In 1995, The River Alliance was formed through an initiative of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce. They partnered with the cities of Columbia, Cayce and West Columbia, and Richland and Lexington counties. The goal was to look at what the Midlands’ over 90 miles of river could become. Early on, partners defined a need for a dedicated organization focused on providing the community the many potential benefits of our rivers.

The River Alliance mission is to maximize these river benefits for our citizens. Initially formed by intergovernmental agreement it became a nonprofit public benefit corporation. Each founding government appoints elected officials and citizen members to The River Alliance Board of Directors, which also includes members from key allied organizations. Each board member brings unique assets and strengths to the organization.

A “Plan for the Rivers” was created from citizen input during the area-wide  “Dream Catching Session.” Their central challenge was to use the rivers to create active downtowns on both sides of the rivers where people could live, work and play while opening up the rivers for safe and secure public access. Furthermore, it should lay lightly on the land ensuring preservation of the environment and the legacy of our cultural resources.   

Given this guidance, the board selected key projects for action. The Alliance staff was asked to take the lead to translate policy into actions. After assessing the physical access required and the estimated cost, the greenway was proposed as a set of components. This, when completed, would transcend physical and political boundaries and create an interlocking system on all three rivers: the Broad, the Saluda and the Congaree. Each section would be operated by the three cities, Cayce, Columbia and West Columbia.

The Alliance broke each project into a set of progressive steps. First, define the boundaries and determine the potential cost of each component. Since large segments were privately owned, the Alliance worked with landowners to acquire the property needed. Next, it defined a public financing strategy for the segment and secure political approval. The River Alliance then assembled a professional service team to do the complete design engineering and permitting. We also provide the completed bid package to the city owning that segment, assist with the bid process and provide construction supervision services where needed. Once completed the project is opened by the appropriate government. The Alliance started in 1998 with Granby Park in Columbia, about a half mile project and continues today with completed and upcoming projects. Click here to view.