COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – A proposal before the Columbia Planning Commission could mean significant changes for an affordable housing complex.
At its meeting Thursday, the commission will hear more about a plan to demolish the Dorrah Randall complex and replace it with a 76-unit project called Summit at Belmont.
The site along Dorrah Street and Oakland Avenue is currently home to 52 apartment buildings that will be demolished as part of the proposal. The Summit at Belmont plan calls for 11 buildings to house 76 units, as well as a community building with a fitness center, leasing office, multi-purpose room, community garden, playground, pavilion and plaza.
Columbia Housing Chief Development Officer Cindi Herrera told WIS that the change comes because Dorrah Randall is committed to building a property “beyond its useful life from a building system perspective.”
“Compared to what you find in the multifamily market today, the units are extremely small in terms of square footage,” she said. “There are essentially no amenities for residents at this property. Additionally, the units do not have dishwashers, washers, dryers, or microwaves. They only have stoves and refrigerators.”
Herrera also said other points of concern in the buildings, which were originally built in the 1970s, include HVAC systems, roofs and windows.
The plan to demolish and rebuild on the site is part of Columbia Housing's Vision 2030 initiative, in which the housing authority is considering improvements to all properties in its portfolio.
“We did physical needs assessments. We had third-party reports from architects and engineers looking at all of our properties,” Herrera said. “We then categorized them into methods that would allow us to reposition the properties or meet significant capital needs.”
These assessments led to the decision to demolish Dorah Randall's existing apartments.
Herrera also said the housing authority has been working with residents on the relocation, with talks of demolishing the Dorah Randall apartment dating back to 2022. The relocation process for current residents began three months ago, with residents also guaranteed the right to return to a unit without a re-vet process.
Herrera added that many current Dorah Randall residents have chosen to use a housing choice voucher either as temporary housing or even to relocate permanently if they wish.
The demolition would also fall under the Rental Assistance Demonstration program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that allows companies like Columbia Housing to secure private funding for public housing.
“The federal government has essentially stopped funding all new public housing developments and the capital needs across the country are enormous,” Herrera said.
Herrera added that this would require removing properties from the public housing program because by law they cannot be mortgaged. Once completed, Summit at Belmont would also transition from the housing authority to a nonprofit subsidiary since it would no longer be public housing. Herrera noted that rental assistance remains available for the property.
If approved by the commission, the proposal would still need to be fully approved by the Columbia City Council. Herrera said the housing authority hopes to break ground on construction by April 1, with construction continuing until late 2027 or early 2028.
The Columbia Planning Commission meets Thursday at 4 p.m. on the third floor of Columbia City Hall.
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