University of South Carolina to Build Housing Towers on South Campus

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina is seeking a private developer to build and operate a residential village on the south side of its campus that includes new student housing towers, according to Wes Hickman, a spokesman for the school. The developer would have the ability to lease the property for up to 40 years, and the school would share in the profits from renting rooms to students. To build the towers, four residence halls with 1,200 beds — Bates House, Bates West, Cliff Apartments and Carolina Gardens — would need to be demolished. Plans call for replacing these halls with three- to six-story towers that could have as many as 4,000 beds. USC hopes to have 1,500 beds on line by July 2018. According to Hickman, the school would likely put little to no money upfront toward the project. The 18-acre village would also include dining facilities, recreation space and parking.