COLUMBIA, S.C. — Residents living in a Columbia neighborhood are learning that they’ll need to relocate. Bayberry Mews will soon undergo some major changes — leaving some residents concerned.
All 98 units will be renovated in the community, which is owned by Columbia Housing and Development.
The non-profit affiliate of the Columbia Housing Authority provides housing for people with low-to-moderate income.
Some residents of Bayberry Mews are expressing concerns as the owners have announced that everyone living there will need to relocate.
"Everybody upset right now," Tyrell Bates said.
Bates has lived in Bayberry Mews for over a decade. The community is filled with single-family homes that are public housing units.
"I’ve been happy here for 13 years. It’s nice," Bates said. "I get along with everybody. We all like one big family in his community."
But now, Bates has to move and he's confused about the reason and upset about the inconvenience it brings.
"It’s not easy [to] move," he said. "You got to spend a lot of money, and a lot of people on fixed income or whatnot."
News19 contacted Columbia Housing and spoke with CEO Yvonda Bean, who said all residents will be relocated so that all the units there can be renovated. It's part of Columbia’s Housing’s "Vision 2030," a broad plan to redevelop properties.
"They'll have housing of their choice. There may not be public housing that may be in the private market. I think what's important to note is that we will be hand holding them throughout the entire process," Bean said. "The individuals that reside there won't actually relocate to other public housing communities. And they won't receive housing choice vouchers. They will relocate into the private market. And, again, even in doing that, we're going to work very closely with them to help them identify suitable housing."
Bates said that having some guidance throughout the process would be helpful.
"If Columbia Housing Authority can reach out to all of us and get us a place to stay or a place to live or help us go in a better community, that will be a good help for all us back in the community," Bates said.
Bean said this effort is being made by Southern Development Management Company, which manages the property. For residents who do not want to go into the private housing market, Bean said they can apply to other properties that Columbia Housing owns. The applicants will need to qualify and will be added to a waiting list. It’s a process that Bates’ mother, Doris, said is stressful.
"Everybody hearing the same thing, everybody trying to pack up, scramble, try to find somewhere to live at," Doris said.
Bean acknowledged this concern but said that the renovations will ultimately enhance the overall quality of available housing.
"The reality is that it is an inconvenience to have to relocate. And that's certainly something that we consider at every turn within the implementation of Vision 2030," Bean said. "We're calling it 'Vision 2030' because it's a strategy that's going to happen over time. It certainly won't happen overnight. It took some time for us to, of course, get where we are in terms of some of the needs that exist in our properties."
Those renovations are not set to take place until the end of this year or the beginning of next year, which Bean said gives the group time to help residents with relocation.