COLUMBIA \u2014 A 20-year-old Columbia native has been drumming up support for an initiative to bring programmable LED lighting to the city\u2019s skyline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tripp Roche\u2019s vision of a Soda City skyline lit up for holidays and University of South Carolina football games was inspired during a visit to Charlotte late last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just love how the (Charlotte) skyline looks,\u201d he told The Post and Courier. \u201cAnd it’s not really about copying Charlotte, it’s about taking what they\u2019ve done and what they succeeded with and implementing it in Columbia in our own way.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Columbia college student Tripp Roche surveys the future site of the Palmetto Citizens Credit Union headquarters. The new building will be the first to feature an LED lighting package Roche hopes to expand to the rest of the skyline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CALEB BOZARD\/STAFF<\/p>\n
In the months since, Roche has met with Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, local business leaders and the owners and property managers of Columbia\u2019s most prominent buildings to try to win their support for the initiative. Rickenmann himself has hoped the city would better utilize its skyline as a marketing tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n Roche has reached out to officials in Charlotte for pointers, and connected with national and local companies specializing in high-rise lighting projects.<\/p>\n Only one downtown building \u2014 the office tower at 1901 Main St. \u2014 currently has such a lighting package. Capstone House on the University of South Carolina\u2019s campus also has an array of lights that can be tuned garnet when a school team has a victory.<\/p>\n But Roche has been on the offensive, taking out columns in local media outlets and touting the project\u2019s value as a branding boost for the city and building tenants.<\/p>\n Palmetto Citizens Credit Union new Sumter Street headquarters will include a programmable LED lighting package.<\/p>\n Chris Terlinden\/Provided<\/p>\n The response has been largely positive. Two upcoming projects downtown were already planning similar lighting packages before Roche approved them \u2014 the new headquarters for Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union<\/a> on Sumter Street, and the city office building at 1401 Main\u2019s planned addition of a rooftop pyramid structure<\/a>.<\/p>\n The developers of both of those projects touted their aesthetic impact on the neighborhood and skyline.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the very beginning of planning our new corporate headquarters in downtown Columbia, we knew lighting would play a key role in enhancing the city\u2019s skyline,\u201d said Chris Terlinden, spokesperson for Palmetto Citizens spokesperson. \u201cWhile our dynamic lighting plans were already underway when Tripp reached out, it\u2019s inspiring to see young people in our community who share our passion for illuminating and celebrating Columbia\u2019s identity.\u201d<\/p>\n Roche’s roots in the Columbia area run deep. He was born and raised here and his great-grandmother founded Italian restaurant Villa Tronco in 1940, which remains a city staple as the state\u2019s oldest restaurant.<\/p>\n Roche, who is studying business at Midlands Technical College, is also the creator of Carolina Pong, a statewide table tennis club based in Columbia.\u00a0<\/p>\n The City of Columbia is making plans to add a pyramid to the top of its Main Street office building.<\/p>\n City of Columbia\/Provided<\/p>\n When will we see the lights?<\/p>\n Palmetto Citizens\u2019s new building is expected to be complete in 2027. The city\u2019s new pyramid is expected to go vertical around the same time, Roche said.<\/p>\n They will be the first to fall in line with the initiative, but Roche hopes there will be many more.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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