In 2006, Colliers Keenan brokered a property in Columbia, South Carolina, which fronted on Gervais Street in the heart of the Vista. The property had been on the market for many years and had previously been owned and operated by the Columbia Supply Company, an industrial supply business. Prior to the Columbia Supply operations, the predecessor to SCE&G used the property to store coal tar residue. The Columbia Supply Building, although not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was recognized as a historic structure by the Historic Columbia Group. The property therefore faced a number of environmental and historic challenges that had to be addressed before any type of redevelopment could occur.

Recognizing the challenges of this site, Colliers Keenan sought out a competent national developer to assist in analyzing the site. Ultimately the Miller-Valentine Group, an Ohio-based company, was identified and joined the ownership group. Cleanup and redevelopment of the site then commenced.

Initially, a portion of the property consisting of a 25,000-square foot office building has been sold to a local architect. Colliers Keenan subsequently represented that building’s owners in securing Starbucks as a tenant.

The environmentally challenged section of the property has now been successfully remediated after more than 14 months of effort and one million dollars in cleanup costs. The site was significantly challenged because of zoning use and restrictions that required approvals from the Design Development Review Commission (DDRC), Planning Commission and City of Columbia. Colliers Keenan helped shepherd through this process, and the design and site plan for Center Vista, a 90,000-square foot office and retail project, has been through all of the facets of planning resulting in a Planned Unit Development (PUD) being approved by the City of Columbia. The Center Vista project, which includes a portion of the former “historic structure,” is currently being pre-marketed by Colliers Keenan. This project is unique in Columbia in that the space is available for sale or for lease. As such, we have had to work with the developer to put in place a set of covenants to govern tenants that may locate in this building. Additionally, we are also in the process of marketing the remaining portion of the property as a potential Vista hotel site.

“At the end of the day the success of any relationship or partnership is driven by multiple things that bring new ideas and different skills to the table and Colliers Keenan brought a very unique perspective to the market that helped Miller-Valentine uncover where the real demand was. That marriage between product and market demand drove the success of our projects.” Steve Koewler, President, Miller-Valentine Group

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