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The State (Columbia, SC) 2004-11-26 Section: METRO/REGION Edition: FINAL Page: B1 BUSY BUILDER FILLING IN THE GAPS DAWN HINSHAW - Staff Writer From Rosewood to The Avenues: Projects meet growing demand In the past year, Chris Dorsey has built more houses in downtown Columbia neighborhoods than anyone else. His methods - buying side yards, clearing trees and mixing new homes among the old - have upset some, who feel he's changing the character of some downtown neighborhoods. But the brash young developer is winning over his critics, and no one can dispute that the pace and volume of his new-home construction reflect a demand for downtown housing. "I'm a deal maker, that's what I am," said Dorsey, 34 and a former minor-league ballplayer. "I want to make these things go." The demand is so great that in recent months he has expanded from the Rosewood neighborhood to buy dwindling land and unkempt rental property in Shandon, Heathwood, Earlewood, Elmwood Park and The Avenues. "Anything within five miles of the university, I like," said Dorsey, who says he oversees as many as 30 construction sites at once. Dorsey isn't the only developer snapping up vacant lots and building new houses in 1920s-era neighborhoods. He's just the most prolific. He's taken out 41 building permits so far this year, a number that building official Donny Phipps said is more than anyone else who's building "infill housing" in downtown Columbia's established neighborhoods. Dorsey said his new houses sell for $160,000 to $750,000. One of the keys to success, he said, is speed. In today's market, young buyers don't want to wait. Dorsey said he can close on a piece of property in two weeks, and he provides such steady work for subcontractors that he can get a house built in 90 days. He views his role as a coach. It's a metaphor that comes easily because Dorsey, who grew up in Irmo, is a former minor league ballplayer with the Mets organization. He gave up ball at 25 -"when you're 25 in the minor leagues, you're ancient" - and got into sales. Then, in 1996, when he and his wife, April, had trouble renovating their home in Melrose, a new vocation presented itself. The contractor "was just totally brutal," Dorsey said. "He was slow. He never did anything he said he was going to do. . . . I said, 'I'm smart enough to figure out this.' I kind of got some guys together and started learning." Now he renovates and builds. And his family lives in Shandon, where he said he has wanted to live since he was in high school. