‘Spectacular’ rehab planned for apartments near 5 points. Why neighbors aren’t happy
A bid to restore a block of 1940s-era apartments on Saluda Avenue is being met with resistance from some nearby Wales Garden residents who fear the project would further tarnish the reputation of their historic neighborhood by drawing in more college students.
Built in 1949, the seven-two story buildings in the 500 block of Saluda Avenue include 28 units originally designed to house WWII veterans.
On Thursday, Columbia’s Design/Development Review Commission may decide whether to grant applicant Alison Taylor’s request for certification under the Bailey Bill, a state law that grants special tax assessments to rehabilitated historic properties.
“The plan is to go in and totally renovate,” said Kathy Taylor, Alison’s mother and partner on the project. “Put in central heat and air, redo the bathrooms, the kitchens, the flooring and just make them spectacular.”
Frank Adams, president of the Wales Garden Neighborhood Association, said his group was given almost no warning about the project. On Monday, the association sent a letter to the Design/Development Review Commission asking for a delay until February to give residents ample time to discuss the matter.
“You’re about to make a decision that will be set in stone forever about whether those apartments are historical,” he said. “If so, we can’t change it. We’re stuck with them forever as they are.”
The apartments represent yet another skirmish over the fate of Wales Garden. Founded in 1910, the neighborhood was planned to be a “ritzy suburb,” Adams said. But thanks to its proximity to the Five Points entertainment district and the University of South Carolina, the area has increasingly become an outpost for college renters with companies like Walk2Campus buying up property in the area.
Taylor said the target market for the apartments would be young professionals, not students.
“It’s not our goal to make this party central,” she said. “This is my neighborhood too. I’ve lived here for 30 years so that’s not something I want to see happen.”
Taylor noted that she has successfully rehabilitated several other properties in the neighborhood, all of which have been well received by residents.
Still, Adams said he did not believe there was sufficient reason to classify the buildings as historic.
“Yes they’re over 50 years old, but we have sidewalks here that are 50 years old.” he said, “If this is approved we will lose out forever on an opportunity to build single family homes that reflect the nature and aesthetic that the founder of our neighborhood envisioned.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 12:38 PM.
