COLUMBIA RISING

A new public/private student housing complex on the University of South Carolina campus reached a milestone last week – workers topped a section that this summer will house nearly 600 students.

Called “650 Lincoln,” the first phase of the 884-bed complex at Blossom and Lincoln streets is fully leased at $4,350 per bed per semester, said Ashley Felder of Holder Properties. The Atlanta-based development company is teaming with USC to construct the 400,000-square-foot complex on six acres.

The section that will open Aug. 1 will have 584 beds, the company said. Among the amenities students will enjoy are a 24-hour, full-service restaurant, a theater, Wi-Fi that will be “the fastest speeds in the market,” private and group study spaces, a pool with grilling stations and a fitness center.

The second phase will add 300 more beds and both sections are scheduled to be fully open by the summer of 2016, the company said.

The complex will include 14,500 square feet of retail space and parking garages, Holder Properties said.

USC is using $92.7 million in tax-exempt and taxable revenue bonds to help build the complex, said the state Jobs-Economic Development Authority. SunTrust purchased the bonds last August, said Russ Meekins, director of the USC Development Foundation.

Money from the bonds is expected to create 38 new jobs within the first year and 75 within two years of completion, JEDA said in a statement.

This story was originally published April 18, 2015 at 8:56 PM with the headline "COLUMBIA RISING."