OK, I just thought I'd try to get all of the residential developments in Columbia in one thread. I know I'm not going to get them all, but I'll try to get as many as I can.

• CanalSide (http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/)
-A 25-acre downtown development fronting the Congaree River and Historic Columbia Canal; 750 total units

Status: U/C

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/canalside.jpg


• Bull Street neighborhood (http://www.bullstreetsc.com/index.html)
-178-acre development downtown on the site of the former state mental institution campus; 1,257 residential units (as well as 638,000 sq ft of office space and 179,000 sq ft of stores and shops)

Status: Proposed (state agencies are wrangling over who controls the property and who should receive the proceeds from the sale--this should be cleared up soon)

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/bullstreet.gif


• Adesso (http://www.adesso-columbia.com)
-A six-story, 115-unit condo mid-rise downtown

Status: U/C

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/adesso.jpg


• 1556 Main (http://www.1556main.com/index.htm)
-Three-story condo development on Main Street (unsure of exact number of units)

Status: U/C

http://www.1556main.com/images/1556_2.jpg


• The Lofts at Printer's Square (http://www.loftsatprinterssquare.com/index.shtml)
-A 4-story building with 11 condos, including three penthouses

Status: Approved

http://www.myonlineimages.com/Members/antical79/images/loftsps.jpg


• Renaissance Plaza
-77 live/work units downtown

Status: Completed

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/Renissanceplaza.jpg


• 1520 Main (http://www.capitolplaces.com/1520mainstreet.htm)
-Five live /work spaces, two retail, and 29 residential condominiums on Main Street

Status: Completed

http://www.capitolplaces.com/pictures/1520ma1.jpg


• Barringer Building (http://www.capitolplaces.com/barringerpage.htm)
-Conversion of the historical 1903 Barringer Building, Columbia's first high rise, into upscale apartments

Status: Completed


http://www.coolumbia.net/pix/recycle/barringer.jpg


• Stadium Village Lofts (http://www.stadiumvillagelofts.net/)
-102-unit complex in former and current warehouse spaces behind Williams-Brice stadium, just south of downtown

Status: U/C


• Carolina Walk (http://www.carolinawalk.com/concept.htm)
-Nine-story, 112-unit gameday condo complex on Bluff Road next to Williams-Brice stadium

Status: Completed

http://www.carolinawalk.com/photos/Stadium_bgd_render.jpg



• The Spur at Williams-Brice (http://www.thespur411.net/index.php)
-96-unit condo development near Williams-Brice stadium

Status: Completed

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/spurwb.jpg


• The Gates at Williams-Brice (http://www.thegatesatwb.com)
-158-unit gameday condo development near Williams-Brice Stadium

Status: U/C

http://www.thegatesatwb.com/_filelib/ImageGallery/The_Gates/Renderings/Gates_front_rendering.jpg


• The Courtyard at Arsenal Hill (http://www.jla-engineers.com/Courtyards%20at%20Arsenal%20Hill.htm)
-Seven upscale single-family homes in Columbia's oldest neighborhood, Arsenal Hill

Status: U/C

http://www.fajohnsondevelopmentgroup.com/images/courtyardpage.jpg


• The Battery at Arsenal Hill (http://www.thebatteryatarsenalhill.com)
-44 residential units, including single-family homes, townhomes, and possible carriage houses (or mews)

Status: Proposed

http://www.thebatteryatarsenalhill.com/images/homepage-withtext.jpg


• Olympia Mill renovation (http://www.olympiamills.com/)
-Renovated mill to become home to upscale apartments (unsure of exact number)

Status: U/C

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/olympiamill.jpg


• Whaley Row (http://www.whaleyrow.com/)
-27-unit townhome community located in historic mill village community

Status: U/C

http://www.whaleyrow.com/images/index2_06.jpg


• Rosewood Hills (http://www.chasc.org/cola/Hendley.htm)
The development will include:
--55 Single Family Homes
--32 Townhomes
--22 Quadraplex/Duplex units
--26 Mixed-use flats
--52 Senior Apartments

Status: U/C

http://www.chasc.org/cola/Hendley/Maps/RH_Illustrative_Plan.jpg


• City Club
-46 townhouses and eight flats

Status: U/C

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/City-Club.jpg


• Vsion (http://www.vsioncondos.com)
-10-story condo tower with 111 residential units and 5 commercial/retail units

Status: Proposed

http://www.vsioncondos.com/images/Vsion%20Rendering.jpg


• Palmetto Compress and Warehouse Co. renovation (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/14840295.htm?source=rss&channel=thestate_news)
-conversion of historic cotton warehouse into 173 loft units

Status: Proposed

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/compress.jpg


• Old Columbia Fire Department HQ renovation
-conversion of old fire department headquarters building into apartments, condos, stores, and perhaps a museum

Status: Proposed

http://www.thestate.com/images/thestate/state/15030/225901906010.jpg

Absolutely fantastic list!!! I am very impressed with Columbia's direction towards strengthening its urban fabric. Keep this list up to date ;)

I'll try, Raleigh-NC. I'm just waiting for an announcement for a new condo tower. ;)

no mention of the Olympia/Granby mills? are there any other developments planned for that area? i thought i saw some new infill (well, knew since 2004) when i was there in january.

-

^Yeah, I'm going to get to the mills. You also have some West Columbia housing developments going on, as well as new residences slated for Arsenal Hill. In addition, another gameday condo complex is proposed for Shop Road. It's almost too much to keep up with. I'm sure there will be several more to add before 2007 rolls in.

Interesting excerpt from an article (http://www.thecolumbiastar.com/news/2006/0224/Business/048.html) in The Columbia Star by the president of Holder Properties, which is developing Adesso:

“Columbians are embracing the return to in–town living on a scale that most, if not all, similar sized southeastern cities can only hope for,” said Holder. “With the revitalization of the downtown district and technology– focused expansion at USC, we believe the momentum is just beginning.”

I think that bodes VERY well for future residential development downtown.

^^ Very nice job! :)
I'm pretty sure there will be at least one high-rise proposal before it's all said and done. :D

edit

Here are some more renderings of CanalSide:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/canalside3.jpg
http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/canalside1.jpg
http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/canalside2.jpg

And the site rendering:
http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/siteplan.jpg


We just need some others who have pictures of other residential developments to contribute. *cough*Waccamatt*cough* :D

^^
Nice renderings!!!

We just need some others who have pictures of other residential developments to contribute. *cough*Waccamatt*cough*

Krazee, you really should have that cough looked into, it doesn't sound good, lol. :speech:

I've posted everything I've got right now in the general Columbia development threat, but it is about time for me to take some updated pictures of some of the developments under construction. Maybe that will be a good project for next weekend.

Fair enough. ;)

The construction company now has signs at the site of the former McCrory Dollar Store building at Taylor and Main where 1556 Main will be constructed, so it's pretty much under construction at this point.

New construction pics of Carolina Walk:

http://www.carolinawalk.com/up/7floors.jpg
http://www.carolinawalk.com/photos/no_title.jpg
http://www.carolinawalk.com/photos/South_Tower.jpg
http://www.carolinawalk.com/photos/Stadium_View.jpg


And demolition has begun at the Gates at Williams-Brice:

http://www.thegatesatwb.com/_filelib/ImageGallery/The_Gates/Photos/Construction_Updates/3-30-06_Demo/Picture_003.jpg
http://www.thegatesatwb.com/_filelib/ImageGallery/The_Gates/Photos/Construction_Updates/3-30-06_Demo/Picture_002.jpg

Here are some recent pictures of construction on 1520 Main:

http://www.mashburnconstruction.com/1520_Main_Street/February_March_2006/03-07-06%20View%20of%20building%20from%20above.JPG
http://www.mashburnconstruction.com/1520_Main_Street/February_March_2006/03-07-06%20View%20of%20building%20from%20rear.JPG
http://www.mashburnconstruction.com/1520_Main_Street/March_2_2006/03-21-06%20View%20of%20Main%20Street%20Elevation.JPG
http://www.mashburnconstruction.com/1520_Main_Street/March_2_2006/03-22-06%20View%20from%20rear.JPG
http://www.mashburnconstruction.com/1520_Main_Street/March_2_2006/03-22-06%20View%20of%20rear%20of%20building.JPG

^^ Very nice update-pix! :)

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice to see the progress :okay:

Thanks Krazee; I don't have to go on a photoshoot this weekend, now! I'm going on the Elmwood Park tour of homes on Saturday, but I don't think they would want me snapping pictures, lol. Maybe I'll take my camera to Democracy Day '06 and take some pictures.

1520 Main has finally topped out at four stories:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/1520Main4181.jpg

And the developer has closed on CanalSide, so I would expect tractors out there next week or the week after.

Arsenal Hill project to bridge income gap (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14421082.htm#recent_comm)

Mixture of affordable town houses, single-family homes to be built

By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com

A development planned for Arsenal Hill aims to provide lower-priced housing than the luxury condominiums and town houses being built in Columbia’s Vista.

The Battery at Arsenal Hill is an attempt to renew the Arsenal Hill neighborhood, bridging the gap between luxury homes at nearby Governors Hill, overlooking Finlay Park, and the adjacent Columbia Housing Authority town houses.

The project, to be built on open land, is one way of revitalizing a decaying neighborhood without pricing out its original residents.

“The goal was to help preserve a neighborhood that was rapidly going away by building something that was compatible with it,” said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., a publicly funded agency charged with boosting downtown development.

“It’s not condos,” Delk said. “It’s a real family neighborhood of sidewalks, streets, kids and dogs.”

The Battery will feature 44 single-family homes, bungalows and town houses, ranging in price from $130,000 to $280,000.

Ninety-five percent of the homes would be considered “affordable” for a family of four meeting the requirements for the city’s Columbia Housing and Loan program.

Also, special zoning requested by the Development Corp. would allow buyers of some homes to build small “carriage houses” — sometimes called “mother-in-law flats” or “mews” — on the rear of their properties. These could be rented, but not sold, because the zoning would not allow the lots to be further subdivided.

The architecture of the homes will be mixed, influenced by such styles as Craftsman, Federal and Colonial, but designed to be compatible with the existing homes in predominantly black Arsenal Hill, one of Columbia’s oldest neighborhoods.

Despite its traditional architecture, the layout of the neighborhood will be distinctively new to downtown Columbia.

The special “smart code” zoning for the development, already approved by the Columbia Planning Commission and under consideration by City Council, possibly as early as May 10, is a glimpse of the more dense New Urbanist plans for the old State Hospital property on Bull Street.

New Urbanism stresses pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with a dense mix of units interspersed with communal green space and hidden parking.

The mix of styles and price ranges “will give Columbia a taste of what Bull Street will be one day,” said developer Brian Boyer of Columbia’s Tomlin & Co., which will develop the housing.

The Development Corp. has spent eight years piecing together the 2.87 acres. It sought proposals from developers, and a committee of community members picked the Tomlin & Co. bid from four entries.

“Everybody wanted to get new, affordably priced, single-family homes in the area,” said Cliff Spann, president of the Arsenal Hill Neighborhood Association. “We were ecstatic.”

The project has 20 town houses, 16 traditional single-family homes and eight bungalow-style cottages. Seven optional carriage houses would bring the total to 51 units.

The development’s design features new streets in the interior of the two blocks straddling Pulaski Street, north of Laurel Street.

All parking will be close to the rear of the homes or underneath town houses.

Delk said other “affordable” projects are on the horizon.

“What makes the character of downtown great is having a real mix of people — all incomes and races — and different kinds of creative character,” he said. “That’s what makes it an interesting place to live.”

Krazee, a guy has to get up early in the morning to beat your posts. I am delighted to see an affordable development for the Vista. Of course $130,000 is still not "affordable" to alot of people.

You're right, but since it IS a downtown location, you gotta take what you can get.

I've heard that a tractor is now on the CanalSide site, so I changed its status to under construction. Can we say "Finally"? :D

You're right, but since it IS a downtown location, you gotta take what you can get.

I've heard that a tractor is now on the CanalSide site, so I changed its status to under construction. Can we say "Finally"? :D

Yes! CeCe Peniston has entered the building. Finally......

Adess is slated to break ground May 30. A tent is up on the CanalSide site, supposedly for the groundbreaking ceremony. Since it took TEN YEARS to get that site up and running, it should be all pomp and circumstance for that one. ;)

CanalSide kicks off (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14588309.htm)
By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com

Project to transform Vista

A Charleston developer today will break ground to transform an old prison site on the Columbia Canal into a posh, new neighborhood after a decade of starts and stops by the city.

Once home to South Carolina’s Death Row, the 25-acre tract at the foot of Taylor Street will become CanalSide, a neighborhood of 750 single-family homes, town houses, condos and apartments.

The project will be the first of four major downtown residential developments to spring from the ground. The others are the Bull Street Neighborhood on the site of the former State Hospital, the Kline Center on Huger Street and Innovista, USC’s research district.

These and other projects are intended to attract the “creative class” of researchers, entrepreneurs and others who are expected to transform Columbia’s economy in the next decade.

Today’s ceremony fulfills a vision set forth by the city in 1995, when it purchased the site of the old Central Correctional Institution from the state for $3.3 million.

“It’s a historic day,” Mayor Bob Coble said. “We waited. We planned. And now we have a development that will transform downtown Columbia and significantly add to the tax base.”

In addition to the purchase price, the city spent another $3.6 million clearing and marketing the site, the mayor said.

Developers initially were slow to embrace the property because of the presence of the Prison Industries Building. The site’s last remaining building, it was on the National Register of Historic Places. So the city decided to be its own developer.

But when estimates of $10 million came in for a second round of site improvements in 2004 — adding water and sewer, roads, sidewalks, etc. — the city got out of the development business. It tore down the building and sold the property to The Beach Co. for $6 million.

The Beach Co. is one of South Carolina’s pre-eminent development firms. Its resume includes the Isle of Palms and Kiawah Island, the latter being the largest real estate transaction in South Carolina history.

“The downtown areas of Columbia are where Charleston was many years ago,” Beach Co. chairman Charlie Way said. “People want to live downtown, and we’re going to build that housing. This is a home run for us.”

The site plan is impressive:

• Two eight-story condo towers would front the canal.

• Taylor Street would be extended, forming a wide boulevard through the center of the property.

• A new park and city-built “esplanade” would overlook the canal and connect the development to the Three Rivers Greenway.

• Six blocks of single-family homes would form a traditional neighborhood.

• Town houses, condos and apartments would line newly built streets.

• Stores would be located in the first floor of the condo towers, hosting coffee shops, dry cleaners and other neighborhood shops.

• A rooftop bar and restaurant would provide unmatched views of the city and the river.

The company will spend the next few months building streets and other infrastructure, said Beach Co. vice president Dan Doyle, who is CanalSide’s project manager.

“Vertical” construction — i.e. buildings — should sprout by this fall, he said.

The plan calls for 200 apartments, 30 single-family homes, 40 town houses and 480 condos.

The first phase of construction is to be completed in three or four years. It would include:

• A three-story apartment building on the south edge of the property, bordering Hampton Street

• Three-story rows of town houses lining Taylor Street

• One of the eight-story condo towers, to be located on the northwest corner of the property, overlooking Riverfront Park

The second phase would include the single-family homes in the northeast quadrant and the second condominium tower.

The third phase would include a third condo building in the interior of the site and a second apartment building.

The time frame for the second and third phases of the project would depend on the market, Doyle said, although he predicted a five- to 10-year build out.

The company hasn’t released prices for the units. Doyle said “price points” should be locked down this summer.

However, in the past the company has said most of the homes will sell for more than $200,000, though there could be some condos that sell for slightly less.

The apartments, too, could provide lower-priced options.

“Everything in CanalSide will be market rate,” Doyle said. “The question is what is that rate. It’s very relative.”

The architecture will be cohesive, but diverse, governed by covenants and design guidelines, said Kristen Lee, The Beach Co.’s marketing director.

“There will literally be something for everyone in terms of price point and style,” she said.

