80-plus apartments planned for historic downtown Columbia building
An international real estate developer is planning to turn the former Veterans Administration building at the corner of Assembly and Laurel streets into apartments.
Documents filed with the Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals show the five-story building will host apartments, commercial space, a rooftop bar, pool and banquet area. Architect Scott Garvin, a leader in historic renovation projects in the city, said the building could house more than 80 apartments.
Developer Justin Etzin is a Paris-based diplomat who served as consul general and tourism ambassador to the United States for 12 years, ending last year, from the Republic of Seychelles. Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa.
The State has reached out to a representative for Etzin.
The developer has applied for a parking variance with the board because the 95,000-square-foot building at 1801 Assembly St. has no room for on-site parking, according to the filing.
“The variance will place this project in keeping with similar developments in the city center that rely on structured parking and will allow this historic building to maintain the character of the district,” according to the filing.
In 2015, federals officials wanted to raze the building to create parking for the adjacent Strom Thurmond federal building. The effort was abandoned after opposition from Mayor Steven Benjamin and city downtown development boosters and historic preservation organizations.
The entrance to the Veterans Affairs building features an agriculture-themed sculpture of five people, including Clemson University benefactor Thomas Clemson. Building advocates argued a parking lot on the prominent corner atop a hill across from Finlay Park would not conform with city design guidelines.
“This is an important building in an important location, and any planner knows the worst of all possible land uses is a parking lot on a prime corner location, particularly one overlooking Columbia’s premier public park,” Benjamin said in a statement at the time.
The building is a half block from the Columbia downtown post office, which the city purchased last year. A City Council member at the time said parking at the post office might be utilized for the VA building.
County records show the building was purchased by SC Property Builds LLC in 2018 for $2.6 million.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.