Icon on Main Street Development

COLUMBIA, SC – The Icon on Main, student housing development, is located at the corner of College and South Main Street, which has one block in between USC’s Horseshoe. There appears to be some confusion based on the comments on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that this would be on the Horseshoe, and that somehow it would impact the open space & trees of the Horseshoe, but again, this is 2 blocks away. And it appears that there are as many people posting support on their Facebook to construct it, as there are folks who don’t want new construction there. This development will bring 700+ students within walking distance to the entire USC campus and will provide 578 parking spaces in its garage. It will bring new life to the S. Main corridor and hopefully act as a catalyst for new growth and development in this sector of Columbia’s Central Business District.

We also have heard and taken to heart the Design/Development Review Commission’s recommendations to improve the look and feel of the facility, and were able to incorporate most of them to create an even better looking project. Truly, their input has made this structure become so aesthetically pleasing, and will dramatically improve the look on the first 2 blocks of South Main, that the University’s Sasaki Report said had been overlooked for years.

The shadow estimate provided by USC’s My Carolina Alumni Association is at 4:30, at sunset on the shortest day of the year, December 29th. The developers and engineers working with this project have provided another shadow study throughout the year showing 9:00, 12:00, and 3:00, none of which touch the Horseshoe. USC’s Horseshoe will be more bustling with life than ever before with more than 700 students living in the center of the campus.

The Icon on Main site is zoned C-4, unlimited high-rise, meaning that, any large scale building is permitted, and only student housing is limited by density. This project was passed by the Board of Zoning Appeals in June which granted a special exception for 704 beds. Despite the number of new student housing developments being built in Columbia, there is still a need for more. In the past year the University of South Carolina experienced the largest freshman class in its history and enrollment looks to continue to increase. According to the University of South Carolina, “36% of underclassmen live on campus. Freshmen are required to live on campus, and many upperclassmen choose the convenience of life on campus, too.” Unfortunately, many upperclassmen at USC do not have the option to enjoy campus life past their freshman year due to a lack of on-campus housing. The Icon on Main would make on-campus-living a convenient option for more than 700 students.