Copyright postandcourier
COLUMBIA — Plans for over 70 upscale townhomes on Rosewood Drive near the State Fairgrounds and Williams-Brice Stadium are moving forward. The project would displace a longstanding local event venue. A developer hopes to build 71 three-story townhomes on two plots of land along at 1027 and 1125 Rosewood Drive. Those lots are currently occupied by a grass parking lot and Seawell’s event venue, respectively. The project would be aimed at young professionals seeking to buy a townhome close to downtown and Williams-Brice, rather than renting to students, developer Steve McNair said at an Oct. 21 Columbia City Council meeting. A large, 400-unit student housing project was previously proposed for the same site but fell through, he said. “We did see the student housing project that was there, and I was thinking, ‘Oh my Gosh that's a monstrosity,’” McNair said. “We feel really good about the product, we feel very good about the location. I am a Gamecock, and I will have a unit there.” City Council gave a final vote to rezone both properties to make way for the townhomes on Oct. 28, as well as to annex the grass parking lot property into the city limits. Mayor Daniel Rickenmann spoke — and voted — in favor of the project at the prior Oct. 21 meeting, saying it would help fill the need for more housing in the city aimed at young professionals. “We need young professional housing in proximity of downtown,” Rickenmann said. “I mean, a lot of the young professionals are moving to other cities because of the proximity of living downtown. … They want to be able to shut the door and go out and go to concerts and travel, so there's a real need here.” The project is backed by Nashville-based Lennar Homes, McNair said. McNair’s company, Palmetto Alliance Property Group, is developing similar projects in Greenville and Asheville on behalf of the Tennessee developer, he said.
