Columbia luxury apartments under construction five years after first pitched
Mounds of red earth cast shadows across bulldozers and excavators. Workers pound nails into place.
The long-quiet, nearly 6-acre parcel off North Main Street that once hosted Columbia’s Jim Moore Cadillac dealership is being turned into something new – finally.
Developer Commonwealth Properties is at long last moving forward with building a 320-unit luxury apartment complex at 2222 Main Street, which developers have said will be the “nicest” in the city.
It’s been five years since Columbia officials first approved plans for the sprawling luxury apartments, which cover almost the entire block of North Main Street between Franklin and Scott streets.
Developer Commonwealth Properties has promised to build “the premier” luxury apartments in Columbia, but the project was stalled for years 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 in late 2024. The apartment plans initially called for 250 luxury apartments, but the developer has since grown the footprint to 320 units.
Work is finally underway at the site. In February alone, developers received nearly $7 million worth of building permits for the project, according to city records.
The apartments could be move-in ready by March 2027, according to Commonwealth Properties’ website. A representative for the company did not immediately respond to questions from The State about the project’s timeline.
The plans also include a large parking garage, co-working space, a fitness club, a rooftop dog park and more.
The new apartments would occupy a critical stretch of land in the portion of the evolving North Main corridor closest to downtown, in the Cottontown neighborhood.
Just behind the construction site is popular local coffee shop Indah. Another local favorite, Curiosity Coffee, serves a steady stream of patrons each day at a shop across North Main Street. Nearby, another local favorite Gardener’s Outpost sells plants and decor. This weekend is the annual Cottontown Art Crawl, which brings thousands of people to the area just beyond Elmwood Avenue.
