Columbia looks toward major downtown projects in 2026. What’s on the agenda?
Columbia leaders got to tick off a number of downtown projects in 2025, most notably the re-opening of Finlay Park after several years of construction and $25 million for the project. But more big work is on the horizon, with plans for a “world-class” waterfront park, new trails and an apartment project that would double downtown’s population. Here’s what’s on the agenda for downtown Columbia in 2026.
Riverfront development / Williams Street
Almost two years ago, city and state dignitaries gathered under a white tent set upon an undeveloped piece of land on the Congaree riverfront and made an announcement. Soon, they would begin work on a $21 million effort to construct a new road system along the river to open up the space to more development and better access to the water.
The plans are centralized around the extension of Williams Street from where it currently ends to the north at Senate Street, and ends to the south at the Blossom Street Bridge. It is envisioned as being more than a new conduit for cars and trucks. It’s also meant to create space for riverfront projects, and the new access will also help connect the vast Three Rivers Greenway, which currently stops at Granby Park, and resumes at Columbia’s Riverfront Park at the Canal.
That new road is also the missing piece of infrastructure Columbia needs to begin building its “world-class” waterfront park, planned for the space between the Blossom and Gervais Street bridges. The park is set to be designed by nationally renowned architecture firm Field Operations, which has built projects in New York City and Chicago. The Boyd Foundation and the Guignard family, which has donated land for the effort, are also heavily involved in the planning.
It will most likely take years before the park begins to materialize, but the process is fully underway. Columbia City Council members voted last month to move forward a contract with the design firm, which plans to have a roadmap for Columbia’s new park by the end of this year.
Municipal complex/ ōLiv
Columbia has had a big, empty hole in its Main Street for years – a parking lot nearly the length of the street in the center of the 1400 block of Main Street.
This year, that parking lot will be filled with Columbia’s soon-to-be largest tower and a massive $225 million apartment complex combining a 26-story market-rate apartment tower with a connected 22-story student housing tower.
The project, which promises nearly 800 new apartments and up to 2,400 new beds, could double Columbia’s downtown population. It also includes retail and office space, plus a pedestrian plaza, bike racks, and places to sit outdoors.
The “ōLiv” project, as developer Core Spaces is calling it, is also significant in how it will dovetail with the city’s plans for an improved municipal complex next door at 1401 Main Street. The city’s $49.5 million effort to renovate the 12-story municipal complex is meant to help the city sell off unneeded property by having a new centralized place for all city departments.
Among the properties listed for sale is Washington Square at 1136 Washington St., which last month, the city began the process to sell to Kessler Enterprise, a hotelier promising to invest $70 million in a 4-star, full-service hotel on Main Street. The deal has stirred debate. City Council held a retreat at one of the hotelier’s Savannah properties at the beginning of December, and the city confirmed it also received higher bids for the property more than the $2.9 million Kessler plans to buy it for. But city leaders contend Kessler’s brand, particularly the “Grand Bohemian” hotel it plans to build in Columbia, will pay the best dividends despite selling the property for a lower offer.
Vista Greenway/ on-foot connectivity
Columbia isn’t just looking at new skyscrapers and the riverfront, leaders are also looking at how people get around downtown, and how to make it more comfortable to navigate the downtown core’s often disjointed-feeling districts.
Central to that goal is a $7 million extension of the Vista Greenway, which would see The Vista connected to Earlewood and the BullStreet District – extending it from where it currently ends at Elmwood Avenue. When finished the trail would stretch 3.75 miles and function as a thread through downtown Columbia.
Alongside plans for the greenway, the city is also looking at ways to redevelop nine acres of land just below Earlewood Park, where the new trail would pass through. This site currently hosts the North Main Community Garden and little else. City planners hope it can be developed into something that meets a community need, such as housing. Exactly what gets built, and how it gets paid for, is still unclear.
The greenway plans are part of a wide-reaching effort to make Columbia more friendly to foot traffic and bicyclists. That work has included the new bike lanes on South Main Street, and a new set of guidelines for downtown development that prioritize pedestrian safety and comfort.
