Long-vacant Columbia shopping center set to become $93 million apartments
A long-vacant shopping center near Columbia’s Earlewood neighborhood may soon be converted into a $93 million apartment complex.
Central Baptist Church in 2016 bought the shopping center property at 301 Sunset Drive, formerly called the Sunset Shopping Center, hoping to redevelop the lot into something beneficial to the community.
The church bought the property at the intersection of Sunset and River Drive for $365,000. After years of uncertainty, a developer has raised their hand and will work with the church to build 300 market-rate apartments and a 520-space garage on the lot, according to a presentation shared with Columbia housing, religious and non-profit leaders Wednesday.
Greenville-based Streams Development plans to start construction on the project in 2024 and complete work by 2026, said Benjamin Johnson, an economic development consultant working with Streams Development on the project.
One reason the project became untenable for Central Baptist is because of the amount of remediation needed on the site. Johnson said $1.2 million worth of clean-up still needs to be done on the site, including $800,000 worth of environmental remediation and the removal of 1,500 tires that have been dumped at the site. Those costs are included in the $93 million price tag.
Johnson shared the plans for the apartments during a forum hosted by Columbia Councilwoman Tina Herbert. The forum focused on showing churches and nonprofits the steps needed to develop housing on property the institutions may own.
Many Columbia-area churches own property. In addition to the Sunset Shopping Center, Central Baptist owns several single-family homes and vacant lots, all of which are tax-exempt, according to Richland County property records.
This summer, Word of God Church announced it would purchase the Dutch Square Mall on Bush River Road with the aim to “revitalize this space, breathing new life into it and transforming it into a place of inspiration, unity, and prosperity for the local community and region at-large,” according to the church’s announcement.
Herbert hosed the Wednesday forum because she was aware of the amount of property many churches own in Columbia.
“The point of this presentation is, you can’t do it by yourself,” Herbert said Wednesday of developing those properties.