Prior to the sale, the city withdrew a requirement that the developer include “affordable housing” in the plans.

The city had asked that whoever bought the site make 25 percent of the residences affordable for people who earn 80 percent of the area’s median income or less, which equals about $32,500.

Instead, Coble said the city will use some revenue from the sale to offer low-cost mortgages for housing in CanalSide and elsewhere in the city.

The particulars of that program have not been developed, the mayor said.

“We are obviously creating a housing boom, and we want to make sure working families can afford to live in downtown Columbia,” he said.

Although fraught with delays, CanalSide is the first major residential development to break ground in downtown Columbia.

Doyle said that is both an advantage and a challenge.

It’s an advantage, he said, because the company will be the first to tap what research shows is an untapped desire for downtown living by aging baby boomers, empty nesters, retirees and the vaunted “creative class.”

“There is a lot of excitement and we’ll be able to capitalize on that,” Doyle said.

But the timing is a challenge because CanalSide will be the first major project to test the theory of selling downtown Columbia as a residential destination.

Buyers might wait to see what other options become available.

“It’s great to be first, but others may benefit as well,” Doyle said. “Others may leverage the excitement we create. But that’s OK.”

Coble predicted the various projects will complement, rather than compete with each other, creating a greater buzz about downtown.

“We’re glad that all those companies and people are interested in investing in downtown. We have tremendous developments announced from Two Notch Road to the river. All of the pieces are starting to fit together.”

Will the progress ever stop? :lol: More great news for Columbia :okay: Judging from the rendering (shown below), it looks like a cool project. Can't wait to see more images:

http://www.thestate.com/images/thestate/state/14590/212874956300.jpg

Yeah, it's going to be a beauty. I didn't know about the two condo towers slated to go up as part of the development. This part of downtown, the Vista, has height restrictions (not sure of the exact height), so it's good to see more mid-rise density coming. I kinda like the fact that the Vista will remain at a human scale, while the area of downtown east of Assembly can continue to get the high rises. You get the best of both worlds.

awesome news.

-

A rendering of the Lofts at Printer's Square development:

http://store1.yimg.com/I/tejlcarter_1898_2040032

The new downtowners
Market called ripe for condos
By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com
A brief history of Main Street
Downtown South
The big 4
A brief history of the Vista
Video | Tours of downtown apartments and more
Video | Stella De Bode talks about why she enjoys downtown
The building boom in downtown Columbia is nothing less than a wholesale remaking of the city center — creating a new urban core of homes with river views, Viking kitchens and short walks to work, the restaurant or the art museum.
About 4,000 units have been built or announced recently, and that doesn’t include 3,000 more expected to spring up around USC’s Innovista research district.

So who’s going to buy them?

Probably your neighbors.

Out-of-towners and investors will be a big part of the mix. But experts said most of the units will be snapped up by local baby boomers tired of the daily commute, the big yard and the big house in the suburbs.

The kids are grown. The bank account is flush. And, as the television ad says, this isn’t a generation prone to rocking on the front porch.

They would rather rock in the city.

More than half of the buyers are expected to be “boomers coming back into the city,” said Jim Berardinelli, vice president of Robert Charles Lesser & Co., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate advisory firm.

The firm researched the Columbia market for The Beach Co., which broke ground for the 750-unit CanalSide development last week.

“It’s the leading edge of a huge market, and they have a lot of wealth,” Berardinelli said from his Atlanta office. “Birmingham, Nashville, Charlotte — five years ago all these cities were in the same boat (as Columbia now). And what we’ve seen is a massive move downtown.”

Broad, deep market

Add to that retirees, singles, nontraditional couples, out-of towners accustomed to downtown living and Gen Y hipsters. What you’ve got is a market that is not only broad, but deep, Berardinelli said.

Consider this: Of the about 200,000 households in Richland and Lexington counties, less than 25 percent are married with children at home, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

The numbers “are surprising at first,” said Harry Miley of Miley and Associates, a Columbia-based economic development consulting firm. “But they’re right.”

That deflates the contention that the downtown housing market will suffer because of concerns about inner-city schools.

And 3,200 more households are expected to be added to the metro mix each year as the U.S. population continues to move South.

S.C. state demographer Mike MacFarlane said the number of households in Richland and Lexington counties grew to about 216,000 by 2003, but the percentage of married households with children remained the same, less than 25 percent.

With those numbers in your hip pocket, turning 4,000 in-town units doesn’t seem quite as daunting a challenge, especially when you consider that many of them are already sold.

Strong demand

Congaree Park on the West Columbia Riverwalk is a good indication of the demand.

Developer Wade Caughman sold all 53 lots for single-family homes in 40 days, at some of the highest prices ever seen in the Midlands — $160,000 to $325,000 for one-tenth of an acre.

On the Columbia side, Caughman’s City Club condominium and town house project on Gervais Street, across from the State Museum, is all but sold out — only nine of the 54 units remain.

There, pre-sold units went for as much as $915,000, complete with plans for 10-foot ceilings, Brazilian cherry wood floors and elevators.

Although prices begin at $300,000 to $550,000, most of the units pre-sold for $775,000.

However, those prices are exceptional because of the proximity to the river — and its recreational opportunities and views.

“The stuff with the true river orientation garners the highest prices — 25 to 30 percent higher,” Berardinelli said. “You have to be careful in this market not to price things too high. You want product in the price points of $200,000 to $350,000, because that’s the deepest part of the market.”

Caughman said almost all his buyers were from Columbia.

“The lake. Spring Valley. Heathwood,” he said. “They want to get closer to downtown and the pulse. Less yard. Less maintenance.

“There’s plenty of money in this town, but they spend it everywhere else — Charleston, the coast,” he said. “People haven’t had anything quality to purchase (downtown) before.”

Convenience

Larry and Ann Miller made the move from Forest Acres to the West Bank.

They bought a prime lot at Congaree Park, and built a house with unmatched views of the Congaree River and, in winter when the leaves are gone, Columbia’s skyline.

“On the weekends, it’s a parade of boats,” Ann said. “And it’s incredible how many people walk on the riverwalk.

“I had never been on the riverwalk,” she said. “But we saw it and it appealed to us. We decided in 24 hours to buy the lot.”

But the view was only half the incentive. The other was convenience.

Both work downtown — Ann in a real estate office and Larry as an asset manager and financial planner.

“Neither one of us wants to commute,” Larry said. “We don’t want to drive.”

They both love cooking and eating out. So the blossoming of restaurants downtown in the past few years was also an attraction.

“It’s the lifestyle of being able to walk to places,” Ann said. “We can walk to New Orleans (restaurant), Cafe Strudel, Mangia Mangia.”

City life

The term for the Millers’ move is intra-migration — from one area of the city or region to other.

The other side of the intra-migration coin is Paul and Jean Denman.

Paul, originally from Hampshire, England, and Jean, a Dallas native, moved to Laurens 26 years ago to take care of an ailing aunt. They both found good jobs in the small town and stayed.

But a yearning for city life never left. When they retired last year, they moved to a condominium in a renovated building on Main Street. It’s lined with books, original art and mementos of their life together.

“We fantasized about London or New York but couldn’t afford it,” Jean said. “We looked at Asheville, but having the USC campus here outweighed the good things Asheville had to offer. And Greenville didn’t have a theater that showed art films.”

Jean, a former USC Union teacher and administrator, said having so many young people around was an attraction.

“I want to see what they are wearing and doing now that I’m not at the university,” she said.

The Denmans’ interests include art films (she is on the board of the Nickelodeon theater), trips to the art museum and dining at places like Gervais & Vine, Hampton Street Vineyard, Motor Supply and the Oyster Bar.

“And bar-hopping expeditions,” Paul said with a grin. “We met in a pub in London, and we still go to bars together.”

Among their favorites: Kelly’s and The Whig.

New arrivals

But intra-migration is only half the story. The other half is new residents — or in-migration.

Columbia’s Pat Mason has been studying human migration patterns in the Carolinas for more than 20 years through his Center for Carolina Living.

Through questionnaires in his Carolina Living visitors magazine, he has surveyed 50,000 new arrivals about why they moved here.

He estimates 150,000 people will move to the state next year.

While the majority list Charleston as their preferred place to move, when it comes time to settle down, more people choose Columbia, Mason’s research has shown.

The reasons are that jobs are more available and housing is more affordable. And it’s still close enough to the mountains or the beach for day trips.

That trend should increase as downtown Columbia becomes more cosmopolitan and the cost of living on the coast continues to rise, Mason said.

“We didn’t have them (moving downtown) before because there was no place for them to live,” he said. “I’ve been blown away by what’s going on in Columbia. We are like the Fourth Ward was in Charlotte 10 years ago.”

One of the new arrivals is Chuck LeMark, a Denver native who moved here from Florida to work at the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties.

LeMark lives in an apartment in a renovated building on Main Street. He is looking for a condo or town house downtown.

“I walked around and fell in love with this place,” he said. “You have blues right there at Mac’s On Main. Jammin’ Java. The (art) museum. It was a no-brainer.”

LeMark is an art aficionado who, through his job as the cultural council’s director of development, is working to install art throughout downtown.

He also doesn’t own a car, a rarity in Columbia for those who can afford one. He cites philosophical concerns about the environment.

“I live downtown, and 98 percent of my meetings are downtown,” he said. “So I wanted to walk the talk.”

Pioneers

LeMark’s landlord, developer Tom Prioreschi, is a pioneer in downtown living along with partner Ron Mohling.

The former New Yorker has redeveloped five buildings on Main Street, creating 167 apartments or lofts in some of the city’s more venerable buildings, starting with the Kress Building in 1998.

He also has renovated the Barringer and Silver’s buildings, among others.

Prioreschi views downtown living as both environmentally and economically beneficial to the city as a whole.

“In-fill development,” as it is called, requires little or no additional infrastructure such as roads or sewer and water lines. And it takes cars off the highways, reducing air pollution and additional expenditures of tax money for road projects.

“Those are the stealth sprawl costs,” he said. “People are becoming more and more aware of those costs and are responding to it. And it’s the responsibility of developers to respond to that.”

Still, he admitted that people interested in the environment, entertainment and convenience are in the minority in Columbia’s housing market.

The number of units being built downtown seems large, but Prioreschi estimates it is only about 10 percent of the greater Columbia real estate market.

“But if 10 percent of the people in Columbia choose to live downtown, I think we can easily absorb 750 units a year,” he said.

‘Creative class’

A large part of that 10 percent is expected to be the “creative class” of researchers and others who will move to Columbia if USC’s ambitious plans for a downtown research district come to fruition.

Stella de Bode is one of those people.

She is a USC medical research scientist studying children who have had one side of their brains removed due to seizures. A native of Latvia, de Bode moved here from Santa Monica, Calif., where she was a researcher at UCLA.

USC has better facilities; it’s cheaper for the children’s families to come here for therapy; and USC provides additional money for her research, she said.

But after 20 years in Santa Monica — “It was as downtown and urban as it could get,” she says — de Bode is suffering a bit of culture shock.

“I wish Columbia was more cosmopolitan,” she said.

De Bode bought a $240,000 condo in Renaissance Plaza on Lady Street.

“It’s pretty cheap,” she said. “For the same amount of money I am paying for my very nice two-bedroom luxury condo in Renaissance Plaza, I would be able to buy a one-bedroom in Santa Monica.”

Her condo should be ready by August. In the meantime, she and her 14-year-old son are living in the Vista Commons apartments on Pulaski Street.

“I don’t like suburbs,” she said. “I want to be closer to the action. Closer to Five Points, to the Vista, to life, to music, the theater. From downtown, I walk to all these things. We walk everywhere.”

Her downtown favorites: The Factory, a gym in the Tapp’s building, and the new Cloud Nine market on Gervais.

“They have a good selection of chocolate,” she said. “I’m happy.”

investors’ impact

But de Bode is concerned about the empty storefronts in the live-work units on Lady Street.

Investors have purchased many of those units, and a number sit empty. The developer attributes the vacancies to streetscaping problems on Lady Street.

But many people are concerned that sales numbers in the overall market are being inflated by investors wanting to get in on the ground floor of Columbia’s burgeoning market and they might not be occupied by homeowners for years.

“The land banking (purchasing for investment purposes) that is going on is unbelievable,” said Carolina Living’s Mason.

He said the new units are popular with investors for the same reason real estate always has been desirable: It will probably go up, especially in a growing city.

“Investors would rather see dirt” than take chances on the stock market, Mason said.

Developer David Bryant of Metropolitan Development Inc., who partnered with Ben Arnold’s Arnold Cos. on the Renaissance Plaza project, said only about 20 percent of the units were purchased by investors — mostly the live-work units — and they likely will become long-term rental units.

Berardinelli said most developers will cap the number of investor purchases “because they don’t want their projects to sit empty.”

All the live-work units at Renaissance Plaza have been sold, Bryant said. But some still are empty, he said, because of the Lady Street streetscaping project.

“Residents and tenants have been slow to move in because there is a construction zone outside of their window,” he said.

Bryant, Caughman and other developers interviewed, however, are looking for more land to build more projects. And out-of-state developers are starting to become interested.

“They believe Columbia is an untapped market,” said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., a public-private partnership that seeks investment for the Vista. “I hear that over and over again.”

Caughman and other developers said the stakes will rise as land becomes scarce and outside interests come in.

But he predicted no shortage of people who will buy if the product and prices are right.

“We’re in our infancy,” he said.

Reach Wilkinson at (803) 771-8495.

That Lofts at Printer's Square development looks pretty cool :okay: And the article posted here was very informative. It's so nice to see your city grow before your eyes... in a responsible way, of course ;)

New 10-story residential tower coming: Vsion (http://capitolplaces.com/Condos/vsion.htm)

Even though I'm not exactly thrilled about this one, here it is:

http://www.whaleyrow.com/images/index2_06.jpg

This thing is WAY to suburban in nature for a historic mill village neighborhood. The only good thing is that it's infill. Units average about $250K. To get a feel for the neighborhood where this development will be located, check out some of Waccamatt's pictures (http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/millvillages.htm).

I can't wait to see the renderings for Vsion. New projects are being announced almost daily in the greater downtown area. I think I may go on a photoshoot today.

Even though I'm not exactly thrilled about this one, here it is:

http://www.whaleyrow.com/images/index2_06.jpg

This thing is WAY to suburban in nature for a historic mill village neighborhood. The only good thing is that it's infill. Units average about $250K. To get a feel for the neighborhood where this development will be located, check out some of Waccamatt's pictures (http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/millvillages.htm).

yeah, a bit too suburban, but a lot of the infill in that area seems like it. then again, if done right, it could add to the feel of a city of courtyards, which Columbia seems to be.

where's Vision going to be at?

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A guy on the "other" forum confirmed that an existing building will be rehabbed, at the corner of Lady and Marion. I can't think what building that might be, though. Hopefully Matt will remember to get a shot of it for us. ;)

It's good to see Capitol Places break out of its "Main Street routine." It's even better that this will be in downtown east of Main; it's a start in balancing downtown residential, although the majority will always be in the Vista and along Main.

Anybody think we'll see some more residential along Assembly? Adesso is a great start. If so, I think that will be all the more reason to transform Assembly into an awesome boulevard with wide sidewalks and planted medians. Matt has a great vision for this street.

Vsion rendering:

http://www.capitolplaces.com/Condos/vsion.1.jpg

To be rehabbed from this existing building at Lady and Marion (that I never gave the time of day to, LOL; pic courtesy of Waccamatt):

http://webzoom.freewebs.com/waccamatt/5%2027%2006%20photoshoot/vsion%20currently%201.jpg

More updates/photos coming soon!

USC condos under way (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14696192.htm)
Adesso breaking ground today on 6-story project at Main and Blossom

By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com

An Atlanta developer and USC’s development foundation will break ground today for a six-story, $50 million luxury condominium and retail store development at Main and Blossom streets in downtown Columbia.

Holder Properties, developer of Main Street’s Meridian building, is partnering with the foundation on the project, called Adesso, Italian for “now.”

