Developer buys 3 downtown Columbia parcels for housing complex

A St. Louis-based multi-family developer has purchased three parcels in downtown Columbia that it is developing into a student housing complex.

Trinity Partners sold the prominent site, which totals nearly four acres at the corner of Huger and Blossom streets, to developer Subtext, according to a Trinity Partners news release.

The company plans to develop VERVE Columbia, a 960-bed Class A multi-family complex on the site, which was previously home to S-Mart, Brickhouse Gym, and Budget Truck Rental, according to the release. Roger Winn, Braden Shockley and Will McGregor represented the purchaser Subtext in the transaction. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The four-story student housing community will be two blocks from the University of South Carolina campus. Site work is underway and construction will be completed in fall 2026. It is walking distance to the USC baseball stadium, Greek Village, Colonial Life Arena, and the Darla Moore School of Business.

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The 233-unit, 412,959-square-foot student apartment community will offer a mix of studio, one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-bedroom layouts, totaling 697 beds, according to a news release from the developer. Featuring more than 16,000 square feet of shared spaces, amenity highlights include an outdoor sport court, game lounge, content creation studio, study pods, open study and private conference rooms, resort-inspired pool courtyard with cabanas and grilling, and fitness center complete with cardio/strength gym, sauna, meditation rooms and yoga studio.

“We’re excited to expand our portfolio to the University of South Carolina market,” Brandt Stiles, founding partner of Subtext, said in the release. “With steady enrollment growth over the last 10 years, accelerating in recent years, there is an increased demand for elevated student housing. USC is one of those quintessential college towns, and we have crafted this VERVE community within the context of the local environment — rich in history and tradition, but reimagined for the Gen Z audience.”

The VERVE Columbia architecture was designed by Dynamik Design and complemented with interior design by Mary Cook Associates. Other development team partners include W.M. Jordan Co., general contractor; Davis & Floyd, engineer, and CIBC, lender.

The announcement comes after a wave of student housing-related transactions in Columbia.

Landmark Properties recently purchased 67 acres along Idlewild Boulevard to develop a 197-unit, 826-bed cottage-style student housing community, in partnership with Peninsula.

Earlier in June, a Singapore real estate group announced it has acquired the 678-bed Standard at Columbia student housing high-rise.

Trinity Partners currently leases and/or manages over 31 million square feet of office, industrial, life science, mixed-use, and retail space across the region through their four offices in Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, and Columbia and Greenville.