilson and City Clerk Erika D. Moore Hammond. The council unanimously adopted the agenda as amended to include Boyd Plaza and Ordinance 2026-039 (amending nonconformity provisions) under the executive session for legal advice. The meeting adjourned at 4:25 PM.
Taylor Street and Laurel Street Road Diet — Mr. Todd Martin, City Landscape Architect, and Ms. Nicole Broner, Multimodal Transportation Coordinator, presented preliminary concepts for a road-diet project along Taylor and Laurel Streets near Finlay Park. The project aims to improve safety, add parking, and create a more connected streetscape.
Council members expressed general support for the concept but raised several concerns:
The next steps include refining the design based on council feedback, further coordination with SCDOT, a public meeting, and then technical drawings (estimated six-month timeline).
Upon a motion by Mayor Pro-Tempore Herbert and second by Councilmember Bailey, the council voted unanimously to enter into executive session at 2:00 PM to discuss:
The meeting adjourned at 4:25 PM.
You've allowed uh several weeks of rest and relaxation, and now we're back to business. Touch us with your finger of love and strength. Allow faith and grace to move around this table so that we are sensitized to your will. We ask it, we claim it in your name. Amen. Amen. This mayor, we can adopt the agenda with a couple of amendments, which include um Adam Boy Plaza, as well as umending. I'll just read it as then Council Mayor Pro Cam does it. I was gonna say in general what they are, but I can just read them fully. At Boyd Plaza and Ordinance Number 2026 039, amending the 1998 code of ordinances of the City of Columbia, South Carolina, Chapter 17, Article 7, nonconformity, Section 177.2 nonconforming uses to item two receipt of legal advice relating to matters covered by attorney client privilege pursuant to SD code section 3470 A2. No motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing on the city now, Madam Clerk, could you read the role? Mr. Johnson, Mr. Danger. Yes, Mr. Brown. I'm brown. Yes. Aye. Okay, thank you. We have for City Council discussion one item today, Taylor Street and Laurel Street Road Diet, Mr. Todd Martin, the city landscape architect, and Miss Nicole Rona, the multimodal transportation coordinator, planning and development services. So joint team effort, and we're excited to hear from you both. I know as we open part, Mr. Mayor and Council, our staff had always been looking at options for additional parking, road diet, calming mechanisms. We've obviously had a really successful opening in months after where a lot of attendance really does require that we try to establish a journey to get this done. And I know that uh Todd and Nicole will talk about SCDOT's participation in this. All right. Well, good afternoon, Mayor Rickman, members of the council, Miss Wilson and staff. Um, thank you for having us today as we go over preliminary concepts for a road diet along Taylor and Laurel Street. For the master plan of Finley Park, um, this has always been the next layer that we want to implement, and I think it's very important um as we continue to have Finley Park evolve. Today, you know the streets are very wide and they create a barrier between the park and the community. And we believe a road diet is the appropriate step to create a much safer, a more connected streetscape and also more functional as we can add parking for the park in the surrounding area. Nicole has been working very hard on concepts. Um again, these are very preliminary, and our goal today is to get your feedback so we can shape the design and continue to um have it evolve. We've had preliminary discussions with SC D OT and Lori about this concept and feel um very positive that we can move something forward. Um, but today again is very preliminary. We just want to hear your feedback so we can shape it as we continue to uh shape the plan. So to that, I'll have Nicole come up and go through her concepts. Good afternoon. So before we begin on my apologies, it sounded like it's on actually, Nicole. Oh, no, no, that's in touch.