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Board approves Columbia Housing plan to rebuild 24 affordable units at Slice Avenue with reduced parking
Summary
Columbia Housing received approval to rebuild 24 affordable units at 2131 Slice Avenue under the Small Rental Development Program, with variances granted for parking (1.5 spaces per unit requested) and certain design standards; one board member voiced opposition to the parking variance.
The Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals approved variances allowing Columbia Housing to replace the former Columbia Apartments with 24 modernized affordable units at 2131 Slice Avenue.
Julia Gibbs, senior project manager for Columbia Housing, and Daniel Taylor, the project architect, said the development will return 24 affordable units and is being financed in part through the Small Rental Development Program (SRDP) administered by SC Housing. Taylor said the project team studied multiple layouts and concluded that, given unit‑size requirements, SRDP design constraints and buffer zones, a 1.5‑spaces‑per‑unit parking ratio (37 spaces) best balances housing production and site logistics compared with the ordinance requirement of 1.75 spaces per unit (42 spaces).
Taylor said porches that face protected lots are ground‑floor and will be screened by an eight‑foot fence to protect privacy. Board members queried whether the site has extraordinary or exceptional conditions that justify reduced parking; applicants cited irregular lot shape and the need to preserve buffers and unit sizes as the primary constraints.
A motion to approve the variances subject to staff comments carried. The record also indicates one board member registered opposition specifically to the parking variance.
