West Columbia riverfront project on hold

The go-ahead for a signature redevelopment project on the West Columbia riverfront is on hold after City Council put off a decision Tuesday until Jan. 20.

Developer Matt Mundy said he is optimistic of approval despite a delay that came after nearby residents expressed concern the project will create traffic and parking problems.

“It gives us time to clear the air,” he said.

Plans call for the project to be home for up to 235 apartments and condominiums and up to 80,000 square feet of stores and offices.

Nearby homeowners said that seems too much to put on the four-acre site near the Congaree River.

“There is too much building to go on this small size,” Cindy Moye told council members.

Other residents want the project downsized so it doesn’t worsen problems traveling streets nearby. “This is not the right fit,” Casey Moons said.

A closer look is warranted at traffic flow and parking site to avert those problems, Mayor Bobby Horton said.

Those parts of the plan remain vague, Councilman Tem Miles said. “We need to know more about what it will look like,” he said.

The development is at State and Meeting streets overlooking the river just across the Gervais Street bridge from the Vista.

It’s a project promising to spur more development in the Lexington County city of 15,000 residents, officials say.

Making that happen is a decade-old dream of city leaders.

When finished, the project will total more than $40 million, city officials predict.

The plan taking shape gives Estates & Companies, Mundy’s firm, flexibility to adapt development to demand for space.

But the project must include at least 30,000 square feet for stores, restaurants and offices.