The project is designed to complement the university’s Innovista research district, being built to the south and west of the high rise.

It is one of about two dozen residential projects recently announced or built downtown.

“Combined with the seven buildings that are under way with the research campus, the development is a major step forward for Innovista,” Mayor Bob Coble said. “It’s yet another major residential development in downtown and confirms that Columbia’s renaissance is moving full steam ahead.”

Holder vice chairman Clark Gore said the project has an edge on other announced downtown developments because of its link to USC. It is also equidistant between Five Points, Main Street and the Vista.

“Our location is unique,” he said. “It can draw residents from a broad area and will appeal to a broad audience.”

Gore added the company “will have a development next year” as opposed to other announced projects, such as the Bull Street Neighborhood slated for the old State Hospital campus and the Guignard property on the riverfront.

“We will beat other folks to the market,” he said. “We feel like we’re ahead of the curve.”

Other large residential projects broke ground this month, as well.

On May 16, The Beach Co. broke ground for the 750-unit CanalSide development of condos, town houses, single-family homes and apartments at the site of the old Central Correctional Institution prison on the Columbia Canal.

The next day, developers cut the ribbon on the Renaissance Plaza 77-unit condo and live-work project on Lady Street.

The Adesso project will have 115 one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums, 8,500 square feet of ground-level retail space and an underground parking deck.

The amount of retail space was increased by 2,000 square feet because of demand, Gore said. The building likely will house a dry cleaners, a bank branch, two food-service businesses and perhaps a cafe or market.

“As we started rolling out the retail, the level of interest was a lot stronger than we had anticipated or hoped,” Gore said.

Demolition of four Main Street buildings on the site is under way. They had housed four businesses: Addam’s University Bookstore, Brantley Meats, the Pizza Hut and DCP Food Mart.

Condo prices will begin at $275,000 and rise to about $600,000.

While the top floor — the sixth — will have impressive views, don’t expect overly expensive penthouse prices, Gore said.

We’re not looking for the million-dollar buyer,” he said. “We’re looking for the buyer who wants a quality product at a quality location.”

Gore said he expects the market to be people involved with the university, including staff members, professors and others from around the state who have an affiliation with the university, as well as lawmakers and professionals who work in downtown Columbia.

Construction is expected to begin this summer, with completion slated for a year later.

The main entrance and lobby will open onto Main Street. The C-shaped building will surround a courtyard and pool area. The exterior will be finished in stucco and stone to complement nearby USC buildings.

Other amenities will include a club room and lobby concierge services.

The Addam’s Bookstore, which has been at Main and Blossom for 15 years, has moved to 100 Assembly St.

The owner of Brantley Meats, the oldest operating business on Main Street south of the State House, said earlier he expects to relocate, probably in Cayce. The Pizza Hut also was looking for a new downtown location, while the food mart owners have said they have not determined their plans.

The foundation and Holder each contributed about $4 million for the property, VanHuss said, with the foundation retaining a controlling interest.

The foundation will lease the property to the company and receive a percentage of the profits as the condos are sold.

Foundation executive director Susie VanHuss said the foundation will continue to look for partners to invest in projects that will benefit the university, especially in conjunction with Innovista.

“The fact that a first-class developer like Holder wants to invest brings a lot of credibility to the idea” of the innovation district, she said. “And we hope there will be many other partnerships and projects in the future.”

The initial list has been updated.

Here are some photos of what's going on at Olympia:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/millsigns.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/olympia2.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/olympia.jpg

According to The State, Five Points businessman Richard Burts has extended a contract to buy the Gallery 701 building on Whaley Street. He has not announced his ideas for the building.

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/gallery701.jpg

Burts’ partner in the project, Robert Lewis, a local preservationist and attorney, plans to convert the old Granby Mill administration building and parking lot into offices, stores and houses.

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/olympiabldg.jpg


And here's the Whaley Row site:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/whaleyrow.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/whaleyrow2.jpg

Some pics of the Courtyard at Arsenal Hill:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/courtyardsign.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/courtyard1.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/courtyard4.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/courtyard21.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/courtyard3.jpg

Although this project has a few suburban aspects like Whaley Row, overall I like it, primarily because it's infill and secondarily because of the type and quality of the architecture.


Renaissance Plaza photos:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/renaissanceplaza3.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/renaissanceplaza2.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/renaissanceplaza1.jpg

I don't expect that kudzu-covered parcel of land to stay vacant for long. Something nice and mixed-use would fit in there well, I think.


1520 Main photos:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/1520Main21.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/1520Main1.jpg

Great updates :okay: Love the fact that there is so much in Columbia that can be preserved. Not all cities can do that. Sure, there are some old structures everywhere, but sometimes it makes no financial sense to fix them up and repackage them. By the way, Vsion looks cool :okay:

Yeah, I would like to see a rendering in color though. But it's good to see residential development east of Main; most of Capitol Places' development has been along Main and the Vista has most of downtown's newest residential units.

Carolina Walk:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/carolinawalk.jpg


The Spur at Williams-Brice:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/spuratwb.jpg

Here's the newspaper article (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14721313.htm) for Vsion.

The Bull Street neighborhood finally has a website (http://www.bullstreetsc.com/index.html).

Great links!!! You make me jealous :lol:

^You shouldn't be. ;)

Well, I am, because we have so many projects to be happy about and 1-2 of them have made enough progress to create cheer and bring joy :( Sorry for getting off topic, but count with me for a moment: Quorum Center (has already topped out), Convention Center (just started getting some height), Palladium Plaza (only on the 3rd floor), Carlton Place (3 stories don't make much difference). The rest of the projects still have a way to go before they gain some visibility :( Since you have been following closely the developments in Raleigh, you know that having 3-4 projects you can [currently] talk about is hardly enough. We have another 6-12 months before we can flood SSC with construction updates... Thank God for the construction updates Columbia forumers post every now and then, which gives me a place to go and see some progress :lurker:

I don't have to say it again, but I like what I see happening in Columbia. I feel that every city would envy Columbia for the huge amount of ongoing and upcoming projects.

Well, I guess every city goes through the stage of having proposals and announcements, yet not having anything to show for it at present. I'm more than certain that all of the great things proposed in Raleigh (eg, Soleil, RBC, etc.) will eventually happen. I think both cities have much to be proud of at present, and much more to look forward to in the future. ;)

You have no idea how anxious I am to visit Columbia. Not that I have raised my expectations beyond the normal level, but I want to see the city with my own two eyes and enjoy what it has to offer. In other words, I will visit with open mind. Very rarely I have been disappointed in the past.

One favor: Can someone put together a list of major projects in Columbia that never materialized, or were significantly scaled down?

I think you'd truly enjoy your trip to Columbia. Those who have visited both cities tend to say they favor in a lot of ways.

Hmmmm....I think Waccamatt would know more about the unrealized/scaled down projects than me.

Pictures of City Club construction:

http://www.coolumbia.net/pix/coming/cityclub2.jpg

http://www.coolumbia.net/pix/coming/cityclub1.jpg

Someone with his ear to the ground said we should be on the lookout for a project in Olympia that will definitely trump Whaley Row. As long as it is urban and in character for the neighborhood (non-gated, NO GARAGES IN FRONT, etc.) and has some sort of architectural significance to it, I'll be happy. I'm actually hoping it will be a condo project of some sort.

It seems as though the Justice Square Townhomes are gearing up for second phase (http://www.estatesinc.com/justicesquare2.php) to that existing development. Here's how the first phase looks:

http://www.estatesinc.com/images/justice.jpg

This is downtown in the Vista.

i've been back almost 2 weeks now...very interesting, and nice to see the progress, preservation and spots for future progress. i've also been exploring new parts of downtown (northeast) while running...

and i've been getting reaquainted with the Art Bar and Hunter Gatherer. :cheers:

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I'm sure you're glad to be back in the mix, LSyd.

City Club looks awesome...i had no idea where that was until i walked by it friday night.

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Vista edifice eyed for condos
Developer wants to convert historic cotton warehouse into 173 loft units
By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com
A Columbia development team has a contract on the massive Palmetto Compress and Warehouse Co. building near Blossom and Huger streets in the Vista.

Metropolitan Development and the Arnold Cos. plan to turn the historic, four-story former cotton warehouse into 173 loft condominiums with some first-floor commercial space.

The nearly century-old, 329,000-square-foot building is about the same size as the Olympia and Granby mills, whose renovations have breathed new life into the nearby mill villages.

If the deal goes through, the $40 million-plus retrofit would capitalize on the building’s location in the heart of USC’s planned Innovista research district.

“It’s the biggest building in the Vista and in the middle of what USC is doing with Innovista,” said David Bryant of Metropolitan Development.

But the developer cautioned the deal is not “100 percent. We still have to run the numbers.”

The condos will likely be priced from $130,000 to $275,000, making them among the Vista’s more affordable new offerings. Condos have been announced for up to $1 million in the Vista.

The development, tentatively named Innovista Lofts, is the first to be announced since USC and the Guignard family unveiled a master plan for the family’s 90-acre riverfront property and the 45-acre area between Assembly Street and the Congaree River.

The master plan calls for a new riverfront park — to be the city’s largest — and envisions 4,000 residential units feeding off the university’s planned research campus.

The building is slightly smaller than the 350,000-square foot Olympia Mill, which is being renovated in Olympia Village, and larger than the 270,000-square-foot Granby Mill, which has been converted into apartments.

Like the mill buildings, the Palmetto Compress building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building “has 7½ acres under roof,” Bryant said. “And I had a contract on it before (USC and the Guignards) made their announcement. For once, I got lucky.”

Mayor Bob Coble called the re-use of the old building “a breakthrough” for the city.

“It seems we have an announcement (of a new downtown residential project) every week,” he said. “But that building has been a sleeping giant for years. Now it’s going to be right in the center of things.”

The Palmetto Compress building is being used as ministorage warehouses.

It was built in sections from 1917 to 1923 to compress and store cotton bales. It has the capacity to store 55,000 cotton bales, according to its application to the historic register.

“It’s a fabulous building,” said Robin Waites, executive director of Historic Columbia. “It’s an important piece of the city’s textile and mill history, which was so important to Columbia in the late 19th and early 20th century.”

When the building was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s, it was one of only four surviving cotton compress facilities in the Southeast, Waites said.

If the deal goes through, Bryant and partner Ben Arnold plan 173 urban lofts that would incorporate the warehouse’s heart pine floors, exposed brick walls and 10½-foot-tall ceilings.

“In the Vista, everyone wants the warehouse look, and this has the potential to be the funkiest thing in the area,” Bryant said.

Most of the units will average about $200,000, Bryant said.

“We want to keep it basic so we can keep the price reasonable,” Bryant said. “I want to go under the radar with a true loft that provides more product for younger people — Gen X, Gen Y and young professionals.

“The market is already there. There’s just no product.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------

more awesome news...especially on the price.

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Yeah, and I had no idea it was listed on the historic register. I'm hoping that the numbers look good for these guys and that it will spur some development along Pulaski, which desperately needs it.

Huger is going to start looking like another Gervais in the coming years.

Vsion rendering in color:

http://www.vsioncondos.com/images/masthead.jpg

http://www.vsioncondos.com

i saw the courtyard the other day while running...i agree, i don't like the suburban cul de sac part at all; the buildings on the street were pretty nice though.

next time i run by 1520 main i'll so it on the other side of the street so i can get a better look at the construction, instead of going through the covered sidewalk. :)

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Vsion rendering in color:

http://www.vsioncondos.com/images/masthead.jpg

http://www.vsioncondos.com
Beautiful building. Columbia is booming!!!! There are too many projects to keep up with.

You're right; it is hard to keep up with them.

Some shots I took of 1520 Main yesterday:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/1520_main3.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/1520_main2.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/1520_main.jpg


A few shots of City Club construction, including the Middleton Building (which will house 8 flats):

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/cityclub.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/cityclub2.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/middletonbldg.jpg


Adesso construction:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/adessosign.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/adessoconstruction2.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/adessoconstruction1.jpg

i need to go take some Cola pics...i go by 2 of these sites (Adesso, 1520 main, the Lady/Hampton street officec building condo-conversion) on a semi-regular basis, but w/o camera.

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Work hasn't started on Vsion (corner of Lady/Hampton) yet, has it? Didn't seem like it when I went past yesterday.

Work hasn't started on Vsion (corner of Lady/Hampton) yet, has it? Didn't seem like it when I went past yesterday.

no; i just got hyped on it, realizing i run past it on a regular basis, and had thought that its parking lot was wasteful...and i might be able to see it out of my window, although i'm pretty sure it's another (but similar) building.

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Thanks for the update photos :)

Word on the street is that this company (http://www.blvdcentro.com) is taking a look at Columbia. Hopefully something will come of it.

Boulevard Centro has done some great work in Lexington. City Courts and Center Court are both Boulevard Centro Developments, the first is complete the second is under construction now.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/15010238.htm

http://www.thestate.com/images/thestate/state/15012/225371161808.gif

USC LAND SALE
City panel OKs Wheeler Hill plan
City Council must vote, public weigh in on future of 4.5 acres
By GINA SMITH
gnsmith@thestate.com

Wheeler Hill plan endorsed

USC is one step closer to selling nearly 4½ acres east of Pickens Street in the Wheeler Hill neighborhood so that about 40 homes can be built — likely high-end homes similar to those already in the neighborhood.

Monday, members of Columbia’s Planning Commission approved the rezoning of the land. The public can comment in September, and City Council is expected to vote this fall.

The USC Development Foundation plans to subdivide the mostly undeveloped land into about 40 lots, then sell them to individuals.

The university will likely work with one or more developers to build the houses, said Chip Land, the city’s deputy director of planning and zoning.

While lot prices have not been established, they will likely sell for what the neighborhood’s surrounding lots are selling for, said Susie VanHuss, executive director of the foundation.

“We don’t know all of our costs yet,” VanHuss said. “You don’t know what you’ll find underground.”

The lots could be $100,000 or more, according to a review of recent lot sales in the area.

Homes sell for between $300,000 and the upper $800,000, said Whit Moore, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker United Realtors who sells homes regularly in the community.

The rezoning is the latest chapter in a 50-year-old rift between the university and some of the city’s black residents.

Wheeler Hill was a prominently African-American community until the 1960s, when USC began purchasing much of the neighborhood land for a physical education center, razing homes, churches and schools.

The neighborhood comprised 42 businesses and 210 families, mostly black, according to Henry H. Lesesne in his book “A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000.”

In the years since, about 100 high-end homes have been built in the neighborhood, pricing out many of its original residents and bringing in white residents.

The university, cognizant of the bad blood, spent the last 15 months meeting with residents and determining what they wanted done with the land.

Several Wheeler Hill residents attended Monday’s Planning Commission meeting to thank the university for working closely with them.

“The foundation has come, listened and done a wonderful job,” said Nina Smith, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years. “I really wanted to see single-family homes because that’s consistent with the neighborhood as it is. And that’s what they’re doing.”

Meanwhile, city leaders stress that affordable housing is a priority in the city.

City Council recently signed off on an affordable housing task force that will search for new ways to keep city homes affordable for teachers, firefighters, police officers and others.

A committee of 20 residents and city staff members met for the first time this week to study best practices of other cities for providing affordable housing. They’ll release a report and recommendations at a yet-to-be-determined date.

“It’s essential that Columbia be a place where working families can afford to live. Market forces are driving the price of houses way out of the reach of families unless we have strategies in place that will give them affordable options,” Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said.

Reach Smith at (803) 771-8462.

----------------------------------------------------

interesting...i went through there the other day because of a train cutting me off (so i had to circle around to Five Points) and i was really suprised at some of the new developments (Wheat looked a lot better than when i'd run through it regularly 4 years ago.) i also remember some of the business used to be there, although it's crappy to hear about the community being watered down...kind of reminds me Brooklyn in Charlotte, but thankfully on a much, much smaller scale.

there was some really dense houses that i'm not sure if they're new or old, i'll have to go back and get pics.

