By BY CALEB BOZARD

Copyright postandcourier

COLUMBIA — As the capital city continues to grow and reshape its identity, multiple large-scale construction projects have begun taking shape in the city’s center.

Student housing, market-rate apartments and hotels make up the bulk of these developments. Some are nearing completion, while others are still waiting for shovels to get in the ground.

Local business leaders and elected officials have touted the investments as evidence of new era in Columbia — one more prone to new development than in years past, and a shift in the city’s attitude toward growth and outside investment.

“I think for a long time it was very strange, and I don’t know why we ever felt this way, but a lot of people here did think we were like Eeyore,” Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said. “We doubted ourselves. … I think now people have really embraced who we are and what we have to offer.”

Here is a rundown on some of the most visible projects underway or soon to begin downtown.

Construction is well underway at The Verve, a 697-bed, 233-unit student housing project at the intersection of Blossom and Huger streets.

The complex, which stands at one of the major gateways into the city from Lexington County, is expected to welcome students in Fall 2026.

Plans call for a four-story, 413,000-square foot building with a mix of studio, one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-bedroom layouts. The developers agreed to downsize from the original five-story plan amid traffic concerns from neighbors.

The site formerly housed a gas station.

Finlay Park

The dilapidated state of the 14-acre Finlay Park has been a thorn in the side of city leaders for decades.

The park was first developed in the 1990s as a major attraction for the city’s downtown, but became the focal point of leader’s efforts to confront downtown’s increasingly visible homeless population in years since.