Long-stalled luxury apartments near downtown Columbia are back — and bigger than before
A long-stalled luxury apartment complex planned for 2222 Main Street on the edge of Columbia’s downtown is finally moving forward – and it’s gotten bigger.
Columbia first approved plans in 2021 for the major overhaul of the nearly 6-acre property encompassing the former Jim Moore Cadillac site on North Main Street. Developer Steve Middleton, president of Commonwealth Properties, promised to build the “nicest” apartments in Columbia, with about 250 luxury units complete with 12-foot high ceilings, crown molding, a swimming pool, heated spa area and more.
The plans have been held up for years, first because of the time and cost of cleaning up the environmental hazards left over by the former auto shop, and then because construction prices had gone up so much in the meantime, according to plans submitted to the city of Columbia’s planning commission.
But now, developers think they found the right calculus and are adding more units to the project to make it more cost effective. The project will now have 320 apartments. The one-, two and three-bedroom units will have an average of 929 square feet. And the promised courtyards, pool, spa, sundeck and more are all still part of the package.
There will also be a rooftop dog park, a rooftop club room and game room and two rooftop decks, “providing views of the pool courtyard and central business district sunsets,” according to the plans.
The developers will also build a 467-unit parking garage for the project, and another lot with 47 surface parking spots.
The plans submitted to the city also include a traffic study, which recommends making some changes to the street design around the property, including adding multiple new turn lanes on North Main Street and narrowing southbound traffic between Confederate Avenue and Elmwood Avenue heading toward downtown to one lane.
A letter of support from the Cottontown Bellevue Historic District Neighborhood Association dated Nov. 8, 2024 is also included in the developer’s application to the planning commission. The letter states the neighborhood supports the project and has been in frequent communication with Middleton, the developer, since 2021.
The 2222 Main Street site has sat empty for years. It was used as an auto-repair shop from the 1950s until 2009, but it has been empty since.
At one point, Clear Dot Charter School eyed the site as a possible expansion location, but those plans were not well met by neighbors and never came to fruition.
Columbia’s Planning Commission will consider the updated apartment proposal at a regular meeting Thursday. Residents can attend those meetings in-person at 1737 Main Street, or online at youtube.com/@CityofColumbiaGovernment.
