This is an edition of Capital City Progress, a weekly column that focuses on business, growth and development news in the Columbia area. It is written by Post and Courier Columbia business reporter Hannah Wade.
COLUMBIA — Over a year and a half after Publix announced it would open another location in northeast Columbia, the Florida-based grocery chain has broken ground on the project.
The southeastern grocer, headquartered in Lakeland, Fla. received the go-ahead from the city to begin clearing land at the corners of Spears Creek Church Road and Earth Road on Jan. 25, according to city permits.
The $3.3 million buildout will include the 46,000-square-foot grocery store and additional 12,000-square-feet in retail space, permits show.
Publix is expected to open in late 2024 or early 2025, according to an email from a company spokesperson. It is expected to hire 140 employees when it opens.
The grocery store chain first announced the location in August 2022 and had an anticipated timeline of early 2024, but progress on the project has been slow-moving. That strip of Spears Creek Church Road, along Interstate 20, has grown rapidly in recent years.
An 8700-square-foot upscale retail plaza, known as Spears Creek Plaza, signed its first tenant earlier this year. A development group purchased 37 acres of land along the road in hopes of building 300 townhomes, according to an Oct. 2023 release from real estate group Colliers.
Mexican restaurant opening in Rosewood
Masa Mexican Street Food, a restaurant from the folks behind the Vista’s COA Agaveria y Cocina, has circled an opening date.
The restaurant, which also has a Camden location under the same name, is set to open Feb. 5, according to a press release.
Masa in Camden. Photo provided/City Social
The new spot will join Rosewood’s Starbucks in the newly erected retail and restaurant space at 2811 Rosewood Dr. next to the former Rosewood Baptist Church, which are now apartments.
Masa in Camden opened in late 2020 and serves Mexican food offerings including tacos, quesadillas and burritos. Food items average around $7, with more expensive offerings sitting at $10. The restaurant offers a variety of cocktails and specializes in tiki drinks, according to its Facebook page.
New bank coming to downtown
Chase Bank is set to open a second Columbia location right off of Main Street.
The national bank chain has its eyes set on Lady Street, under luxury apartments The Palms, according to a city permit issued Jan. 30. The six-story building has been in use as an upscale apartment complex since the spring of 2022, but has long had empty first-floor retail space available.
The bank will take up nearly 3,000 square-feet of the vacant downstairs space, according to permits. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the location, but did not have an opening date.
This location of Chase will join the only other Columbia location, at 10134 Two Notch Rd. That freestanding location was announced in early 2023, along with another location on Garner’s Ferry that is set to open in late February. There are 19 other locations of the bank in the state, with plans to open an additional five this year.
Chase is the retail banking side of JPMorgan Chase & Co., the nation’s largest bank based on loans and other assets.
