Work has begun on a development of town houses on 17 acres on Dreher Road in West Columbia.
Great Southern Homes is building Stillwater on Dreher Road near Augusta Road behind Hobby Lobby.
The project includes 126 town houses that will be priced beginning in the mid $100,000s, although Great Southern Homes has not finalized the pricing. The town houses will be duplexes of about 1,430 square feet.
Great Southern Homes expects the units to be available for sale beginning late in the fourth quarter or early first quarter of 2020. The company said that a need exists for affordable housing in the Midlands and that this is an attempt to meet that need.
“It’s becoming harder and harder to provide affordable housing with material costs, labor costs, infrastructure costs. The entry-level buyer, first home, young professional — these guys are getting left out of the market,” said Mike Satterfield, Great Southern Homes vice president and CEO. “So this is a product we feel pretty strongly about, being able to provide housing for a group of folks that have a need.”
Satterfield said the location will appeal to diverse buyers, including first-time buyers, young professionals or empty nesters.
“Stillwater is in a great location, right off of Augusta Road within walking distance of shopping and dining,” said Anna Huffman, communications and technology director for the city of West Columbia. “It is also close to I-26 just minutes from the airport and a hop and a skip from the West Columbia Riverwalk and our new interactive and (accessible) parks.”