Work can begin on Columbia site vacant for 20 years, new apartments planned
Dirt at the former Kline Iron & Steel site downtown could finally be about to move, after sitting empty for years, and enduring numerous redevelopment false starts.
Developers planning to build a five-story market-rate apartment complex on the property received a $1 million land disturbance permit from the city of Columbia Dec. 22, clearing the way for grading work on the site.
The State has reached out to builder Silver Hills Development for more information on the construction timeline for the project.
If realized, the apartments will cure a years-long losing streak for projects pitched at the historic but troubled site, where once America’s radio towers were made, but which has sat vacant since 2004 when the manufacturer closed.
Immediately after the builder closed, a developer pitched fancy office buildings on the site, then someone wanted to build over 400 condos and a large interior courtyard. Then, developers planned a 140 room hotel. But none of those plans ever materialized.
Now, after two decades, Ohio-based Silver Hills Development is poised to finally fill a 20-year gap on downtown’s Huger Street.
Silver Hills finalized a purchase on the property last year, closing on the 2.5-acre site for just under $3.3 million in October 2025.
The developer initially pitched a 7-story, 250-unit apartment tower on the site, but has since shifted the plans to build a 5-story project with an estimated 202 units, a plan approved by the city in January 2025.
Plans for more apartments have also been proposed next door, though it’s unclear where those plans stand. In 2023, Richland County approved tax incentives for developers planning a $100 million apartment complex on the former SCANA bus garage site, just across Washington Street from the Kline Site. In 2024, the property was sold to Huger & Hampton LLC.
The State in November asked the City of Columbia for information on that project, and a city spokesperson said they had no information to provide.
The SCANA site was cleared in 2008 and has also sat vacant since, creating a massive hole on Huger Street alongside the Kline property.
Huger Street has seen a massive wave of development in recent years. New apartments are under construction at the Huger intersection of Blossom Street, a new Homewood Suites and Tru Hotel is now complete and plans for a new boutique hotel are underway.
In addition to the new construction, the city of Columbia and other partners are working to develop along the Congaree riverfront between the Blossom and Gervais street bridges. Right now, the city is looking for contractors to build a new road west of Huger Street and east of the river, creating a new roadway to access the river and for developers to build on.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 5:45 AM.
