Luxury apartments, restaurant heading for upscale Devine Street

Developer Matt Mundy grew up in the Shandon area of Columbia.

He got his first haircut at Ron's Barber Shop on Devine Street. He was baptized at the former Shandon Baptist Church.

And today, in his first solo project with his family's development company, Estates & Cos., Mundy is building a major new mixed-use complex of luxury apartments, offices and dining in the heart of Devine Street's upscale retail district.

"It's kind of a homecoming," Mundy said. "We think it will be the nicest apartment community in Columbia."

The three-acre, block-and-a-half "Devine District" development, located just a block from Estates & Cos'. 700 Woodrow Street apartment building in the old Whitney Hotel, features 145 housing units in two buildings:

▪ One will be built in the parking lot in front of the GranDevine Apartments (the former Schneider School) at the corner of Maple and Devine streets. It will feature 31 units, mostly condominiums, with a few units saved for Airbnb rentals.

The 2-bedroom, 2-bath condominiums feature smart home technology.

▪ A larger "L"-shaped structure running from Maple Street toward the Devine Street Fire Station will feature 114 apartments.

The studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments will offer floor plans from 500 to 1,400 square feet and leasing from $1,000 to $2,000 a month, Mundy said. The homes will feature custom wood closets, kitchens with dual-hued cabinetry, quartz counter tops, USB charging stations, modern showers and 10-foot ceilings, he said.

Other amenities include a rooftop lounge with a contemporary outdoor kitchen, a fitness center, a courtyard and bike sharing.

The complex also will include 5,000 square feet of free-standing retail space facing Devine Street adjacent to the fire station. The location should capitalize on one of Columbia's most upscale shopping areas , featuring, among other stores, Britton's, Non(e)such, Pink Sorbet and Pout along with restaurants like Urban Cookhouse, Cantina 76, Il Giorgioneand Tallulah's.

The retail space, Mundy said, could be used for a restaurant or two shops.

"We have a flexible footprint," he said.

Plans also include renovating the 30,000-square-foot Devine Station building at 2801 Devine St. into modernized office space. It is home to the Sinus Center of South Carolina, Holt Consulting, and Chappell, Smith & Arden, P.A.

In conjunction with the apartment homes and condominiums, Mundy is remodeling a 3,500-square-foot Shandon Craftsman bungalow into an event space for residents that will be called The House. That building will "even have a library for residents and a private dining room for entertaining," he said.

The development broke ground in February and is slated for completion in 12 to 14 months.

Mundy, along with his father, Bob, the company founder, is also building the massive Brookland development in West Columbia. They are also the developers of 5000 Forest, Arcadia's Edge and 42 Magnolia in Columbia.

They also have developments in Chapel Hill, Asheville, Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., as well as Atlanta, Isle of Palms and Jacksonville, Fla.

This story was originally published May 30, 2018 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Luxury apartments, restaurant heading for upscale Devine Street."