Columbia Housing breaks ground on $71M development to replace Gonzales Gardens
The Columbia Housing Authority broke ground on a $71-million development on Thursday at the site of the former Gonzales Gardens project on Forest Drive.
Most of the residents at the 285-unit Oaks at St. Anna’s Park complex will have their rent subsidized, according to Lucinda Herrera, senior vice president of development at the housing authority.
The development, located across from MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center, will feature a 95-unit apartment building reserved for seniors age 62 and older who make no more than 50% of the area median income. There will also be 171 townhomes for renters who make no more than 60% of the area median income and 19 market rate townhomes with no income limits.
Ernest Cromartie III, chair of the Columbia Housing Board of Commissioners, said the city has a great need for affordable housing.
“We are delighted to bring the Oaks at St. Anna’s Park to the Midlands, and we are excited about the positive economic impact it will have on the area,” he said.
The project is the result of a public private partnership between the Columbia Housing Authority and several other groups including Ward Mungo Construction and Urban Matters Development Partners. It is part of a greater effort by the housing authority to redevelop its properties and shift away from the traditional public housing model that relied heavily on funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The original Gonzales Gardens was built in 1939. Before the complex was demolished in 2017, it was the oldest public housing complex in the city and one of the oldest in the country.
When Gonzales Gardens opened, it was meant primarily for non-commissioned officers families stationed at Fort Jackson. At the time, only white families were permitted to live there.
