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Columbia — hotels, student housing or research and development — the land around the colonial life arena seems endless.
As construction of new student apartments begins next to the arena near downtown, local developers have considered what could become of the five nearby parking lots.
At least one business leader has asked the University of South Carolina to consider a technology and industry hub.
“Bring something new to Columbia,” said Ben Arnold, a hotel, retail and apartment developer.
In February, USC asked developers for plans for about 900 acres, including 17 acres near its athletic centers.
According to USC spokesman Jeff Steinland, the university received responses from more than two dozen companies and several development groups. The teams have experience with “major multi-phase projects” like the development, which the university says will generate an estimated $1 billion in private investment.
Most of the attention has been given to the 889 acres of undeveloped land near Williams-Brice Stadium, which stretches from the 77,559-seat football stadium to the Congaree River and consists mostly of floodplains.
The smaller portion of the project surrounding Colonial Life Arena is currently occupied by five parking lots owned by USC and the city. The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center is adjacent to the Koger Center development sites to the north and east.
USC is not releasing the names of the developers who submitted proposals or the exact timeline for the project.
“Now our focus is on refining the scope of work and adding meaning to the project,” Stensland said.
Some development has started in the area.
The University of South Carolina has asked developers to come up with plans for these five parking lots around Colonial Life Arena. A new student complex is going up in the space between parking lots A and D. University of South Carolina/Dedicated.
The USC Development Foundation began construction in April on a $170 million, 940-bed private student apartment building near the stage near Thirsty Fellows Pub. at 737 Gasden St. The existing residence is expected to open in late 2025. The two lots up for bid will border the residential complex, which will include a parking garage and three street-level retail spaces.
Private developers will operate two USC dorms across from the arena parking lots next to the Carolina Coliseum.
USC Foundation President Jason Caskey expects students from campus and Greek Village to live in the new apartments, which house fraternities and sororities.
While the university has put out bids across the country, local developers have ideas for how to use the land near the arena.
Less than half a mile from the city’s convention center, Rosie Craig, chairwoman of the Vista Guild Development Committee, wants to see a larger hotel to support development at the center.
“Our city has a lot to be proud of, but we have to move forward and open the window and attract more business, which is what the convention centers do,” Craig said.
Craig would like to see a hotel with about 300 rooms for the center to compete nationally for conventions.
Arnold’s plan to expand the center by adding three hotels died last year due to a lack of city support. Arnold is moving forward with a smaller project to build the city’s first four-star hotel in the same area, but that won’t involve a convention center.
Arnold still sees a future for the land surrounding the Colonial Life Arena, but he sees a different path.
“I don’t know how much work a generator can do without it,” Arnold said. “I’m not sure it’s time to develop anything else below that.”
USC’s land has potential because of its proximity to arts and entertainment hubs such as the Koger Center and the Vista Entertainment District. Arnold said he could see the land being used for student or multi-family housing.
However, Arnold feels the retail and restaurant market is saturated in Colombia.
Arnold believes the city must commit itself to continued growth, and that means industry. In the year A $2 billion Scout Motor electric vehicle plant near Blythewood by the end of 2026 will be a catalyst for growth, he said.
“Automotive, insurance technology and the legal government center, those are the three silos we can build on now,” he said.
The area around the arena could be part of that industrial hub. The land could be used for research and development space for emerging industries, including biomedical or artificial intelligence. The university has started investing in these areas of research. The arena area was supposed to be a hydrogen center called Innovista 15 years ago.
“I’d rather the university take their land and partner with some of the tech companies or businesses of the future,” he said.
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