Flex building being renovated in West Columbia

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Renovation has begun on a building in the Triangle City area of West Columbia which developers hope will help reconnect the sector, anchored by landmark restaurant Zesto, to the city’s booming river district.

A new flex space is being created at a former medical building located 1205 D Ave. The 3,700-square-foot building, built in 1960, is being redeveloped by Joe Taylor, former S.C. Secretary of Commerce and CEO of Southland Capital Partners, through real estate holding company State Street LLC.

“This new investment will be an upgrade to this commercial area of Triangle City,” Taylor said in a news release. “ … Triangle City has the potential to be something special as a shopping and entertainment destination.”

Columbia-based SEED Architecture is the project architect and Columbia’s Boyer Commercial Construction is handling renovations.

Renovations are expected to be completed by the end of the year, and the building will be available for purchase or lease. Plans call for adding a new facade and landscaping improvements to the building.

Triangle City is roughly defined by 12th Street, Charleston Highway and D Avenue. Once a major retail area in West Columbia, it began to decline with the opening of Jarvis Klapman Boulevard, which rerouted traffic off principal connector Meeting Street, according to the release.

West Columbia is working to reconnect Triangle City to the Congaree River district and West Columbia’s Riverwalk Park and Amphitheater, said B.J. Unthank, the city’s director of economic development. The city recently added bike lanes to B Avenue, which runs from Triangle City to the river at State Street.

Tem Miles, West Columbia city council member and mayor pro tem, said Triangle City is a convenient location that “is the heart of West Columbia, geographically. … Folks like to come eat in Triangle City at Zesto, Compton’s and True BBQ. We look forward to bringing great shopping back to Triangle City.”