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I'm not holding my breath on the affordable housing issue in Wheeler Hill; too much money to be made there. Columbia doesn't really have a history of freeways demolishing minority neighborhoods like other cities (at least not as extensive a history as one), but the city certainly isn't innocent in this regard.

The Vsion website has a new look: http://www.vsioncondos.com

Check out some new pics of the construction (http://www.mashburnconstruction.com/1520_Main_Street/1520_Main_Street_July_2006.htm) of the 1520 Main residential project.

Nice links, krazeeboi :okay: The cosnstruction photos reminded me of my college days, when I was working as a P/T construction worker :)

You guys ever heard of John Temple Ligon? :?
He's got a proposal or conceptual proposal for a 25 story octagon shaped residential tower and a new 1,500 seat opera house right on Main Street across from the new 1st Citizen's Bank HQ.
Here's his e-mail address. You can e-mail him and he will tell you more.
jtligon@hotmail.com
:)

http://www.thecolumbiastar.net/news/2006/0804/Business/047p1_xlg.jpg

Opera house finds financial feasibility
By John Temple Ligon
Temple@TheColumbiaStar.com



Photo by John Temple Ligon; Graphic by Natasha Derrick



In the late 1980s, Columbia was getting the Koger Center, while Greenville was building the Peace Center, and Charlotte, the Blumenthal. The Koger Center was the best buy.

On a per-seat basis, the Koger cost about $7,500 in the dollars of the day, while the Peace Center cost $15,000, and the Blumenthal, $20,000. All three halls met multi-purpose requirements for symphonies, musicals, ballets, and even operas, but not very well. None of the three makes for a good opera house.


A good opera house is designed and built as a good opera house. A multi-purpose music hall, such as the Koger Center, works better serving the needs of a symphony orchestra or a traveling Broadway show than it accommodates opera.

Opera needs four stages: the main performance stage and two to the sides and another to the rear. While one act uses one set, another two sets can be in the wings waiting to be rolled out. Opera also demands a tight proximity with its audience, which needs to sit close to appreciate the combination of drama and music delivered by unaided voices and instruments.

An opera house is expensive, really expensive, even to renovate. The Parisians barely finished their new Bastille Opera House for $600 million in time for the 1989 bicentennial of the French Revolution.

The Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden came out of its 1990s redo for almost $400 million, to include a new wing for the Royal Ballet. The much smaller La Fenice in Venice was restored about the same time for $100 million, which was almost $100,000 per seat for its 1,100 seats.

In Columbia, a 1,500-seat opera house could fit between the NBSC building at Main and Lady and a future high-rise at Main and Gervais, about where an opera house was torn down in the 1930s. It is also where the Carolina Theater showed first-run movies until demolition to make way for the AT&T parking lot.

By inserting between two tall buildings, the opera house guarantees a low-rise divide between two high- rises, preserving the views on each side.

The site on the west side of Main Street allows the opera house to back up to the existing 1,000-car garage, mostly empty at night. Opera is a night function. But the opera house can operate as a commercial day facility, too.

With 1,500 seats, the new opera house grandly enhances the convention center offerings on Lincoln Street a few blocks away. The convention center was designed to handle a maximum of about 1,500 delegates, and the banquet hall works beautifully for banquets. But for speeches and presentations between meals, a 1,500-seat venue on Main Street bolsters the marketing of the convention center and its surrounding hotels.

To project construction cost, a per-seat estimate of $30,000 is reasonable, which brings the total for 1,500 seats to almost $50 million. Next door at the corner with Gervais, the proposed high-rise with 25 stories could dedicate its taxes for the opera house the same way Charlotte's new Wachovia Building is backing a $60-million bond for new cultural amenities downtown. Being in the Vista's tax increment bond financing district, the Main Street block between Lady and Gervais can allow something similar. In Columbia, that's good for a $25-million bond.

Also in Charlotte, the tax on car rentals is going up a bit, which is good for another $60-million bond. In Columbia, we need only enough for another $25-million bond.

Between the next-door demonstration of tax increment bond financing and the contributions from the local car rentals, Columbia gets a new $50-million opera house.

You guys ever heard of John Temple Ligon? :?
He's got a proposal or conceptual proposal for a 25 story octagon shaped residential tower and a new 1,500 seat opera house right on Main Street across from the new 1st Citizen's Bank HQ.
Here's his e-mail address. You can e-mail him and he will tell you more.
jtligon@hotmail.com
:)

To my knowledge, Temple Ligon has never had a project developed so I wouldn't put too much stock in what he has to say.

^^ Well, what's the deal with that then? :?
At least he's someone who's dreaming bigger/taller/grander than anyone else out there. :yes:

interesting proposal...i walked by that area today, before reading this. it sucks how that block got torn up over time.

the wierd thing about that proposal is that the 25 story tower would be about the same height as Capitol Center (isn't that the official name?), the city's tallest...and would need a narrow footprint b/c there's not _that_ much space in that little plaza there.

it is good to see someone thinking big.

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I will give him credit for that. He also desperately wants to see mass transit beefed up/expanded in the Midlands.

^^ Yeah, I LOVE the mass transit idea. :yes:

GranDevine a grand success (http://www.thecolumbiastar.net/news/2006/0811/Business/019.html)
By John Temple Ligon
Temple@TheColumbiaStar.com

http://www.thecolumbiastar.net/news/2006/0811/Business/019p1_xlg.jpg

The old Schneider School building, famous since 1924, has become The GranDevine, a 51-unit condominium complex in the heart of the Devine Street corridor. Within walking distance of The GranDevine, six blocks each way, are about 60 high-end shops and services. Just beyond that, there are Five Points to the east and the intersection with Millwood Drive to the west.

The housing units met a pent-up demand. There was a sales flurry last June when the project was sold out. Altogether there is a bit more than 43,000 square feet of owners' interior unit space, which puts the average unit at almost 850 square feet. Actually, the largest two units are 1,447 square feet each, and the smallest two, 551 square feet each.

The average sales price was about $170,000, which suggests a per-square-foot purchase of $200.

Schneider School was converted into apartments in the opportune time between 1981 and 1986, while the 1981 Economic Recovery Tax Act was in full effect, to include accelerated depreciation and special consideration for historic preservation. The apartments were bought by a partnership formed by Columbians David Bryant and Ben Arnold. Bryant's company, Metropolitan Development, ran the show and sold the units.

The architect was Columbian Dan Sherer of Sherer & Associates. The contractor was Arnold Construction.

Early on in the conversion process from apartments to condominiums, the project found little objection as it gained approval and permits. The only hesitation came when the City of Columbia asked why the named "Schneider" could not be the name of the condominium complex.. David Bryant's answer addressed the reality of the market demographic: a whole lot of people from out of town who would be expected to respond to "GranDevine" more favorably than to "Schneider."

First move-in is expected in another month.

^ awesome. the resuses here are great...too bad that the CCI hotel fell through. some of my friends stayed at a prison turned hotel in San Antonio; one girl even got the execution chamber room. ;)

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That's kinda creepy.

Yeah, that is very creepy indeed. I bet most people wouldn't stay in such a hotel if they knew ahead of time that it used to be a prison.

Yeah, that is very creepy indeed. I bet most people wouldn't stay in such a hotel if they knew ahead of time that it used to be a prison.

my friends loved it. the hotel in San Antonio's apparently very popular; unfortunately, they couldn't find a developer for the CCI building. it would've been more like a loft conversion of a factory than a prison though. it probably wouldn't have been cheap either. it had a nice view from the roof though. :) some pics from inside, sorry for the bad quality, they're from my 35mm.

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/28302695.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/28302697.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/28302692.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/28302693.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/28302696.jpg

exterior

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/30325952.jpg

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Council to consider Lower Waverly plan (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/15283255.htm)
Redevelopment of 30-acre area would be first phase of 1,000-acre project

By GINA SMITH
gnsmith@thestate.com


The largest redevelopment plan the city of Columbia has ever undertaken — a plan to reinvent about 1,000 acres between Five Points and Forest Acres — is growing legs and is expected to pass a major mile marker today.

At this morning’s City Council meeting, the public can comment on the East Central Redevelopment Plan, a project initiated by a public/private partnership called the East Central Consortium.

The city is a partner and has contributed about $635,000 to the project thus far.

City Council members are expected to vote today that the Lower Waverly area — the first of six “catalyst” projects that make up the redevelopment area — is blighted and in need of redevelopment and that the city will help in the effort.

Once council does this, plans can move forward to take 30 acres in the Lower Waverly community — bounded by Millwood Avenue, Gervais Street, Heidt Street and Santee Avenue — and build a yet-to-be-determined number of single-family homes, condos and senior housing, though price ranges haven’t been determined.

Construction could get under way by the first quarter of 2007.

The project also calls for some retail like boutiques and coffee shops along Millwood Avenue.

Much of the land is vacant and much of what is there is deteriorating.

“Change in this area is long overdue,” said Durham Carter, a neighborhood leader and member of the East Central Commission. “It’s a lot of vacant lots, abandoned buildings, high crime, drugs and prostitution.”

The city won’t develop the land. Rather, initial investments by the public and private sectors including the city — along with a clearly defined redevelopment plan that details what will be built and where — will encourage developers, business owners and homeowners to move to the area.

“The city is priming the pump,” said Chip Land, the city’s planning director. “We, the city, and the other partners are trying to attract private development back into the area.”

It will also make the area a better place to live, said F.A. Johnson, whose firm, F.A. Johnson Consulting Group, is the master development consultant.

“When it is complete, residents will be able to walk to Five Points for shopping, to the Martin Luther King Park and walk two more blocks to the university,” said Johnson, who is overseeing the project along with his son, Fred A. Johnson. “We’ll have affordable housing, nice housing, instead of the blight.”

Yet some residents have expressed concern that longtime residents might be forced from their homes or forced to sell land for a project they don’t agree with.

Many of the details on how demolition of old buildings will work, the sale of land and more have yet to be worked out.

“We know it will be a long and difficult process but one well worth it,” said Columbia Mayor Bob Coble. “It represents the revitalization of an area that has long been neglected.”

Lower Waverly is one of Columbia’s first suburban neighborhoods where black professionals like teachers and lawyers lived, Coble said, and it’s been ignored by the city.

The entire project, which is comprised of six phases spanning more than 1,000 acres, could take more than a decade to realize, Johnson said.

And in the end, tens of millions of dollars will be invested by the private and public sector.

So far, Fannie Mae, Carolina First, Wachovia Bank, Providence Hospital, Richland County and the city have contributed to the pot, making it a public/private venture.

With the initial Lower Waverly project, the city will pay for upgrades to water, sewer and other infrastructure, but the East Central Commission will serve as the developer. A pre-approved group of contractors will build in the project area.

Extensive community meetings helped the F.A. Johnson firm determine what type of development residents wanted and where it should be placed.

“They took the plan to each neighborhood in the area and explained it and we all accepted it,” Carter said. “We welcome it. We look forward to it.”

so what's going up on the east side of Harden near the intersection w/Gervais? there's like a retaining wall (once upon a time, probably houses) and there's a few things of construction (church?)

it'd be prime space for residential (other than what sort of seems like a bad hood behind it,) as it has a nice skyline view.

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I noticed that site being cleared out for construction a few months ago. Have no idea what's coming to the site. That's a pretty nice spot for a "signature" building for the area, especially considering the Five Points redevelopment plan in the works.

^ it didn't look like a tower though, it looked like a church.

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Oh OK. I'll check it out next time I'm in town.

Check out the links for some recent construction pics of Adesso (http://www.adesso-columbia.com/updates/construction.asp) and 1520 Main (http://www.mashburnconstruction.com/1520_Main_Street/1520_Main_Street_August_2006.htm).

Very cool. :yes:

i saw two townhouse developments going up in Olympia/Granby, not sure if they've been covered in this thread. one had "Waverley" in the title, and was going up near the Ra monolith right next to the railroad tracks, where there used to be a warehouse. starting at $239K...

the other was by the brick building (i think the old Granby clinic) towards Granby village. it was further ahead on construction.

and they're tearing down the old metal frame by the Ra monolith. :( :mad: :mad2:

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The first one you're speaking of is Whaley Row. We discussed that project earlier in the thread, specifically its suburban nature.

The GranDevine, a condo conversion of the old Scheider School in the Old Shandon neighborhood:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/grandevine.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/grandevine2.jpg

Whaley Row - it felt a lot less suburban in person than the look of the renderings.

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/66464132.jpg

project by Granby village

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/66464134.jpg

City Club/Middleton Building

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/66464215.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/66464217.jpg

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Thanks for the updates :okay:

Gameday condo complex construction

Carolina Walk:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/carolinawalk1.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/carolinawalk2.jpg


The Spur at Williams-Brice:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/spurwb1.jpg


The Gates at Williams-Brice:

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/gateswb2.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/antical79/images/gateswb.jpg

Carolina Walk looks great from downtown. thanks for the pics.

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The Lofts at Printers Square has a website: http://www.loftsatprinterssquare.com/index.shtml

Town homes offered to poor (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/15496680.htm)
Partnership hopes Arsenal Hill plan will create more affordable housing

By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com

A Columbia development partnership is offering 10 town houses in Arsenal Hill — at cost — to low-income neighborhood residents.

At a news conference today, the group will challenge other developers profiting from downtown’s building boom to adopt similar projects.

“The whole purpose of this program is to help the people that need the housing get the housing,” said developer Brian Boyer, who also is a member of the Columbia Affordable Housing Task Force. “We’re asking other developers and home builders to step up.”

Civic Partners LLC is offering the two-bedroom, 2½-bath town houses at Wayne and Richland streets, not far from the Governor’s Mansion, for about $96,000. They will be offered first to Arsenal Hill public housing residents, then to the remainder of the residents of the predominantly black neighborhood who qualify for the city’s low-income loan program.

That program is open to residents who make 80 percent of the area’s median household income. That amounts to about $48,500 or less for a family of four or $25,000 or less for someone who is single.

Buyers by covenant must live in the homes for five years. They then can sell them at a profit of only 10 percent a year since the time of purchase.

Boyer said the units are being offered at cost to “set a baseline” for affordable housing downtown.

The project is being backed by Columbia financier Don Tomlin and businessman Joe E. Taylor Jr., who is now S.C. secretary of commerce. Taylor was involved in the project before he was appointed commerce secretary. Others donated their time and services.

“Cities need to offer a diversity of housing opportunities for people at all income levels,” Tomlin said. “This project demonstrates a workable model for the creation of affordable housing that will work in any setting.”

Boyer, with Tomlin’s backing, also is developing The Battery at Arsenal Hill several blocks away. That for-profit development also has an affordable housing component, featuring 44 single-family homes, bungalows and town houses ranging in price from $130,000 to $280,000.

Selling additional housing at cost to low-income residents “helps the neighborhood and the whole city,” Boyer said.

The units are made from solid materials and feature the same floor plan as other for-profit developments he has built, he said. “I would challenge anyone to come in and do it better.”

Columbia, which has a lengthy waiting list for subsidized housing, has been aggressive in offering low-interest home loans. And two large public housing developments are being replaced with homes and apartments.

Civic Partners decided to make the town houses available in response to earlier projects that were backed by public funds but came in at relatively high prices.

“Other developers haven’t delivered what we thought was affordable housing,” said Boyer. “We wanted to come in, build a good, affordable unit and open the books to set a baseline.”

Boyer would not give examples. But another development in the neighborhood, the Courtyard at Arsenal Hill, initially was billed by the city as an affordable housing project, while prices eventually came in at $350,000 and up.

Also, City Council on Wednesday is considering a $1.8 million subsidy to redevelop Roosevelt Village in north Columbia.

City Council member Kirkman Finlay said the city should encourage private development of affordable housing rather than give blanket subsidies.

“As long as private developers are willing to step up — and there are others who are — the city doesn’t need to feel compelled to subsidize these projects,” he said.

Mayor Bob Coble urged other developers to adopt the model set by Civic Partners.

