Update 11/3/15 – The planning commission unanimously recommended approval for a 550-unit self-storage facility to be developed near the CanalSide mixed-use development in Columbia, S.C. The recommendation came despite several members of the public speaking in opposition to the proposal. The $9 million self-storage project will be reviewed by the city council in December, according to the source.

November 3, 2015

3 Min Read
Planners Recommend Self-Storage Project in Columbia, SC, Despite Merchant Opposition

Update 11/3/15 – The planning commission unanimously recommended approval for a 550-unit self-storage facility to be developed near the CanalSide mixed-use development in Columbia, S.C. The recommendation came despite several members of the public speaking in opposition to the proposal. The $9 million self-storage project will be reviewed by the city council in December, according to the source.

Eight community members spoke against the plan. Marshall, representing the Congaree Vista Guild, argued the facility will be a “largely dead occupancy” between the CanalSide development and the rest of the Vista District, the source reported. Others questioned the three-story building’s aesthetics and whether city ordinances enable the facility to become part of the CanalSide plan.

Ryan Hyler, vice president for development at investment firm Tomlin Interests, told the commission the storage facility will make a “great amenity to downtown” and appeal to those living in the CanalSide residences. Hyler was previously identified by the source as a project-development manager with Landmark Builders. “We think as we continue to draw people into the urban core, we’re going to have to be able to provide these types of amenities to get them there,” he said.

Tomlin Interests has been working with The Beach Co. to include the self-storage facility as part of the mixed-use development, according to Daniel D’Alberto, an attorney representing Tomlin.

“We believe that we are building a very attractive building that will be highly visible as you come across the bridge,” Hyler told the commission. “And it will be a facility that we think will be unsurpassed in Columbia.” The comment elicited laughter from the back of the room, the source reported.

11/2/15 – The Congaree Vista Guild, a nonprofit merchants group in Columbia, S.C., strongly opposes a self-storage proposal submitted by construction company Landmark Builders. The project calls for a multi-story storage facility on 1.86 acres at the corner of Hampton and Williams streets, across from the CanalSide mixed-use development, according to the source. The planning commission is scheduled to discuss the project this week.

According to city manager John Fellows, the self-storage project is partnering with CanalSide developer The Beach Co., which wants the storage facility included as part of that site’s development plans, the source reported. CanalSide is a 23-acre development in Columbia’s Vista District on the Congaree River. The mixed-use project features 750 condominiums, lofts and townhomes, along with complementary retail services, according to The Beach Co. website.

Dale Marshall, development committee chairman for the Congaree Vista Guild, believes self-storage is inconsistent with CanalSide’s original design, the source reported. “The Guild feels that allowing for the construction of a climate-controlled storage facility on one of the prominent gateways into downtown Columbia does not meet the long-term development goals we advocate for Columbia,” Marshall wrote in a statement to city officials.

The self-storage plan also includes pedestrian sidewalks and parking behind the building. The facility would feature a commercial storefront, with the exterior a combination of brick masonry panel, stucco and clear glass, according to the source.

Ryan Hyler, a project development manager with Landmark Builders, is listed as the self-storage applicant. Hyler told the source he would withhold comment until after the commission discusses the project on Nov. 2.

City-planning staff has recommended approval for the project.

Sources:

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