USC seeks developer for 900 acres near football stadium, Congaree River

A general view of the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Alabama Crimson Tide at Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, in Columbia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka / Getty Images)

COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina is officially seeking a developer for nearly 900 acres it owns along the Congaree River, behind its Gamecocks football team facilities, to pay for improvements to Williams-Brice Stadium.

USC officials put a call out Wednesday for a developer to build a mixture of resort, apartments or condos, and recreational facilities on the tracts near the Congaree River. It’s also looking for hotel, apartments or condos and retail development on 12 acres around Williams-Brice Stadium, home to Gamecocks football since 1934.

The state’s largest university first asked developers nationwide in February 2023 to pitch ideas on how the land might be used; 21 companies responded. It is likely one or more of those groups will submit a final development plan this time around and be tapped to actually build it.

All but about 40 acres of the land in question sits in a flood plain that remains undeveloped after a decade-long lawsuit that reached the S.C. Supreme Court.

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In the early 2000s, a partnership called Carolina Venture sought to develop a “city within a city” on the tract.

The Green Diamond development was supposed to have subdivisions, golf courses, an outlet mall, restaurants, hotels, offices, a research and development park, a theme park and a wildlife expo. The developers never built the massive project due to federal and Richland County flood plain construction restrictions.

According to USC, a developer could use that floodplain land for different types of outdoor recreation, such as a golf course. Development could go vertical on higher ground nearby.

USC athletics officials have said the development should improve property behind Gamecock Park, home of the school’s football team facilities and major tailgating lot. They also want to make sure fans keep coming to the 77,559-seat stadium, rather than watching games on television at home.

To do so, the athletics department is looking for ways to raise money to upgrade bathrooms and concessions in its 90-year-old stadium and add more luxury suites that appeal to its wealthier alumni and fans.

The stadium has just 18 luxury suites, the second least in the Southeastern Conference, with a waiting list over 100.

“As the nation emerges from the global COVID-19 pandemic, the collegiate athletics marketplace has made a permanent shift that has increased the value of premium spaces,” USC wrote in its latest request to potential developers. “With an increasing desire by fans to access climate-controlled hospitality spaces, increased food/beverage options, improved pedestrian access and other entertainment amenities, the University recognizes the need to effectively adapt to evolving consumer expectations.”

Leasing the land to developers is one way USC hopes to raise those funds, though it has not said how much money it expects to earn from the deals.

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In its pitch, USC said the development could serve as a year-round tourism boost to Columbia.

The documentation asking for bids told potential developers to “think big” to increase the Gamecocks’ national stature. Some sources of inspiration include entertainment districts that surround Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium and the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park with its adjacent Battery area.

The college expects it will take six months “to identify the developer with the vision, the financial wherewithal and the expertise to try to achieve what we have in our mind for that district,” University Architect Derek Gruner told the USC Board of Trustees on Wednesday.

USC spent $3 million to buy 547 acres of the property. The school will not pay anything for the cost of development or maintenance.

USC spokesman Jeff Stensland also said Richland County could benefit from property taxes paid by the developer on any new buildings or improvements.

Stensland pointed to buildings owned by a private non-profit that is separate from but associated with the university — the USC Development Foundation. The Main Street building housing Dominoes Pizza pays full property taxes, as do portions of the Innovation Center on Blossom Street that houses IBM and other companies.

It is unclear if that will apply to this latest development. The foundation is income tax exempt but still pays property taxes . But those properties typically have left the county tax rolls after USC has bought them. For example, a pair of apartments on Lincoln Street, developed by private builders under a similar arrangement to house USC students, show no property taxes owed according to the latest county tax filings.

Stensland said it’s dependent on how much of the space is utilized by the university. Because the vast majority of space in the apartment buildings house students, the county has not assessed taxes on those locations.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the property tax status of university properties.

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