A pandemic didn’t stop college parties. Columbia has the citations to prove it
House parties at student apartments in Columbia have persisted in spite of the city’s efforts to crack down on large gatherings.
At the end of August, Columbia City Council implemented new penalties for landlords whose tenants are found violating Gov. Henry McMaster’s declared state of emergency and other laws regarding public health.
As of Sept. 22, code enforcement officers issued 21 citations under the ordinance. More than a third of those were handed out at apartments owned by PMC property group, a Philadelphia based company that caters mainly to college students.
One of PMC’s properties — The Apartments at Palmetto Compress — came under scrutiny last month after the Columbia Fire Department was called in to break up a 300 person pool party there. That building was cited on three other occasions, most recently for a 53 person party on Sept. 18.
PMC also owns Granby Mill, which received three citations; Olympia Mill, which received one citation; The Cottages at the Mills, which received one citation; and a home at 309 Heyward St. which was cited for a 200 plus person party on Aug. 29
PMC did not respond to requests for comment.
Other large gatherings where citations where handed out include a 100 plus person party at 301 South Edisto Ave. on Sept. 12 and 50-70 person party at 1610 Heyward St. on Sept. 10.
Though parties have taken place every weekend since the ordinance was passed, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said he believes the new rules have been an effective deterrent overall.
“It’s important to know that we’re not going to be able to penalize our way out of this problem,” he said. “We have to keep engaging in public education.”
The city uses a point system to determine penalties for landlords that violate zoning codes. If a single housing unit receives more than 15 points in a year, the city can revoke the owner’s rental permit. Under the new ordinance, anyone found hosting a party will receive 10 points and the landlord will be fined $1,000.
So far, no single unit in any of the PMC buildings has reached 15 points.
But if that happens, City Council member Ed McDowell — whose district includes the Palmetto Compress — said he hopes the city would consider taking additional action against the property owner.
“We cannot afford to take risks in a situation where there are people dying,” he said. “The virus doesn’t play favorites so neither should we.”
City Council member Howard Duvall said it would be impractical for the city to shut down a massive housing complex like the Palmetto Compress.
“The ultimate solution to this is for the students to start acting in the best interest of the community and realizing that what they’re doing is dangerous not only for their health but for those who they come into contact with,” he said.
Duvall said the University of South Carolina could help by deploying university police to break up parties and taking administrative action against students who violate the rules.
USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said that the university has already handed out “numerous interim suspensions related to individuals who were either hosting or coordinating large gatherings.”
He said the university is planning to send additional reminders to students encouraging them to follow social distancing protocols and to respect current city ordinances ahead of the first football game of the season on Saturday.
“We want them to have fun but we also want them to do so safely and be cognizant of the other members in our community.”
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
