New parks, restaurants, stores? Yes to all in plans for Midlands’ next big thing
A 70-acre development with homes, stores, restaurants, parks and more is being planned for North Main Street, potentially becoming a catalyst for economic growth in north Columbia, city leaders say.
Construction on the project, being dubbed Azurest on Heritage Creek, could start next year on a site near I-20 that eventually might boast:
▪ Up to 85 houses
▪ Up to 95 townhomes
▪ A senior assisted-living facility
▪ A community clubhouse, recreational center, banquet hall and pavilion
▪ A small school
▪ A hotel with up to 100 rooms
▪ Business offices
▪ Boutique shops
▪ Medical clinics
▪ Sit-down and fast-food restaurants
▪ A co-op grocery and hardware store
All those components depend on market demand as the development is built out over several years. But city leaders believe the North Main corridor is ripe for these things.
“It’s our turn,” said Cecil Hannibal, director of the city’s Eau Claire Development Corporation, which guides and encourages development in north Columbia. The corporation is helping a private developer, WAT Properties, move the Azurest project forward.
Details of the project are contained in documents filed with the city. The project will be officially announced at 9:30 Thursday morning at the Greenview Plaza parking lot at 6820 N. Main St.
The planned elements of Azurest are a reflection of what members of the surrounding community have asked for, said Willie Tompkins, owner of WAT Properties. They want to see jobs, affordable homes, dining and shopping options come to their community, he said.
“The first thing we want is to address the needs of the people whose yard (the development) will be sitting in,” Tompkins said. “It’s important to get the right mix, what the community wants, what it’s lacking and asking for. ... We want businesses that will actually enhance the community.”
Hannibal and Tompkins said some retail developers already have expressed interest in the project.
The Azurest development is a continuation of “all the development and investments we’re doing in north Columbia and throughout the city, for that matter,” said City Councilman Sam Davis, who represents the north Columbia area.
Azurest could become “a destination point,” Davis said.
He, Hannibal and Tompkins expect it could be a catalyst for more economic development in the area.
Seventy acres of development is big for any part of Columbia. By comparison, the large CanalSide apartment community in downtown Columbia, beside the Columbia Canal, is about 20 acres.
North Columbia has the advantage of space to develop plus the benefit of tens of thousands of cars that daily travel I-20, which offers prime access to the Azurest site, Hannibal noted.
At this point, the development is being financed entirely by private funds, Tompkins said. He declined to provide an estimated cost of the development but said it would “create literally hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars of investment.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 6:44 PM with the headline "New parks, restaurants, stores? Yes to all in plans for Midlands’ next big thing."