Will Columbia finally sell vacant Five Points building it’s owned for years? It’s trying

Years after the city bought a former state office building on the edge of Five Points and planned to have it developed into a much-desired hotel, nothing has happened, and Columbia could now sell the property.

The city would not provide any details about the sale of the property at 2221 Devine St., and The State was not given an interview to discuss the property. A city spokesman did confirm to The State that the Columbia government is anticipating a sale of the property in the next four weeks.

The property was previously a state office building, but the city bought it from the state in 2019 for $3.8 million with the intention of facilitating the development of a hotel.

Those plans never came to fruition, however, and the city attempted to unload the building in 2021 for $4.5 million to developer Latitude 32 LLC, which planned to build up to 250 new townhouses on the site.

The city gave final approval for the sale of the building in September 2021, but the deal fell through. According to property records, the city has been the building’s sole owner since 2019. It’s been unused other than the city opening up the building’s parking lot to the public.

City leaders have often shared frustrations about the high number of tax-exempt properties in Columbia. The Devine Street property is also tax-exempt because it is owned by the city, but property records show the building is valued at more than $5.7 million.

Now, the more than 90,000-square-foot building sitting on just over 2 acres of land may get new life, and a chance to get back on the tax roll.

While it’s not yet clear what the building will become, anything is better than an empty building, said Five Points restaurateur Steve Cook.

Cook, who owns Saluda’s restaurant and formerly led the Five Points Association, said he would be excited to see the building redeveloped into something that could benefit the whole neighborhood, like housing with a restaurant or retail space attached.

“Speaking personally as a hospitality business owner in the district, we need a hotel badly,” Cook said. “That, to me, is the Holy Grail for development in Five Points.”

But Cook also said he doesn’t know if the 2221 Devine St. building is right for a hotel, or if it might be better suited elsewhere.

Housing is another wish-list item for merchants in Five Points, Cook said, referencing the success Columbia’s Main Street has experienced thanks, in part, to the housing growth downtown.

He added that Five Points does not have many large parcels, so he understands why it has taken several years for there to be movement on the building.

“There’s not a lot of chances to get that (large of a parcel). So I do appreciate the time taken to make sure it is the right development because you really only get one shot at it,” Cook said.