More tweaks suggested by Columbia panel in $70 M downtown apartment tower

Adding more detail to a proposed 15-story apartment tower’s facades, pushing its windows back a bit and making its first-floor street front more pedestrian friendly are among changes a Columbia design panel wants.

“I would be very cautious in how you look at the overall massing of the building,” panel member Ryan Hyler told representatives from Clayco Realty Group at an informal presentation Thursday. “The last thing we would want to approve is something that adds just a giant mass on the skyline.”

The panel’s feedback mostly mirrored concerns listed by the city’s planning staff before the presentation. Those included the building’s height compared to its next-door neighbor, the three-story Richland County library, and its “monolithic” facades.

Proposed by a Chicago developer, the tower, named “The Edge,” is planned for the northwest corner of Assembly and Washington streets.

“We look forward to incorporating it and coming back in the near future,” Russell Caplin, part of Clayco’s development team, said of the changes. He said he did not know when Clayco would formally request approval from the panel.

The $70 million tower is planned to include 609 beds and a structured parking garage with space for 151 cars, 97 scooters and 160 bicycles.

The building will have one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and will house tenants other than students, Caplin said.

The panel on Thursday also approved a design for a four-story self-storage facility across Hampton Street from the CanalSide apartment complex in the Vista.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 7:58 PM with the headline "More tweaks suggested by Columbia panel in $70 M downtown apartment tower."