“They have shown the path, and we encourage other people to follow it. The question is whether that meets the entire need.”

http://www.thestate.com/images/thestate/state/15498/240203299526.jpg

The Lofts at Printers Square has a website: http://www.loftsatprinterssquare.com/index.shtml

I really like the green nature of this building, I hope it turns out as cool as the rendering.

http://www.loftsatprinterssquare.com/images/rendering.jpg

I do too. I'd like to see a variation on the red brick facade however. It would be cool to see it constructed of refurbished brick.

We haven't heard many new residential announcements later; it's time for actual construction to catch up with what's already been announced.

^^
I know exactly what you mean ;)

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/66464303.jpg

the front of the white building on the white has a tarp over it; part of the gameday condos/hotel development?

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the old house/duplex/apartment building next to Cornell Arms, where Beezer's is, has a sign on it for "Copper Beech Townhome Communities, Now Leasing for Fall 2007" on it, and reserved spaces for the company. any info? hopefully they're no planning to demolish the building...Sammi's used to be there, and Communist Fred's record/dvd/comic book place. i miss his "impeach bush" sign in the window.

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http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/members/antical79/images/Cityclubprogress.jpg

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/members/antical79/images/cityclubprogress2.jpg

Looks like a very nice project :okay: Are those live-work units? The bay windows really make these rowhouses look cool!!!

As far as I know, they're just townhomes.

The street level part kind of fooled me... One way or another, they look very nice :okay:

So I finally got off my ass and took some more pictures, sorry if they are not the best, either the sun was in my face or was setting so some photos are dark or have been sun bleached

Village at Sandhill Condos
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby003.jpg


Adesso with its new Tower Crane
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby004.jpg


The Gates at Williams-Brice
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby016.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby017.jpg


Staduim Village Lofts
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby012.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby013.jpg


Carolina Walk
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby011.jpg


The Spur
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby015.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Florencebballer/Abby014.jpg

Great pics :okay: Thanks for posting them here.

Great shots, USC4runner. I didn't know the VAS condos had even started construction; I bet they'll sell well, too. Carolina Walk looks great in that shot.

I like the Carolina Walk's design. Some of them seem to be poorly designed. Like the new development in downtown Clemson (Tower Place or something like that), they seem to belong more in Myrtle Beach, rather than Columbia.

The Village at Sandhill looks nice. It makes me excited for construction to start on Magnolia Park in Greenville.

Nice pics, by the way. Construction is fun to follow.:)

^You're right about some of the designs. Stadium Village Lofts isn't the worst, but it could have been better (i.e., vertical at least).

doesn't look like anyone is having problems with the designs, just more problems trying to find space http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/living/home/16204739.htm

To add a little bit more info to The State article: The Spur is just reaching completion, thus the large number of closings before the end of the year. Stadium Village Lofts sold out their first phase and the second phase is under construction. Here is a night picture of The Spur I took from Williams-Brice Stadium. One big football season (read 2007) should result in even more development springing up around the stadium. We may have to start calling it Spurrierville. :banana: :cheers:

http://webzoom.freewebs.com/waccamatt/carolina%20auburn%20game%20pics/spur%20and%20cockabooses.jpg

We may have to start calling it Spurrierville. :banana: :cheers:
I will be stupid and play on that why not the skyline Spurrier built?

CanalSide bricks, mortar on way
Condo construction to start this summer after infrastructure completed at former site prison

By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com

Wonder when CanalSide, billed as Columbia’s newest downtown neighborhood, will become more than a big empty field between Huger Street and the river?

The answer is late June.

The permitting needed to transform the 25-acre former state prison site into a residential development is nearly complete. The permits allow soil preparation, the installation of utilities and the construction of sidewalks and roads.

Buildings that will house 175 apartments and about 90 condos should start coming out of the ground by summer.

The seemingly slow start, said CanalSide project manager Daniel Doyle of The Beach Co., is because there is no existing infrastructure — water, sewer, roads.

“Other projects like Adesso or Vsion are single buildings, with the infrastructure already in place,” he said. “This isn’t a project. This is a neighborhood.”

When completed, The Beach Co. envisions 18 buildings housing apartments and condos — including two luxury, eight-story towers — as well as up to 20 single-family homes, some shops and a park.

“And it’s not homogenous,” Doyle said. “Every building is different, so it takes on the look of a real neighborhood.”

Each of those structures must be reviewed and approved by the city’s Design Development Review Commission, a lengthy process of design briefings, input from the commission and city staff, and eventual changes.

Given the challenges of permitting, site preparation and design approval, The Beach Co. is moving rather quickly, said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., a public-private partnership that promotes development in The Vista, Columbia’s arts and entertainment district.

“Preparing that site is a major undertaking considering the size,” Delk said. “Sounds to me like they are moving forward at full speed.”

The timeline, according to Doyle:

• February — Permitting completed for site preparation, utilities and other infrastructure.

• February to April — Begin site preparation — grading, utility installation, drainage, water and sewer.

• May— Begin building roads.

• June — Work begins on Phase 1 condo and apartment buildings.

• July — Complete infrastructure and utility installation.

• January 2008 — Start of move-in for Phase 1 residents. Other Phase 1 buildings to be completed during the year.

• Spring 2008 — Begin Phase 2, including construction of first condo tower.

• Spring 2009 — Begin Phase 3, including construction of second condo tower.

Before

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/66464303.jpg


After

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/gervaisplace.jpg

BUILDING OUR CITY
Condo sales steady
Local units bought as second homes

By JEFF WILKINSON
jwilkinson@thestate.com

Columbia’s downtown condo market is starting to define itself.

First, condos are selling, slowly but steadily.

Second, the strongest pre-construction sales are of moderately priced two-bedroom condos, from $175,000 to $350,000.

And third, the second-home market is leading the trend.

What’s not selling: one-bedroom condos that target young professionals.

The theory was those small condos would be home to the vaunted “creative class” of young professionals who are supposed to make Columbia’s future, knowledge-based economy tick.

But USC’s downtown research campus, Innovista, which is supposed to attract young researchers, has been slow to launch.

The university is still a major driver in the sales, however:

• Retirees like the collegiate vibe and activities, from sports to concerts

• Parents want to be near their kids attending school or buy units for their children

• Football fans buy cockominiums around Williams-Brice Stadium as party pads

“It’s kind of different from what we expected two years ago,” said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., the public-private agency that promotes investment in The Vista, downtown Columbia’s entertainment and arts district.

“But that’s creating an even better market,” he said.

Baby boomers, he said, “are spending a lot of money to decorate their new homes, for entertainment and in our restaurants and bars. All those credit cards are good for business.”

RESEARCH CAMPUS

Matt Kennell, president of the City Center Partnership that has Main Street as its anchor, agrees with those findings. He adds it’s too soon to worry about whether the research campus will deliver.

“It’s sort of a chicken and the egg thing,” he said. “As the research campus develops, their people will fill those spaces. But we need to have a fair amount of product to entice people to the research campus.”

In reaction to the slow one-bedroom sales, Adesso, a tower being built on South Main Street, is making some adjustments.

The partnership of the USC Development Foundation and Atlanta’s Holder Properties that is building Adesso, across from USC’s new alternative fuels research center, is redesigning the building to turn 10 one-bedroom units into five two-bedroom units. So far, the tower, home to some of downtown’s highest-priced units, has pre-sold 19 of its 115 units.

“The one-bedrooms have sold the least,” said Suzanne Bowers, the project manager. “And we’ve got no one on board who is affiliated with USC.”

City Center’s Kennell conducted an informal survey of downtown buyers by attending open houses over the holidays.

“It’s a surprising number of women over 50,” he said. “They like the security (of a building), the convenience, the downtown scene — the restaurants, the arts.”

One of them is Patty Reese, a 52-year-old business development specialist and accountant.

Reese and her partner, Sam Serio, a 54-year-old real estate entrepreneur, bought a live-work condo in the 1520 Main building, across from the Columbia Museum of Art, when their daughter decided to attend USC.

The couple decided to keep their house in rural Tryon, N.C., — “A slice of heaven,” she says — but move to Columbia.

Here, they can be near their daughter, Courtney, and practice their occupations in a growing city. Twice a month, they return to their country home.

On Main Street, “we can be in the thick of things during the day, but things kind of roll up and get quiet at night,” Reese said Wednesday, before heading out to catch the musical “Rent” at the Koger Center.

“It’s convenient to everything,” she said. “We can walk to the grocery, the Vista, the museum, the Koger Center.”

Said Serio: “People are very friendly here, and from a business perspective, I see a growing city with a lot of opportunities.”

SLOW AND STEADY

The condo market is capitalizing on the triad of Columbia’s economy: the military, state government and the university. There can be rough patches, but the joke goes that they are all government, and when has government ever gotten smaller?

The Columbia market “is not the highest of the highs or the lowest of the lows,” said Daniel Doyle, The Beach Co.’s project manager for CanalSide, a new 25-acre neighborhood to be built on the site of the old state prison along the Columbia Canal.

The Beach Co. has sold 19 of the 36 condos it has made available in two buildings and is marketing another building.“We’re selling two or three a week, ongoing — very steady,” Doyle said. “That’s why we like this market.”

In the military category, Jim and Judy Trout, who now live in a house at Lake Marion, have purchased a condo in Adesso.

Jim is a defense contractor based at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, close to Lake Marion. Judy is retired. They are downsizing, attracted to city living.

“We travel a lot, and that’s another reason for a condo,” she said. “The security is there. We can leave the condo for months and not have to worry. No lawn, no sprinkler system, no problems.”

State government workers also are looking for ease of use.

Lawmakers, lobbyists and attorneys spend a good part of the year in Columbia. Buying a condo to live in part time is a better value than paying for weeks of hotel rooms.

Former deputy state treasurer Trav Robertson of Anderson bought a condo in the old Schneider School development, GranDevine, on Devine Street. He now is making it his primary residence.

“The thing that sold me is it is exactly seven minutes from the State House,” he said. “If I want a piece of furniture, I walk across the street to Bohemian orStrobler. If I’m hungry, I walk to Za’s” pizzeria.

“The majority of lawmakers are wealthy or retired and have the ability to purchase a second home,” he said. “The market is there.”

THE BUILD OUT

Developers predict the boomer trend will continue and the market will broaden as condo buildings are completed.

Right now, most projects are still under construction. And developers say many people are hesitant to purchase a condo, especially for prices above $400,000, based solely on floorplans and models.

To help, the Houston-based Dinerstein Cos. has built a model in a warehouse near its The Gates at William-Brice development, being built on Shop Road. The model is complete down to plasma televisions and a faux balcony.

The Gates complex is the last to be completed around Williams-Brice and, at $187 to $205 per square foot, has the lowest price. The model demonstrates the quality of the construction and amenities, even though the price is lower, vice president Brian Dinerstein said.

“It has made a big difference,” he said. “A lot of people won’t buy off paper.”

Meanwhile, Main Street pioneers Tom and Jeff Prioreschi said they have had success selling their Capital Places units across the board — from a few one-bedrooms in their newly built 1520 Main building to a penthouse in Vsion, an office building at Marion and Lady street that is being converted.

They’re not worried about their one-bedrooms selling, they said.

“Young people will follow the empty nesters,” Jeff Prioreschi said. “And when you get over $400,000, you’re pricing yourself out of the meat of the market, so it’s a harder sell.

“I think as a market we’re just about where we want to be,” he said. “We’re fine.”

thanks for posting the articles and getting a nice "after" shot.

as one of the "creative class," if i was still in Columbia and looking to buy, i'd probably put out the extra to get a 2 bedroom...of course, that all depends on building and price.

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Vista making room for brownstones, town houses (http://www.thestate.com/business/story/93453.html)
By GINA SMITH - gnsmith@thestate.com

Three-story brownstones and town houses are coming to the Vista, further feeding the demand for in-town living.

A group of unidentified investors led by local developer Steve Lipscomb recently bought about two undeveloped acres among Pulaski, College and Pendleton streets where they’ll build 37 units.

About 20 of the homes will be brownstones — tall, brick row houses with sloped roofs reminiscent of those in New York and other northeast cities, said Richard Mock, the project’s residential designer.

The others will be slightly smaller town homes.

The development, which doesn’t have a name yet, is the latest on a growing list of residential projects in the city core.

“With this latest development, buyers will be a few blocks away from 35 restaurants and bars. Not a bad way to live,” said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corporation, which helps guide the Vista’s growth.

In fact, the boom in Vista residents has led to the Vista Guild, a merchants’ organization, to add residents to its board of directors.

“It is a way we can be heard and learn how to live downtown and get along with the merchants,” said Polly Stout, a Vista resident and member of the guild.

For example, people who live in the Vista must co-exist with light from nearby shops and restaurants, foot traffic and noise, Stout said.

“The Vista is an exciting place to live,” she said. “It’s perfect for people like me who love lots of life and activity.”

Stout predicts the brownstones on Pulaski Street will be a success as long as they’re reasonably priced.

While prices haven’t been set yet, they’re likely to be in the range of about $300,000 to $500,000 with square footages of about 2,100 to 2,300 square feet, Mock said.

So who’s the target market for the new project? Urban dwellers who love options, Mock said.

Those options include:

• A third story on each home that buyers can customize. Some may choose to keep the third floor open and use the space for a rooftop garden or entertainment area, Mock said.

• Parking pads in the rear of each home or underground garages. Homeowners would use a ramp in the rear of their house to access their underground garages.

• Various floor plans and porch options.

“The number of options will make this ideal housing for everyone from single professionals who are really into entertaining to double-income (couples with) no kids to empty nesters who want to stay downtown,” Mock said.

Excellent news :okay: Hopefully, they will go with some nice looking, historic architecture.

An international company today will announce plans to locate its North American headquarters in Newberry County northwest of Richland County (Columbia). The company was not named but it is in the aerospace industry. The company plans to invest millions in a new manufacturing facility and will bring new jobs to the county, according the Central SC Alliance.

g-man, that is a great piece of news concerning the residential development in Columbia :lol: Just pulling your leg, man!!! More jobs in neighboring counties could brings more housing to Columbia, too. What is [roughly] the distance between Columbia and the location of the planned HQ?

g-man, that is a great piece of news concerning the residential development in Columbia :lol: Just pulling your leg, man!!! More jobs in neighboring counties could brings more housing to Columbia, too. What is [roughly] the distance between Columbia and the location of the planned HQ?

Ok, what genius made TWO Columbia development threads when every other city, except for Raleigh has ONE? I'm going to go make five Greenville development threads now. :ohno: When the news comes out about who it is, i'll post it in the right thread. :lol: I'm not sure the exact distance, but Newberry county is the county to the northwest of Richland County (Columbia). I would think it would be no more than 45 minutes-1 hour outside of the city of Columbia.

G-man, this thread is for residential developments; the other is a general developments thread.

^^Does this mean I can make another development news thread for Greenville too? ;)

That's totally up to you.

g-man, that is a great piece of news concerning the residential development in Columbia :lol: Just pulling your leg, man!!! More jobs in neighboring counties could brings more housing to Columbia, too. What is [roughly] the distance between Columbia and the location of the planned HQ?

Raleigh, it would probably be 35-40 miles from downtown Columbia, though it could be as little as 25-30 depending on where in Newberry County it located.

Raleigh,
Per mapquest, Newberry (the town) is 46 miles Northwest of Columbia and 59 miles Southeast of Greenville. A 45 minute drive from Columbia and an hour drive from Greenville. Right off I-26. It's nice to see these types of developments happening in the small towns of SC....spreading the wealth around. :okay:

Raleigh,
Per mapquest, Newberry (the town) is 46 miles Northwest of Columbia and 59 miles Southeast of Greenville. A 45 minute drive from Columbia and an hour drive from Greenville. Right off I-26. It's nice to see these types of developments happening in the small towns of SC....spreading the wealth around. :okay:

That's 46 miles to the town of Newberry, but we don't know where in the county it will be located. My best guess would be the southeastern part of the county where most of the population is concentrated, but you never know.

Thanks for the input, everyone. Judging from my area, people could live 30-40 miles away from where they work. It is definitely possible to live in Columbia and commute to that facility.

