Sketch plan for The Green retail space, which will face Devine Street. The Green will have two businesses, Sully’s Steamers and Ally & Eloise, as well as green space for customers and residents to gather socially. (Photo courtesy of Estates Inc.)
As Columbia continues to grow, the Estates development and management company has a number of different plans in progress across the city.
Two of its newest projects are The Cottages and The Green.
The Cottages are two high-end, luxurious, duplex-style houses that will sit on the corner of Lee and Maple streets, a block off Devine Street in the Old Shandon neighborhood and across Devine Street from Shandon. The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom-style design for the homes features quartz countertops in the kitchens.
Lauren McGarrigle, the marketing director for Estates, said the vision for the living development is to mirror the “ambiance” that surrounding neighborhoods already have, which she described as “cozy, cottage-y and home-y.”
“Everybody knows Shandon for a specific reason,” McGarrigle said. “I think the cottages bring that (feel) in and just marry up with how Shandon already is and give that cozy feeling.”
Move-ins to the property are expected to start in January 2023. Undergraduate students may not rent there.
McGarrigle said the company isn’t sure what the exact rent will be, but the ballpark number of $3,000 per month includes parking.
About a block away, next to the fire station, will sit the new retail development, The Green.
Sully’s Steamers, a sandwich shop, and Ally and Eloise, a bakery, will take up part of the L-shaped space, McGarrigle said. The rest of the space is green space, meant for patrons and Devine Street dwellers to enjoy each other’s company.
“We’re hoping to see people playing games or cornhole,” McGarrigle said. The goal is to “bring in everybody in the whole community.”
Aixavelisse Soto is a Blythewood resident who often travels into Columbia for the various shops on Devine Street. She said she is looking forward to The Green bringing new businesses to the area.
“For me, it’s positive,” Soto said. “To have a new place to go and to support locals and support people that are coming up and putting new businesses for us and giving us more diversified places to visit, to eat at and to explore.”
Though she’s excited about the growth, Soto said she can see parking being an issue for Columbia residents.
“The traffic and the parking space there is already kind of limited,” Soto said. “I don’t know how they can finagle that.”
McGarrigle said The Green will use the Devine District/Devine Station nearby lot for parking. She said the goal of the developments in part is to increase connectivity and walkability.
“Devine is already such a walkable neighborhood,” McGarrigle said. “We’re kind of hoping to just expand upon that.”
Soto said the variety of businesses on Devine keeps her coming back.
“I think we have a little bit of everything on Devine Street,” Soto said. “I like that area. I like to go down there.”
Construction at The Cottages on the corner of Lee and Maple Street. There are two buildings that will offer duplex-style, rental cottages. (Photo by Caity Pitvorec)
The corner of Lee and Maple streets. The Cottages sit on the corner, which is one block from Devine Street. (Photo by Caity Pitvorec)
Sketch plans of a kitchen in The Cottages. The kitchens will feature quartz countertops. (Photo courtesy of Estates Inc.)
Ally & Eloise logo behind the counter at the bakery’s Main Street location. The Devine Street location will be the company’s third. (Photo by Caity Pitvorec)
