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Thirteen 21 Lofts (formerly Vsion, the Dakota)


GaryJ

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I had emailed CP last night about Vsion and I received a reply today that the project has been shelved and the building will be put up for sale. They will be focusing on the Tapp's Building condo conversion and the development of the old fire station site. It's too bad that the project didn't make it, but these things happen from time to time.

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EDIT: Matt beat me to it. :)

Nope, it's a goner, unfortunately. A friend at CP tells me that the current eight-story building will soon be listed for resale. CP had gotten a ton of initially interest and presales were high, but things began to slow down towards the end of last year, and it was just no longer viable for them. They had expected to get some city participation in the project and possibly do a community-based loan but that didn't happen. Word is that they'll be offering current Vsion buyers and prospects special incentives on 1520 Main, the planned Tapps condo conversion, and the Fire Station project in the Vista -- the latter two are still moving ahead as planned.

It's a bummer, but it sounds like they're keepin' on truckin'.

Edited by emerging.me
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Well, for what it's worth, there's something about that building as it is now that I find attractive. I'm a simplicity fan. With a paint job or white-washing it would look great. I like looking at it sometimes during WIS's weather report when they show dowtown via the skycam.

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If you take a snapshot of the skyline from West Columbia, where you get the most picturesque view, there are so many places to put highrises that won't block the view of church steeples. Developers and architectural boards must consider not only the aesthetics of individual projects, but also the preservation of the city's character as a whole when making decisions about where to build highrises or add floors to existing buildings. I want a dynamic skyline, but I don't won't a hard-edged one that buries our history and charm. I'm not for Columbia looking like Charleston. There is a huge difference between what I'm saying and what Charleston practices.

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^But no matter where future buildings are built, they are going to eclipse something already present in the skyline from one angle or the other. Furthermore, there are practical considerations that come into play as it regards the construction of new buildings. Capitol Places was going to transform an existing, nondescript class C office building into a sleek, modern residential development, and there were probably no other options downtown that were feasible in terms of that type of reuse.

I think the current setup, with the only part of downtown having height restrictions being the Vista, plays a significant role in preserving certain views, as it is all but guaranteed that the Statehouse dome in particular will continue to figure prominently into the skyline from the west; the same could be said for the St. Peter's Church steeple.

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Being that that article talked about both Vsion and the Lofts at Printer's Square--two developments that we have discussed in recent days, having heard directly from the developers themselves--you can tell we've got some onlookers here. Makes me wonder if UP should get into actual reporting. ;)

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And I never did dig the name Vsion.

^I never did, either, CorgiMatt. I'm not too disappointed about Vsion because it just never seemed all that much to get excited over. A retro-fit to an undeserving building in a dismal part of downtown with few good views of anything worth viewing--hmmm, it just seemed dubious. Capital Places is wise to shelf this project.

The former fire station is in a much better location, and the old Tapp's building has a better address, is loads more interesting architecturally, and is already far along in its rehab. I do wish Capital Places the best on those and future rehabs--they are truly doing great things for our town and are to be commended for all they do!

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^I never did, either, CorgiMatt. I'm not too disappointed about Vsion because it just never seemed all that much to get excited over. A retro-fit to an undeserving building in a dismal part of downtown with few good views of anything worth viewing--hmmm, it just seemed dubious. Capital Places is wise to shelf this project.

I do agree with you about the name, but I really liked the concept here. I think retrofitting an existing building was a good thing--not to mention the fact it would have helped to reduce the downtown vacancy rate, which is getting ready to spike next year with the departure of SCANA and the Veteran's Affairs office. I also wouldn't call that part of downtown "dismal," not by a long shot. I love the fact that that section of downtown has its own historic, "Old South" flavor, distinct from Main Street and the Vista; it's just more laid back and removed from the typical downtown hustle and bustle, and that could have very well appealed to some buyers. And even then, how else do you breathe life into the more dormant sections of downtown except by investing in them? And as far as the views, I'm not sure if you actually got a chance to see the visualizations on the website, but that was going to be a major selling point for the project; the views were killer:

post-a3222-Living-2.jpg

And then, you had the moderate price points, which was another advantage. IMO, this project getting axed is a loss. The good thing is that there are still enough projects happening to offset this loss.

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I think we should be recognized for influencing the movers and shakers through our blogging.

Quite frankly, UP is unofficially recognized in many ways. In Charlotte, for example, many people use UP as a resource to see what the latest news and rumors are. Many people who post there are in the know and are willing to share that info to the extent possible... usually we are a week or so ahead of the Observer. I think that Columbia's forum gets more hits than you realize. There are lots and lots of people who read but don't post for some reason :)

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