It won't be a huge plant, but any investment is good news. Here are some details on the plant's location for those unfamiliar with the Columbia area: it will be located in the Mid-Carolina Industrial Park, which is just inside the Newberry County line at the I-26/Prosperity exit number 85. This is a few miles past Chapin and just 16 miles past the Harbison Blvd/Columbiana Mall exit (101) off I-26 or roughly 27 miles northwest of downtown Columbia.

Here are the details from The State.

http://www.thestate.com/business/story/96654.html

New plant in Newberry County to cost $15 million, employ 70
Facility will be North American headquarters for British aerospace supplier Nasmyth Group
By BEN WERNER - bwerner@thestate.com
British aerospace supplier Nasmyth Group Limited has decided to jet across the pond and make Newberry County its North American headquarters.

Landing Nasmyth is quite a coup for Newberry County economic development officials because the plant is the first tenant of the planned Mid-Carolina Commerce Park.

“This is not only a high-tech industry, but also a high growth industry,” said Wayne Adams, Newberry County administrator.

Privately held Nasmyth plans to employ about 70 workers at a planned 40,000-square-foot, $15 million production facility on 15.5 acres just off Interstate 26 at the Prosperity exit.

The announcement made Tuesday in Newberry coincided with a similar announcement made earlier in the day by Gov. Mark Sanford at the Paris Air Show.

Nasmyth specializes in making highly durable components that can take the stress of being a part of jet engines. The company, which was organized in 2003, also makes parts for the medical industry.

“These components go into all the world-class aerospace applications and mainly the engines,” said Geoff Folkes, global projects executive for Nasmyth.

Folkes will also be the top executive in Newberry.

The company plans to start operating in a leased space this summer and plans to supply parts to customers by September.

Within five years, Folkes expects to have 70 employees. The company is receiving the standard state economic incentives.

Folkes said he wants to hire local people, and the company plans to work with Piedmont Technical College and Midlands Technical College to train employees.

He would not disclose a salary range, but said Nasmyth employees, because of the high degree of technical training required, will be paid higher than average wages.

Nasmyth’s new plant is expected to open by the start of 2009.

Mike Briggs, chief executive of the Central S.C. Alliance., has worked for years with Newberry County’s economic development officials to attract such investment.

A combination of standard state incentives, available land and job training helped lure Nasmyth.

The county has spent $6 million to acquire the land and expects to spend $2.5 million for site preparation work for the 463-acre business park. The company also will receive an undisclosed amount of property tax breaks.

The hope is other companies doing business with Nasmyth or who hear of the company’s development in Newberry will also want to locate at Mid-Carolina Commerce Park, said Newberry County Councilman Mike Hawkins.

As for amenities, Hawkins said, “We’ve got a golf course right across the road.”

Reach Werner at (803) 771-8509.

NASMYTH GROUP LIMITED

• Makes: Components for the aerospace and medical industries

• Based: Old Wolverton, England

• Organized: 2003, privately held

• Sales: More than $100 million in 2006

• Facilities: Seven, all in England

• Learn more about the company’s Newberry operation: Teresa Powers, (803) 321-2042

The good thing about this, as the article stated, is that this isn't just a big manufacturing facility that had a buttload of incentives thrown at it. These are high tech jobs in a high growth industry. It seems that in recent months, the smaller counties in metro Columbia have been snagging some pretty decent economic developments (Starbucks roasting facility in Calhoun County, Haier expansion in Kershaw County, etc.).

Well, it is great news :okay: Every investment counts, and like krazeeboi said, no huge incentives are necessary. Besides, several smaller plants are sometimes better than one large plant. If a small one closes, there are more out there. If a large one closes it would be devastating for the economy of the region. Glad to hear that it is pretty close to DT Columbia; anything under 30 miles is a reasonable commute for a mid-to-large metro.

The good thing about this, as the article stated, is that this isn't just a big manufacturing facility that had a buttload of incentives thrown at it. These are high tech jobs in a high growth industry. It seems that in recent months, the smaller counties in metro Columbia have been snagging some pretty decent economic developments (Starbucks roasting facility in Calhoun County, Haier expansion in Kershaw County, etc.).

Any idea why Columbia wasn't able to snag this in the metro? Newberry County, last time I checked is not part of the Columbia MSA.

^I don't know if Richland County was in the running for this or not. Newberry County is part of the CSA, so I'm using the term "metro" in that sense.

^^Same reason I posted it in the Columbia development news thread instead of somewhere else, even though it was in the wrong development thread.

Another story on this economic development project for Newberry: http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070621/BUSINESS/706210317/1003

those brownstones sound cool.

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those brownstones sound cool.

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This isn't a very good rendering, but it gives you an idea. I scanned this from The State. The 37 Brownstones and other style townhouses will be located in the block bounded by Pulaski, College, Huger and Pendleton Streets in The Vista. I'll be able to keep a close watch on the project as it is adjacent to my office.

http://webzoom.freewebs.com/waccamatt/new%20developments%205%2019%2007/vista%20brownstones%20rendering.jpg

I like them :) Very nice and elegant!!!

These are currently my favorite townhouses (Wheat Street) in Columbia, we'll have to see how the new ones compare. My 2nd favorites are Renaissance Plaza on Lady Street.

http://webzoom.freewebs.com/waccamatt/neighborhoods/wales%20garden%20wheeler%20hill%20hollywood%20hills/wheeler%20hill%20townhomes.jpg

http://webzoom.freewebs.com/waccamatt/columbia%20palms/lady%20st%20palmettos%202.jpg

I like the rendering. I'm glad to see residential happening downtown that isn't taking its cues from suburbia as some others have done.

It looks like construction is about the begin on The Lofts at Printers Square. It was number 2 on the top 5 building permits for the Columbia area last week. It looks like number one is for interior work at Palmetto Baptist. It is nice to see multiple multi-million dollar building permits issued each week, especially since the top 1 or 2 are usually over $10 million.

http://www.loftsatprinterssquare.com/images/rendering.jpg

http://www.thestate.com/business/story/113447.html

$25,628,479 — Rodgers Builders, 1308 Taylor St., Columbia. Baptist Hospital, interior upfit and renovations to multiple floors (city of Columbia)

$6,945,000 — Hood Construction, 530 Lady St., Columbia, POC LLC, construct mixed-use building with 11 condominium units (city of Columbia)

$4,750,000 — Arnold Construction, 123 Gibson Road, Lexington, Southlake Village LLC, construction of commercial building (town of Lexington)

$1,938,000 — DBS Corp., 321 Killian Road, Blythewood, Bright-Myers Retail Center, construction of two retail shops (Richland County)

$1,150,000 — Mar Construction Co., 2229 Hampton St., Columbia, David B. Thompson, Bishop of Charleston, construction of new sanctuary to replace existing, which is being torn down (city of Columbia)

I like the feel of The Lofts at Printers Square :) Judging from the rendering, of course.

I certainly hope the building ends up looking as green as the renderings. If I could afford it, these condos would have the perfect location for me: a 4 block walk to work, a half block to the grocery store, next door to my favorite theatre (the only professional theatre in the Carolina's) and within 6 blocks of about 50 restaurants and bars. Maybe someday....

I'd like to see a sharper rendering, one less "crayon-ey" just so I can get a better feel for the project. But if it's coming to the Vista, it's gotta be quality.

I'd like to see a sharper rendering, one less "crayon-ey" just so I can get a better feel for the project. But if it's coming to the Vista, it's gotta be quality.

How come we're up at 3AM in the morning? :lol:

Ask yourself that. ;)

^^Yes Mr. Krazy. :lol:

here something in the state about the limitation on the water uses in northeast Columbia. some of the article mentions one solution is to merge the city and county planning commisionss to plan better for growth and such

http://www.thestate.com/news/story/117360.html

I'd prefer a total city/county consolidation so Columbia's city population would more accurately reflect the metro population.

Vista brownstone renderings above.

posted in error

Matt, you'll have to go take a picture of the site and sign for us. :)

Thanks, krazeeboi :)

No prob. In other news...

BUILDING OUR CITY: Apartments near Olympia proposed (http://www.thestate.com/business/story/174835.html)
Holder Properties wants to build 388-unit complex at Assembly, Whaley

By C. GRANT JACKSON - Business Editor

Holder Properties is proposing a 388-unit apartment complex at Assembly and Whaley streets. The complex would stretch east along Whaley to the CSX railroad track and south along Assembly to Heyward Street.

The project would involve closing Park Street to the railroad crossing at its intersection with Bluff Road and Heyward Street from Assembly to its dead end at the railroad tracks. It would eliminate the Park Street railroad crossing.

Assistant city manager Steve Gantt confirmed that the city is negotiating to sell the two streets to Holder Properties.

Atlanta-based Holder developed the Meridian office tower in downtown Columbia and is building the Adesso residential condominium project at Main and Blossom streets.

Andrew Feinour, a Holder vice president, and Michael Leopold, a project manger for The Preston Partnership architectural firm of Atlanta, presented plans for the project to an Olympia community meeting recently.

“Everything is very preliminary,” Feinour told the neighborhood group. The project is still very early and several issues need to be resolved surrounding land acquisition, city approval and the road closings, he said.

“We view this as a collaborative effort and want your feedback,” Feinour said.

Larry Gates, a longtime community activist, said his sense of the neighborhood is that it will not oppose the Holder development. “I think we would be prone to go along with it,” he said.

Gates said he is personally in favor of the project, although he would have preferred condominiums to cut down on the number of rental properties in the area.

Feinour said he hoped all the issues could be resolved by mid-December with work to start right after the first of the year. Construction would take 16 to 18 months, he said. But he cautioned that it is still about 50/50 on whether the project will proceed.

Holder has had to deal with multiple property owners to put the property together and some of those issues still must be resolved.

Most of the block was owned by the Chase Co. The section of property between Park Street and the railroad track was owned by developer Charles Small.

Small is building the Whaley Row condominiums just across the railroad tracks.

Holder has filed to rezone the property to a planned unit development or PUD, according to Marc Mylott, the city’s director of development services.

The complex would create a new gateway into Olympia, the former textile mill village, that is undergoing redevelopment.

Leopold said the project is trying to connect to the neighborhood through extensive streetscaping, lighting and the addition of 12-foot-wide sidewalks.

The building’s architecture would be a mix that changes as it goes back toward the neighborhood, Leopold said. It would look more commercial and industrial at Assembly and Whaley and along Assembly and become more residential along Whaley, he said.

The proposal calls for 16 efficiency units, 16 one-bedrooms, 348 two-bedrooms and eight three-bedrooms.

The four-story building will surround a central parking garage. Access will be from Whaley and Assembly streets with efforts to funnel most traffic onto Assembly, Feinour said. Holder Properties is working with Wilbur Smith Associates of Columbia on a traffic study of the area, he said.

The idea of closing Park Street and limiting garage access appealed to Olympia residents who said it would help with traffic control. They also favor eliminating the Park Street railroad crossing.

The complex would also surround four courtyard areas, including one or two pool-courtyards.

The units are expected to rent for $1.45 to $1.50 a square foot, Feinour said, which would put them in the $1,000 to $2,000 range per month.

The target market is young professionals and families, university professors and Innovista researchers.

“This is a fairly new product for Columbia,” Leopold said.

Holder properties was attracted to the block bounded by Whaley, Assembly, Park and Heyward streets by its proximity to Innovista, the USC research district.

Downtown investment (http://www.thestate.com/news-extras/story/177551.html)
Vista ‘a hot property’ regardless

By JEFF WILKINSON - jwilkinson@thestate.com

Downtown Columbia — a key indicator of the Midlands’ economic health — is rolling steadily along, fueled by optimism over USC’s Innovista research campus and a baby boomer migration back to the city.

Lower interest rates should add to the momentum, which has slowed only slightly in the past year.

“The Vista right now is a hot property,” said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., which guides investment in the entertainment and arts district.

“There’s a tremendous amount of development now — and (planned) in the future,” he said. “The public investment the university is making in Innovista is driving much of that.”

The trend downtown is toward nontraditional housing — luxury condos and town houses, New York-style apartments, new urbanist-inspired high-density neighborhoods, even stadium-area “cockominiums.”

The options have attracted retirees and kept investors intrigued.

The high-end homes, most with such amenities as granite countertops and Viking ranges, are being snapped up by folks not as susceptible to ticks in interest rates — but who have the savvy to capitalize on lower rates when they’re available.

Wade Caughman is building the 54-unit City Club on Gervais Street across from the EdVenture Children’s Museum. Condos there start at $400,000; town houses at $650,000.

“Our customers have a lot of cash to put into a deal,” Caughman said. “But another half-point makes it more attractive. It will open up our market a little bit.”

Downtown sales, particularly of condos, have slowed a bit from last year’s boom. And some developers have switched from condos to student apartments as they wait for the market to sort itself out.

But with lower interest rates, “more people will be able to buy,” Delk said.

BUILDING OUR CITY: 388-UNIT APARTMENT COMPLEX

Condo market cooling? (http://www.thestate.com/news/story/190138.html)
Project illustrates shift toward downtown apartments

By JEFF WILKINSON - jwilkinson@thestate.com

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2007/10/03/06/535-apartments_071003_copy.standalone.prod_affiliate.74.jpg
A four-story apartment complex at Assembly and Whaley streets would take up more than a city block.

A 388-unit, four- to six-story apartment building planned near Capital City Stadium and Olympia village marks a major shift away from condos in Columbia’s downtown market.

“The condo market has kind of collapsed here,” said the project’s developer, John Holder, president and CEO of Holder Properties of Atlanta and a key player in Columbia’s downtown boom.

Holder erected the Meridian office tower on Main Street and isbuilding Adesso, a mid-rise condo and retail project at Main and Blossom streets.

With Assembly Station, he is switching to apartments.

The Columbia Planning Commission on Monday unanimously approved the four-story apartment complex with surrounding courtyards and a six-story parking garage at its core.

The project will encompass more than a block, stretching along Whaley Street to the CSX railroad track and south along Assembly to Heyward Street.

Holder, one of Atlanta’s premier developers, said he chose apartments over condos this time because of the uncertainty in Columbia’s condo market.

“I’m not sure anybody knows today” where it’s headed, he said following Monday night’s meeting. “It’s a different market” than that of other cities.

Holder said Adesso has generated a lot of interest. A partnership with USC’s development foundation, Adesso is across Blossom from part of the school’s Innovista research campus.

But only 20 percent of Adesso’s 110 units have sold. “We haven’t opened a model (unit) yet, so we’re optimistic,” Holder said.

Other recent developments echo Holder’s assessment.

Two downtown condo projects — The Spur at Williams-Brice, near USC’s stadium, and Renaissance Plaza on Lady Street — recently had to auction luxury condos.

And Houston-based developer Dinerstein Cos., which recently completed The Gates at Williams-Brice, is opting to build student apartments rather than condos across Shop Road at the Shuman-Owens building supply site.

Still, Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., which guides investment in the Vista, Olympia and Five Points, said it’s too early to pronounce the luxury condo market dead.

Vista-area condos and town houses — such as those at City Club on Gervais Street, at CanalSide on the old state prison site and at the new Village at 900 Pulaski Street — should remain popular, Delk said. They are within close walking distance of the district’s bars, restaurants and museums, as opposed to the stadium-area “cockominiums.”

“Obviously the stadium stuff made a difference in the market,” Delk said, “but not among people who wanted to live in a vibrant neighborhood. Just about everything down here (in the Vista) has sold, and people are still building.”

Key so far to downtown’s residential development has been baby boomers moving in from the suburbs, retirees, wealthy people buying second or third homes downtown and investors.

Boosters say Innovista will attract researchers and private spin-off firms — and their jobs. But it has been slow to launch.

Condos aside, Holder said he still is interested in large projects in the Capital City, perhaps more apartments or office buildings.

Columbia “is a growing market,” he said. “It’s got some great things going for it, like the university and Innovista. And there hasn’t been that much competition for the bigger project like we do.”


