A new boutique hotel is planned for this growing Columbia district. What we know
Columbia’s Bull Street District continues to grow, now with plans for a new boutique hotel near Segra Park.
Vulcan Development, a Maryland-based builder that got its start with self-storage sites, plans to build a seven-story, full-service boutique hotel on Freed Street near the Segra Park baseball stadium, and adjacent to the city’s nearby parking garage. Full-service hotels are those that offer on-site food and beverage service.
The developer is promising a $38 million investment in the project, and the creation of at least 50 jobs. In exchange, Richland County Council is set to approve a 35% tax credit for the hotel’s first 10 years in business, according to county documents. Those documents did not specify how many rooms the new hotel would have, but notes that it will be built on a .78 acre site.
The county council gave initial approval to the incentive at a meeting Tuesday, and it will need to pass two more votes before it becomes final.
The new hotel joins other new developments percolating in the BullStreet District, including a new food hall that could open before the end of this year. The hotel would also add much-needed rooms to Columbia’s hotel inventory. A lack of full-service hotels specifically was cited as a major reason Columbia was recently passed over as a host for NCAA March Madness tournament games.
Bill Ellen, president and CEO of the tourism arm Experience Columbia, has repeatedly said Columbia also needs more hotel rooms to attract larger conferences to the city’s convention center. Those conferences would in turn boost spending, and tax revenue, from visitors passing through the city. A new hotel is currently being planned next to the convention center, and leaders say more hotels are still needed.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
