COLUMBIA, S.C. — 301 Sunset Drive is currently a vacant shopping center from the 1960s, but soon it will serve a new purpose in the Earlewood community.
The 300-apartment complex will have amenities such as a swimming pool, dog park and electric vehicle charging stations.
Tecarla Dunmore’s mom, who lives in the neighborhood, says the new apartment complex, The Streams at Earlewood, will be a great addition to the area.
“The other apartment complexes in the area are older,” said Dunmore. "You know, we had, well, two across the street. One had been renovated some years back. I’m not sure about the other two, but I think it will be great, close to Main Street. They’re building up Main Street, so I think it will be great.”
The property is currently owned by Central Baptist Church, which makes it a tax-exempt property. However, once the development plans are finalized, it will be sold to Streams Development.
Streams Development Chief Executive Officer Alex Dmyterko says the land sale will boost the local economy.
“We will be generating, it is estimated, about $38 million in taxes over the next twenty years, where right now, there’s no tax base because it’s owned by the church’s non-profit,” said Dmyterko.
City of Columbia Office of Economic Development Director Ryan Coleman says downtown is a residential hotspot.
“The closer to downtown you get, the smaller the vacancy rates you tend to see, and if you look at most any apartment, or even student housing projects here in the downtown area, they’re all pretty much at capacity," Coleman said. "People want to be closer to downtowns now, they want to be closer to the amenities and where the job opportunities are.”
Coleman says the need for housing in Columbia is detrimental.
“Downtown, we are at a deficit on apartments and residential living, and so as the city continues to grow and we have more residents coming in, it’s important that we bring housing amenities that are suitable to everybody.”
Developers are expecting to break ground by early 2025 and have the project completed by early 2027. The development is expected to provide 10 full and part time jobs for the community.