ABOUT THE PROJECT

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2007/10/03/06/615-apartments_map_071003_copy.standalone.prod_affiliate.74.jpg

UNITS: 16 efficiency units, 16 one-bedrooms, 348 two-bedrooms and eight three-bedrooms
RENT: The units are expected to rent for $1.3 to $1.45 per square foot, or about $1,000 to $2,000 per month.

ROAD CLOSINGS: The project would involve closing Park Street from Whaley Street to the railroad crossing as well as Heyward Street from Assembly Street to its dead end at the rail line.

RAILROAD CROSSING: The project would eliminate the Park Street railroad crossing.

TIME: The company hopes to begin construction after the first of the year. Work would last from 16 to 18 months.

This looks like a great redevelopment :okay: With 388 rental units, this project is far from small. By the way, liked this comment:
“The condo market has kind of collapsed here,” said the project’s developer, John Holder, president and CEO of Holder Properties of Atlanta and a key player in Columbia’s downtown boom.
I really don't know the current situation in Columbia, but it sounds like developers managed to propose and/or flood our cities with overpriced condos and now they speak of collapsed markets. I have a feeling that once developers begin to build more affordable - not necessarily low-income - units, the demand will increase. Anyway, the rental market should never be underserved, or underestimated. Thanks for posting the good news here.

The condo market has kind of collapsed here,” said the project’s developer, John Holder, president and CEO of Holder Properties of Atlanta and a key player in Columbia’s downtown boom.


Nice looking development. :okay: Saddened and especially suprised about this part. :( The condo market here in Greenville is still high. Alot of the new developments here that include condos are sold out. I'm sure it will rebound in Columbia though. :)

I really don't know the current situation in Columbia, but it sounds like developers managed to propose and/or flood our cities with overpriced condos and now they speak of collapsed markets. I have a feeling that once developers begin to build more affordable - not necessarily low-income - units, the demand will increase. Anyway, the rental market should never be underserved, or underestimated. Thanks for posting the good news here.

You hit the nail right on the head. When I first read that statement, I thought to myself, "That is definitely a stretch." The condo market in Columbia has not collapsed; rather, it's the luxury condo market that has weakened. As you alluded to, the market was flooded with developments in the higher price point range around the same time. There was an article in the paper the very next day (yesterday) in which local developers brought balance to the picture:

Condo market down, not out (http://www.thestate.com/business/story/191166.html)
Real estate experts dispute developer's statement that sales in Columbia have collapsed

By KRISTY EPPLEY RUPON - krupon@thestate.com

A declaration by one key developer that the condo market in Columbia has collapsed is an exaggeration, other local developers and real estate experts said Wednesday.

“It’s (suffering) a setback, but collapse? No,” said Bill Christian, who recently analyzed the local real estate market for SCANA.

Opinions vary on what is happening in the downtown condo market, but many agree that a comment by downtown Columbia developer John Holder in The State on Wednesday that the condo market has “collapsed” is far-fetched.

Holder, who has built the Meridian office tower on Main Street and is building the condo project Adesso, made the comment after his planned 388-unit apartment complex near Capital City Stadium was approved earlier this week.

“We consider the market to be healthy and vibrant,” said Brian Dinerstein, whose Houston company is finishing The Gates at Williams-Brice, a condo complex aimed at USC football fans.

Dinerstein said his company paid off its construction loan for the Gates condo project in 15 months, the fastest ever of its hundreds of projects.

At the same time, the company decided to go with student apartments rather than condos on its other site on Shop Road across from The Gates.

“We didn’t feel like there was a need to build another 200 (condo) units there,” he said.

While the “cockominium” market is fully saturated, developers say the downtown market is just in a lull.

Too much is happening downtown with the university’s expansion and Innovista’s progress for the condo market to stay weak for very long, Christian said. He expects a recovery within 18 months.

“I think it will grow,” said Christian, whose Chapel Hill, N.C.-based real estate research firm recently conducted an analysis and is working on a master plan for SCANA’s new headquarters site in Cayce.

Local developer David Bryant said it’s just a matter of a temporarily bloated inventory.

“The condos in general, they’ve kind of hit in a wave,” he said. Many of the units that were announced a couple of years ago have all come on the market at the same time, he said, and not all of them are going to sell right away. “It’s all about absorption.”

Close to 1,000 condos have come on the market in the past year.

Bryant dropped plans for a project last year that called for 165 condo units in the $250,000 range in the old Palmetto Compress and Warehouse Co. building at Blossom and Huger streets.

“The (real estate) market’s got to really be strong to do that,” he said. “I think it’s going to take a while.”

Bryant said once the Innovista starts bringing more people into the area, downtown condo sales will surge. But that will probably take a few years.

Tom Prioreschi, whose company Capitol Places also has been a key downtown residential developer, said the long-term picture is what matters.

“It’s weaker than it was a year, a year and a half ago, there’s no question,” he said, citing a bad national reputation for condos because of overbuilding in the past couple of years and the meltdown in the subprime housing market.

“I think we’re coming out of both trends now,” he said, calling current conditions a “blip on a screen.”

Prioreschi said he thinks real estate will be back to normal levels by the spring.

And the condo market?

“It will be healed, and it will be business as usual,” he said. “The future’s great. Columbia’s on a resurgence.”


SETBACK OR COLLAPSE?

There are differing views over what’s happening in the downtown Columbia condo market, but a few signs point to a softening:
• Two condo projects, The Spur near Williams-Brice Stadium and Renaissance Plaza in the Vista, have auctioned off remaining units in the past couple of months to close out their projects, accepting significantly less than original asking prices, some by up to $200,000.

• At least two developers have opted to build apartment complexes instead of condos in the Olympia neighborhood and by the stadium.

• Developer David Bryant pulled plans last year for a 165-unit condo complex in the Vista because he didn’t think the market was strong enough to support it.

It should also be noted that we're not talking about the downtown residential market in general, but just the downtown condo market. Even then, there are other condo developments still in the works and under construction.

Krazee is exactly right; it is the luxury condo market that has slowed down. After all, how many people can afford half million to million-dollar condos? I'm happy to see some moderately priced developments, including apartments.

Glad to know that many people caught, and reacted to, that statement. To me, it is clueless remarks like this that discourage developers who wish to do something different and accommodate the lower-middle class. When people read that a condo market has "collapsed" they will remember that statement more than any good news showing otherwise. Anyway, DT Columbia seems to be the kind of place people would love to live. Eventually, some developers with guts will provide more affordable condos for the "masses" and the perception will change.

Not directly related to this topic, but nevertheless important, I read some good news today concerning people's debts. The finance world and analysts seem to be more upbeat about people's credit and it sounds like the whole mortgage thing was blown out of proportion - not that there was nothing to be concerned about, just not as big. We should expect lenders, investors and home buyers to look again into real estate. This piece of news should affect Columbia's market, as well. People will gain confidence, once more, and lenders should provide better financing terms to the qualified individuals. I am sure it will help Columbia's downtown residential market, both on the lower and higher end.

^That's definitely some good news there.

Absolutely!!! This type of news affects ALL markets, but the housing market is obviously the one to get hit the most. Check out this article for more information: Investment bankers cite recovery in credit market (http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/726730.html). I do not mean to distract from the topic, nor create a false impression that everything is rosy, but given the comments we discussed earlier, this is good news and could possible change the perception that the condo market is having a crisis. Saturation can cause even more troubles.

i can't wait to get back to cola tomorrow!

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Building Our City | Vsion condo project fizzles; pricey Vista units planned (http://www.thestate.com/local/story/369861.html)

By JEFF WILKINSON - jwilkinson@thestate.com

Call it the vagaries of the downtown housing market.

The developers of Vsion — a 110-unit condominium complex slated for an old office building in Columbia — have called off the project, citing slow pre-sales and a tough economy.

But at the same time, a local optometrist is set to build the city’s most expensive condos. The 11-unit building in the Vista will have a penthouse selling for $1.5 million, which could set a record for Columbia.

Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp., said the trend is toward smaller projects, and more expensive condos and town houses.

The reason?

Banks now require that 60 percent to 75 percent of the units be sold before construction begins or they might not lend developers money for a project. And it’s easier to presell six or seven super-high-priced condos than 50 or 60 moderate to expensive ones.

“We’re just not seeing the huge numbers (of units being built) as we’ve seen in the past,” Delk said. “Everything is going to be smaller and more focused.”

Delk said the downtown market is healthiest at the extremes.

Lower-priced housing from $150,000 to $250,000 at developments such as The Battery at Arsenal Hill are selling. And the most expensive units — $750,000 and up — are selling at developments like City Club on Gervais Street.

“It’s the $350,000 to $600,000 (units) that aren’t moving,” Delk said.

Developers Jeff and Tom Prioreschi cited pre-sales of only 30 of the 110 units in Vsion as the reason for canceling the project.

“We couldn’t get to our pre-sale barrier,” Tom Prioreschi said of the project, which was announced nearly two years ago. “Capital markets have collapsed, and it’s almost impossible to get financing.”

For new projects, banks are asking developers to presell at least 60 percent of their condo projects.

“I would say that would be a general rule,” said John Hipp, the South Carolina president of Ameris Bank. “Anything that has a speculative nature, the banks have become more careful about this past year.”

Banks still will lend money to developers, Hipp said. But those pitching condo projects, even in a market such as Columbia, can expect higher pre-sale requirements and can anticipate having to put more money down, compared to two years ago.

However, the economy is working for optometrist Earl Loftis.

He and his wife, Tammy, have put a significant amount of their own money into the project, so the tight credit market hasn’t really affected The Lofts at Printers Square, which has been in planning for three years.

Loftis said the Lady Street project, to be built on the site of his Eye on Gervais office, has benefited from interest rates that are lower this year than last.

“In a lot of ways, the slowdown is working in our favor,” he said.

The 2,200-square-foot to 3,400-square-foot condos will sell for $739,000 to $1.5 million. The location is next to Trustus Theatre and the Publix grocery store.

“We’re in the walking Vista,” he said. “You can take the elevator and walk out to the Publix. You don’t really have to ever crank your car.”

The Prioreschis were selling units in the 10-story building at Marion and Lady streets for $158,900 for 580 square feet to $757,000 for 2,226 square feet.

The condos were to include a pool, clubhouse, exercise facility and concierge service. There also was to be a hotel-style guest suite available for residents to offer visitors. A one-story parking deck was to be built over an existing parking lot.

The father-and-son team, pioneers in the downtown market, said they are moving forward with other announced projects despite the problems with Vsion.

They plan to convert the 42 units in the Tapp’s Building on Main Street from apartments to condos and to turn the old fire department headquarters on Senate Street in the Vista into condos and retail.

They have called those who had contracts in Vsion to offer them space in those upcoming projects or in their 29-unit 1520 Main building on Main Street.

Jeff Prioreschi said the downtown residential market is strong, interest rates are down, and there is plenty of housing around at a good price. But banks and buyers are jittery over the bad buzz emanating from slumping economies in California and Florida.

“I heard a good quote about the economy the other day,” he said. “‘Perception has trumped reality right now.’ And I think that’s true.”

Staff writer Ben Werner contributed. Reach Wilkinson at (803) 771-8495.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the building that was to be converted into condos for the Vsion project (photo courtesy of Wacamatt's page):

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/Brandons%20pics%20from%20cap%20ctr/bldg%20to%20be%20conv%20to%20vsion%20from%20cap%20ctr.jpg

The Lofts at Printers Square:

http://www.loftsatprinterssquare.com/images/rendering.jpg

I think the following quote from the article sums it up:
“I heard a good quote about the economy the other day,” he said. “‘Perception has trumped reality right now.’ And I think that’s true.”

what happened to 6 months worth of posts? i know ssc was down yesterday, but wtf?

too bad about vsion.

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The general developments thread gets way more activity than this one.

^^ Very true.

^ now i see it's the other, long lost thread...

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CanalSide springing to life (http://www.thestate.com/local/story/433779.html)

Former prison site soon to be bustling with activity

By KRISTY EPPLEY RUPON - krupon@thestate.com

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2008/06/13/22/401-A1canalside14a.standalone.prod_affiliate.74.jpg
Tim Dominick/tdominick@thestate.com
CanalSide Lofts is now leasing apartments to be available in July.


The long-awaited CanalSide development will begin filling with residents in about a month, as the developer finishes the 175 apartments at the former site of the Columbia Correctional Institution.

While the apartments mark a milestone for the 23-acre site, The Beach Co. has scrapped plans for about 20 single-family homes to make more room for what eventually could be 575 condos and town homes.

The market will dictate when future phases are built, said Dan Doyle, vice president and project manager for The Beach Co., which bought the property in 2006. Doyle said he expects it will take about a decade to fully build the property.

“It’s obvious things have slowed down. We can be very patient,” he said. “This is a long-term project.”

CanalSide is one of several residential projects planned in the city in recent years — from apartments and high-end condos to in-fill housing and exclusive single-family neighborhoods. A large mixed-use project being pushed for Bull Street would include more than 1,200 single- and multifamily homes.

But there has been a shift toward more rental units in recent months as the housing market stumbles.

The Holder Co. of Atlanta, which put a focus on office buildings and condominiums in Columbia, now is building 388 apartments at the corner of Assembly and Whaley streets.

“Right now, with the way the credit markets are, certainly the apartment appetite has picked back up for a lot of people,” said Brian Boyer, who is building single-family homes and town homes at the Battery at Arsenal Hill.

“Anybody with a smart business sense knows that you have to react to the market,” said Boyer, vice president for development for Hallmark Homes International.

The CanalSide property at the foot of Taylor Street — a major entryway to the city — sat in limbo for more than a decade as city leaders struggled with and ultimately abandoned their own development plans.

Local leaders said this week that the activity on the project is a major step forward for downtown residential development and another sign that the city center is in the midst of revival.

CanalSide will prove to have been worth the wait, said Fred Delk, executive director of the Columbia Development Corp.

“We need to create vibrancy, and that means people of all income levels and all types of different uses in the downtown,” he said.

The first 24 apartments will open for occupancy next month. The remaining 151 will open gradually through the end of the year.

Prices will range from studios renting for $890 a month to two-bedroom apartments with lofts, 20-foot ceilings and spiral staircases renting for $1,600 a month.

Delk said the project will renew interest in downtown living, which has seen a resurgence locally and nationwide as cities struggle to redefine their cores.

“Forty years ago, we basically zoned out all but commercial businesses in downtown, and guess what happened to it,” he said. “Now, we are correcting that.”

Delk said The Beach Co.’s plans to eliminate single-family homes from the plan is not bad news. He said there is a mix of single- and multifamily homes in the works throughout the central core, pointing to the Battery at Arsenal Hill and condos at the Lofts at Printers Square.

In fact, the more residents they can squeeze into CanalSide, the better, he said. The limit is a total of 750 units, which the company could not achieve by including single-family homes.

“That’s enough people eating out every night to keep a restaurant alive,” Delk said. “It’s enough people to support additional retail development in the whole city center area.”

The project bodes well for “the urban living scenario,” said Earl Loftis, who plans to break ground next week on his high-end condo development, the Lofts at Printer’s Square.

He said with energy concerns and nearly $4 a gallon gas, the downtown revival is alive and well.

Fifteen years ago when he opened his optometry business on Gervais Street, “there was nobody walking around.”

Now, he can’t even find time to hose off his parking area because there are always cars there and he has expanded his hours to accommodate the after-work crowd flocking to the Vista.

CanalSide, nestled between the Congaree River and the Columbia skyline, is one of the major projects that will help shape the city center’s future.

Granite pieces of the old prison will be scattered throughout the site, used in a public park fountain and as benches — a nod to the city’s past even as the developer tries to move the tract forward into a centerpiece of urban renewal.

“I know there is a lot of talk about the Bull Street project and what might happen there,” Doyle said. “But we’re actually doing it.”

Reach Rupon at (803) 771-8308.


Canalside’s apartments

Twenty-four condos will open for residents in CanalSide in about 30 days. The remaining 151 will open in phases through the end of the year.

Apartments include studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom with a loft, two-bedroom and two-bedroom with a loft. They range in monthly rental rates from $890 to $1,600.

