Student tower developers stick to their 15-story plan

It was a standoff Wednesday between the University of South Carolina and developers of a planned student apartment building near the State House and the Horseshoe.

Despite USC’s suggestion at the first meeting of a city design review commission, Tennessee-based developers EdR did not back away from their 15-story design during a follow-up meeting with city planners and a university representative.

After hearing concerns from USC leaders about the proposed height and density of the project, EdR executives said they explored alternatives but returned with no major design changes, particularly none that would lower the height or density of the 704-bed apartment tower. Company representatives said that anything shorter would not be economically feasible.

With updated renderings, the developers presented some aesthetic design changes, particularly at the street level on Main Street, to a subcommittee of the Design/Development Review Commission. The updates seemed to please commissioners.

EdR vice president Rodney King criticized the university’s argument that the tower would impede views from the historic Horseshoe about two blocks away. He said the Horseshoe should be considered an urban park in the same context of New York City’s Central Park, which is surrounded by towering structures.

While the building may not fit in with the current context of its surroundings, King said it will fit in with the city’s future vision for the area as a dense urban development.

University spokesman Wes Hickman said the developers’ view goes against a vision the university and the city have worked for a decade to develop for the area.

“This project in particular is too dense and too tall for it to fit the character of what we’ve been trying to build for the last 10 years,” Hickman said. “The developer seems to be dismissive of that plan.”

The city’s Board of Zoning Appeals already has approved a density exception for the 704 beds, and there is no height restriction in the existing C-4 zoning district.

Though design review commissioners continued to express concern about the height of the building, chairman Bob Wynn reminded them that those details are beyond their purview and should not be used as arguments for or against the project on July 9, when the tower comes before the full commission for approval.

This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 9:01 PM with the headline "Student tower developers stick to their 15-story plan."