New attainable housing development in the works at BullStreet

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Midtown at Bullstreet, a new 90-unit attainable housing rental apartment complex, will soon be under construction at the BullStreet District in downtown Columbia.

Midtown at BullStreet will cover approximately two acres located near the recently dedicated Page Ellington Park, a new 20-acre city park. The development will consist of 18 two-bedroom townhouse units and 72 one-, two- and three-bedroom garden-style units. Onsite amenities will include a community room, computer center, exercise room, playground and gazebo.

Attainable housing is defined as housing that is affordable for people making around an area’s median income. No subsidies are involved.

Connelly Development LLC of Lexington is the developer for the Midtown project. Company president Kevin Connelly has more than 25 years of experience in developing attainable housing in the Carolinas. He is also president of Connelly Builders Inc., general contractor for the development.

Parks Player Architecture of Greenville is the development architect, and Civil Engineering of Columbia is providing civil engineering and surveying services.

Kevin Connelly said the project will be a unique design for his company because one property combines townhomes with apartments closer to the street that follow a more traditional urban concept.

“This is kind of a unique design for us and it gives a nice mix of housing options ,” Connelly told SC Biz News. “We’re trying to cast a wide net and make these units available to a variety of people. I’m hoping this project will also bring some awareness to folks that there is a wide variety of housing needed in this area. We’re delighted to be part of it and bring it to Columbia.”

Completion on Midtown at BullStreet is scheduled for fall 2023.

Midtown will benefit BullStreet because it will expand the variety of housing price points available in the development, said Chandler Cox, BullStreet project manager for master developer Hughes Development Corp.

“We’re really excited to have Kevin and the team at Connelly Builders working on a project at BullStreet. They’ve done a number of projects across the state and have a great reputation for quality work,” Cox told SC Biz News. “We were approached by Kevin and his team when they were looking at possible sites, and their vision for adding attainable housing to this district was something we have also always wanted to do at BullStreet. This will round out the offerings and round out the overall vision for BullStreet.”

Columbia city officials said the addition of attainable housing to the BullStreet mix is crucial for the future development of the city.

“Attainable housing at the BullStreet District helps the city meet one of our most pressing needs because it helps keep workers in Columbia to benefit our workforce,” said Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann. “Workers are leaving Columbia because the cost of housing is too high. Having attainable housing in one of our most high-profile developments is good for our city and our workforce and addresses a critical need.”