The 10 apartment buildings in CanalSide are built in three different architectural styles and have space for one retailer, a fitness center and a pool with a pull-down movie screen.

Parking for residents will be behind buildings, while guests will park along tree-lined streets with sidewalks. About 200 trees — cloned for sustainability — will grace the property.


ABOUT THE PARK

A one-acre park adjoining the city of Columbia’s Esplanade trail along the riverfront will be a centerpiece of the development. It will give the public access to the river and a place for concerts and shopping and dining as more retail outlets and residential units are built.

A rusty hinge still sticks out of one of the pieces of granite that will make up the park’s central fountain. The granite was harvested from one of the old CCI prison’s cell blocks. Chunks of the cell block also will be used for benches throughout the development.

The park is expected to be complete in about two months, and the Esplanade, which will connect to the Three Rivers Greenway, is slated to take until November.

— Kristy Eppley Rupon


Here are some shots of this development from Saturday, 6/14:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/DSC03724.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/DSC03727.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/DSC03725.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/DSC03729.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/DSC03731.jpg

Very nice! Great updated pix!! :yes:
Thanks for posting them! :)

Two thumbs up from me :)

cool stuff. i remember exploring what was left of CCI one rainy, drunken night in 2003. sadly, no ghosts, but there was a nice view of the skyline from the roof. glad to see this moving forward, although $890 for a studio seems pricy.

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The rest of the old Confederate Printing Plant has found a use. Most of what was once the Confederate Printing and Engraving Plant and then the State Liquor Dispensary has housed the Congaree Vista Publix in downtown Columbia for the last several years, but about a third of the building has gone unused during that time. It has now been announced that construction is starting this month on seven 2 1/2 story townhouses that will start at $630,000. A small, but important project to be sure. I was hoping the Publix would expand because it is a very busy little supermarket.

http://www.thestate.com/business/story/461944.html

http://www.521gervais.com/index.php

This is the Publix just before it opened a few years ago. The townhomes will be in the part of the building in the left rear of this photo.

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/vista%20pics/vista%20publix.jpg

Here's a better shot of the portion of the building where the townhouses will go (towards the right side of the building):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/ConfederatePrintingPlant.jpg

Good shot, Kraze. I was too lazy to go out and take one.

I agree, that is a nice shot and gives you a good idea of the existing conditions.

Here are a few construction shots of the CanalSide (http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com) project.

These are from the website:

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/123.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/124.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/125.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/126.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/127.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/128.jpg

These are from 10/4:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/CanalSide2.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/CanalSide.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/CanlSide4.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/CanalSide3.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/CanalSide5.jpg

ehhh, it looks kinda tacky. except for the nice brick building.

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It's alright. :)

Some more shots of Canalside and the adjoining Esplanade from the November photo gallery (http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/photogallery.php?month=11&year=2008) on Canalside's website:

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/142.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/143.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/144.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/145.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/146.jpg

http://www.canalsidecolumbia.com/images/construction/large/147.jpg

That last pic looks so good, and clean that it looks like a rendering. :lol: Once agian nice shots...

Taken 11/23:

Aspyre at Assembly Station (apartments)

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/new%20developments%205%2019%2007/assembly%20station.JPG
(rendering from waccamatt's page)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/construction%20pics/Aspyre.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/construction%20pics/Aspyre2.jpg


Lofts at Printers Square

http://www.loftsatprinterssquare.com/images/rendering.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/krazeeboi/Columbia/construction%20pics/LoftsatPrintersSquare.jpg

Well in Downtown Greenville they have lots of new construction like that new project oh that's on hold, well that other project oh it's dead. Well atleast we have g-man. :lol:

Very nice pix, krazeeboi! Awesome! Canalside does look very good. :yes:

The Aspyre complex is huge, it is impossible to get the entire development in one photo.

^Yeah, I didn't know Aspyre was going to be quite that big. It's a little hard to tell how the exterior will look from the rendering, but hopefully it won't be quite as bland as Adesso.

Aspyre is going to have almost 400 units; that would be close to 1000 people in what amounts to about 4 square blocks.

I snapped an updated photo of the Lofts at Printer's Square on Wednesday:

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/new%20dev%202%204%2009/lofts%20at%20pr%20sq%20constr%202%204%2009.jpg

Cool. Thanks. :)

I wonder when they'll start on the exterior.

Not sure. :dunno:

I don't know, they have just started on the interior walls. This building is clearly one of quality with all steel construction while Aspyre is a piece of junk. Sorry Holder, but you have underwhelmed with the quality of Aspyre's construction.

A lot of the new apartment buildings under construction here in Charlotte have wood frames and they're OK. So I wouldn't necessarily base the overall quality of construction on that alone.

Agreed with Krazeeboi, there is absolutely nothing wrong with stick built construction. It does not mean a building is cheaper or of less quality. Lumber is what has been used for most of modern history, don't knock it.

^^ I don't knock lumber at all. That's the business I'm in! :yes:
Our lumber mill needs new clients! I wonder if they are interested? :D ;)

Aspyre is going to have almost 400 units; that would be close to 1000 people in what amounts to about 4 square blocks.

and Green's'll have a LOT more customers!!! :cheers:

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A lot of the new apartment buildings under construction here in Charlotte have wood frames and they're OK. So I wouldn't necessarily base the overall quality of construction on that alone.

Is it not much more susceptible to a serious fire?

Nah! Just hose the apartment down every night before you go to bed and you should be fine. ;)
:lol:

Is it not much more susceptible to a serious fire?

I'm not really sure how that works, but it is pretty common for apartment buildings to be built that way. I'm sure if it were majorly unsafe, it wouldn't be allowed.

Here is an updated photo of Aspyre at the corner of Assembly and Whaley Streets.

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/aspyre%20nearing%20completion%205%2030%2009.jpg

...and an updated photo of the Lofts at Printer's Square on Lady Street in the Vista.

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/lofts%20at%20printers%20sq%20progress.jpg

^^ Great! :) Thanks. :yes:

...and some updated photos of Rosewood Hills on Rosewood Drive.

The view of Williams-Brice Stadium, the State Fairgrounds and Carolina Walk from Rosewood Hills:

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/fairgrounds%20parking%20impr%201.jpg

Single Family Homes:
http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/rosewood%20hills%201.jpg

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/rosewood%20hills%202.jpg

Townhouses:
http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/rosewood%20hills%203.jpg

Apartments:
http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/rosewood%20hills%204.jpg

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/new%20development%205%2030%2009/rosewood%20hills%205.jpg

I think the exterior of Aspyre turned out nicely. The color scheme is similar to Adesso's.

I wonder how fast those will sell? Given the state of the economy and all.

I wonder how fast those will sell? Given the state of the economy and all.

I'm sure it will take awhile at this point, but the economy will turn around.

i looked at the prices a few weeks ago...not bad. i think i'd rather pay a little more and buy in elmwood though for the house quality and trees.

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^^ i hear ya.

Lofts at Printer's Square, 6/15/09

http://www.freewebs.com/waccamatt/New%20Development/6%2015%2009%20tmg%20and%20printers%20sq/lofts%20at%20printers%20sq%20and%20trustus%20sign%206%2015%2009.jpg

The Lofts has a pretty simple design (I do wish they could have at least used different types of brick), but it will be LEED-certified, adds more density to the built environment, and will put more feet on the street. Sounds like a winner to me.

I'm hoping the greenery of the renderings will come to fruition (or germination, in this case) and really make the building stand out.

I hope there is still to be some small shops on the ground floor.

Taken 10/25

521 Gervais:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2790/4044912017_932bd3e5e9.jpg

Lofts at Printers Square:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2693/4044955969_c87b3610b5.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/4045701228_13602fc9d6.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/4044959093_f195d63b4f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2698/4045704154_66699b98d8.jpg

Nice. :) :yes:

521 Gervais (taken 11/27):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2619/4140800591_22a97a76ed.jpg

521 Gervais (taken 11/27):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2619/4140800591_22a97a76ed.jpg

Are they selling? How much are they? As much as I like an urban environment.. not sure I would want to stumble out onto Gervais Street in the morning.. now it they widen the sidewalk then maybe.. but thats still alot of traffic moving in front of ones living room.

Are they selling? How much are they? As much as I like an urban environment.. not sure I would want to stumble out onto Gervais Street in the morning.. now it they widen the sidewalk then maybe.. but thats still alot of traffic moving in front of ones living room.

I'm sure most people will probably use the rear entrance. I believe they're in the $600,000 to $750,000 range.

not a development, but an interesting write-up about an instant landmark of a house that's now up for sale. it also gives insight into two other landmark houses.

source (http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=11012905083948076&ShowArticle_ID=11013012091000750)

Behind the Huge Circular Glass

BY ALLISON CALDWELL

It’s only been around for 13 years, but the art deco home at Devine Street and Sweetbriar Road has been a Columbia landmark since the moment it emerged from a lot filled with flowering shrubs. Lifelong Columbia resident Eddie Helms started building in 1995, inspired by the home of his childhood friend, Ray Price. If you’ve been here any length of time, you know Ray’s house, too — 3000 Forest Dr. (not the white brick “Robot House” built by Ray’s father in 1952, but the one on the corner of Forest and Glenwood, built in 1938).

“Ray and I were friends from the time I was 12 years old,” Helms says. “I always loved that house and this neighborhood. When I bought this property from the Lumpkin family, it was covered with hundreds of azalea and camellia bushes, and we left a pretty thick hedge out front until construction was complete. When the house was done and we cleared out the last of them, people didn’t know what it was.”

Helms hired local architect Beau Clowney (now in Charleston) to design the home based on the clean lines and distinct forms found in 1920s modernism. Circles, squares and rectangles create a high-style retreat both wide open and privately secure.
“I can stand in one spot and see the whole length of the house,” Helms says. “I’ve always felt very safe here.”

Features throughout include glass block walls, teak and marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows in front and walled garden areas in back. The spiral staircase in the foyer, curved restaurant-style booth seat in the kitchen, steel balcony railings and double doors to the downstairs master suite were all custom-built.

Probably the most recognizable feature by those driving down Devine is the huge round kitchen window — a single piece of glass measuring 11 feet in diameter.
“That was inspired by a window I saw at a hotel in New York,” Helms says. “If I ever get around to replacing it, I’ll do it in a sunburst pattern instead of a single pane.”
Inside, a series of circles leads from the kitchen to the dining room to a large open living space. The palette is mostly monochrome, but Helms uses art, furniture and accessories to add vibrant color in hues of yellow, purple, blue and red.

“You have to look through design magazines to find unusual furniture,” he says.
Helms retired after nearly 40 years as a Muzak franchise owner and currently has his one-of-a-kind home listed with Weichert Realtors-Ray Covington, Inc.
“It’s been a rough few years in the real estate business, but we’re starting to see more movement now in the upper end market,” says listing agent Ray L. Covington. “That’s good news for everybody.”

With more than 4,400 square feet plus a guest cottage — all wired for Muzak, of course — Helms says it’s become too much room for just one person. Two adult children (and grandchildren) live here in the Midlands, so he plans to stay nearby if the house sells.
“I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather live,” he says. “I just wish now I’d built something smaller.”

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"with some much drama in the CLB.. its hard being Snoop D.O. double G"....anything interesting happening???? I heard that the politicos downtown are pushing for Columbia to be a 'strong mayor' city... I guess thats a good thing..no?

It can be, but I think the supposed "ineffectiveness" of the council-manager system has been used as an excuse for mediocre leadership. A city can be progressive under either system.

CanalSide to add almost 200 units in next phase (http://www.columbiabusinessreport.com/news/38359-canalside-to-add-almost-200-units-in-next-phase)

By Mike Fitts
mfitts@scbiznews.com
Published Feb. 21, 2011

http://scbiznews.s3.amazonaws.com/1298315188-CanalSiderenderingmustcreditLS3PAssociates.jpg

The CanalSide residential project on the riverfront will build almost 200 additional units in the next year as it moves into the next phase of its mixed-use development.

Work is expected to begin in the spring on the additional units, said Dan Doyle, a vice president at Charleston-based developer The Beach Co.

The new units, a mix of town houses and smaller apartments, will bring the development to 374 units, Doyle said.

The new construction will add variety to CanalSide’s offerings, Doyle said. Three-bedroom town houses will be built along Taylor Street; they will be 1,350 square feet each. The expansion also will add studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

Rents in the new parcels will be similar to the current offerings, ranging from $890 to $1,600 per month. The new units will be rentals; Doyle said that’s where there is continuing strength in the housing market.

The Beach Co. plans for the new units to be on the market by next spring. Doyle declined to give CanalSide’s current occupancy rate, but he said the company is “very satisfied with the performance of the project to date.”

CanalSide’s move to add residences in the Vista is a good sign for the district, said Gretchen Lambert, an architect at Studio 2LR and president of the Congaree Vista Guild.

“We’re really excited about it,” she said.

The Beach Co.’s long-term plan for CanalSide envisions about 750 units. Phase 2 would leave two to three more parcels for development, and those could include retail or office space, once the density of the area will support them, Doyle said.

CanalSide has become a destination for those who want to live downtown and within walking distance of amenities such as a grocery store, Lambert said. The addition of residents to the area should help bring more service businesses to the Vista, she said.

The developer has done a good job of bringing the project to fruition, Lambert said. “CanalSide is a great neighbor.”

Despite the general woes of the real estate market, the apartment market in Columbia is showing some strength, Doyle said, fed in part by the growth of enrollment at the University of South Carolina.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t other projects in the area again,” Doyle said.

CanalSide took over a site that was occupied for more than a century by the Central Correctional Institution, the prison that included South Carolina’s death row until 1990.

The prison closed in 2004, and the site was sold to the city of Columbia for $3.2 million.

^it closed well before 2004...that's when it was completely demolished. i wouldn't also call it part of the Vista or really in walking distance for groceries, but that aside...

it looked like there were some cranes up near there when i drove by downtown but i didn't check to see what the cranes were for.

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Arnold Cos. to redevelop hotel at Lady and Main (http://www.columbiabusinessreport.com/news/40089-arnold-cos-to-redevelop-hotel-at-lady-and-main)

Staff Report
Published June 23, 2011

http://scbiznews.s3.amazonaws.com/1308848792-LadyatMain.jpg

The Arnold Cos., a Columbia-based commercial development firm, has purchased and plans to redevelop the property at the corner of Lady and Main streets in downtown Columbia.

The 101-room former hotel will be converted into 51 urban residences, called The Palms on Main, the company said.

The Palms on Main will be in the central business district, near the University of South Carolina, the Vista and the Statehouse.

The Arnold Cos. said The Palms on Main will feature a variety of services, including concierge services, individual storage units, a pool and video wall and a business center.

The ground floor of the building will have retail space, with tenants so far including Chick-fil-A, Atlanta Bread Co. and a small grocery store. An additional 2,700 square feet is available for future tenants.

“This project will offer all the modern conveniences of urban living, but when the residents step inside they will feel as if they escaped for a weekend at a regal resort,” said developer Ben Arnold. “The transformation of this historic property to an efficient, state-of-the-art building using Energy Star building practices and appliances will set the precedent for the future redevelopment of Main Street.”

Arnold said the one- and two-bedroom units at The Palms on Main will include high-end fixtures and appliances.

Construction began in June and completion is anticipated by February. Arnold Construction is working on the project in conjunction with Arnold Cos., as the developer and InterMark Management as the property management firm.

EARLY BULL STREET PROPOSALS

Plan envisions 3,550 new homes
Baseball stadium, too?

An early look at development plans for downtown Columbia’s huge new neighborhood shows that it could have up to 3,550 residences, a new through-street, 13 entrances and, yes, a spot perhaps for a baseball park.
The Hughes Development Corp. on Wednesday submitted its request that the 181-acre site be rezoned for a mix of homes, retail and offices and be designated a planned community. But the 146-page document provides little insight into what the Bull Street property might look like.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/12/2110557/plan-envisions-3550-new-homes.html

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