New 17-story student housing tower opens in downtown Columbia

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A massive new student housing tower in downtown Columbia opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, July 31.

The Standard is a new 17-story, 678-bed student housing tower at 1401 Assembly St. in Columbia’s Arsenal Hill neighborhood. National real estate development and investment firm CRG handled the project along with Landmark Properties, the national’s largest student housing developer, design-builder Clayco and architecture firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative.

Located on an urban-infill site at the intersection of Washington and Assembly streets, the development is steps from retail, restaurant and entertainment offerings in downtown Columbia as well as the University of South Carolina, which welcomed its largest freshman class in the 2022-23 academic year, supporting future demand for campus-adjacent housing, according to a news release.

Speakers at the event included Columbia Mayor Daniel J. Rickenmann; JJ Smith, executive vice president and partner of residential for CRG, and Rob Dinwiddie, executive vice president of management services for Landmark Properties.

Murals painted on the north and south sides of the building and in the parking garage were also unveiled. They are by North Carolina artist Sharon Dowell and were commissioned in partnership with One Columbia. The murals honor the rich cultural history of the area where the building is located, which was known as Columbia’s “Black Downtown” from the 1920s through mid-century. The murals incorporate vibrant colors and architectural images that honor many of the Black-owned businesses that lined the streets during that era.

The Standard at Columbia features 678 beds across 247 fully furnished studio to five-bedroom apartments, which are more than 90% pre-leased for fall. A generous amenity package includes a resort-style rooftop pool with sun shelves, jumbotron, fire pit and outdoor grilling stations, complimentary tanning beds, fitness center, multi-sport simulator, academic lounge with private study rooms and computer lab, resident clubroom, bike storage, and garage parking with EV charging stations.

CRG’s residential group has expertise and established relationships across 100 markets, 40 states and seven countries, according to the release.  The team has sourced and developed more than $6 billion in residential communities and 40,000 multifamily units, including market-rate apartments, co-living residences and off-campus student housing.

Landmark Properties is a fully integrated real estate firm with more than $11.8 billion in assets under management including more than 100 residential communities across the country. Landmark currently has 22 student and multifamily projects under construction with an estimated value of $4.7 billion.