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BZA approves height variance for 705 Saluda to allow parking garage and hotel in 5 Points

City of Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals · February 6, 2026

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Summary

The Board approved a variance Feb. 5 to allow a roughly 105-foot mixed‑use parking garage and hotel at 705 Saluda Avenue in the 5 Points overlay, citing a long‑standing parking deficit; applicants said the garage would offer about 305 spaces, with 150–250 expected to be available for public use depending on time of day.

The City of Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals on Feb. 5 approved variances to the height limits at 705 Saluda Avenue to permit a proposed mixed‑use project containing a structured parking garage and a hotel.

Developer Gunnar Burtz told the board that Lower 5 Points faces a multi‑decade parking deficit and presented a parking study and analysis indicating a deficit concentrated on the 700 block of Saluda Avenue. Burtz said the proposed garage would provide about 305 spaces in total and that between roughly 150 and 250 spaces would be available for public parking depending on time of day and hotel occupancy. "The purpose of the 5 Points design overlay is to support the established character of 5 Points as a walkable mixed‑use destination," Burtz said, and argued the project would meet facade and ground‑floor commercial requirements while addressing parking shortfalls.

Supporters included neighborhood representatives and the 5 Points Association. Heather McDonald, executive director of the 5 Points Association, said the inclusion of structured parking and the requested height variance are essential to delivering long‑term benefits and economic vitality to the district.

Board members discussed compatibility with the overlay and whether the project would change the district character; questioners noted the applicant’s commitment to retail activation at the ground floor and to closing curb cuts to improve pedestrian conditions. After a motion to approve and a second, the board voted to grant the height variances, allowing the developer to proceed to design and permitting steps required by the overlay and the city’s development review process.