COLUMBIA, S.C. — With the recent deaths of two men at Allen Benedict Court, following reports of gas leaks, there are suggestions that the 244 housing unit be torn down.
The Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) has torn down properties in the past, that they deem old.
Gonzales Gardens, which was built in September of 1940, was demolished in 2017, and will soon be the site of new town homes and apartments.
With Allen Benedict Court also built in 1940, the question now is, what's next for the 80 year old complex?
The next oldest housing complex behind Allen Benedict Court is Oak Read, which was built for elderly individuals in 1976. It is located next to the now condemned Allen Benedict Court.
Currently the CHA owns more than 20 housing complexes, with nearly 2,000 units. They also own more than 75 single-family homes throughout Columbia and Richland County.
New apartments within the CHA are being built, but 2nd District Councilman Ed McDowell says there's still work to be done.
"Like any other major city, there are housing needs there continuously," says McDowell. "We would hope that once we get around the table, we would discern what it is we really need to do as a city to embellish the kind of affordable housing in Columbia."
However, that could take a while to complete. In the mean time, the CHA and the city of Columbia will continue to work on the future of the Allen Benedict Court and the more than 400 residents that lived on the property.