COLUMBIA, S.C. — Plans for a 56-unit apartment development at the intersection of Benton Street and River Drive comes before the City of Columbia's Planning Commission during a regularly scheduled meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 10, 2022.
The area is near the intersection of North Main and River Drive.
The proposed Benton Crossing development would entail the construction of a single four-story building that would contain a total of 56 apartments, including 13 one-bedroom units, 27 two-bedroom units, and 16 three-bedroom units. The building itself would front along River Drive, with entrance and parking on the Benton Street portion of the property.
When the development was first proposed in 2021, not all residents in the Elmwood and Earlewood communities were supportive the plan.
At that time, Howard Hunt, the person who sold the property for development, said in an interview with WLTX that the project was to be made or working-class individuals.
Woda Cooper Companies, Inc., the Ohio-based developer, did contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates of Columbia to conduct a traffic impact survey for the property. Based on the assumption that the project will go forward and be fully built and occupied by 2024, Kimley-Horn recommends that a southbound shared left/right egress lane and a single ingress lane be installed along Benton Street at the entrance to the site.
Thursday's Planning Commission meeting will be at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers, third floor of City Hall, 1737 Main St.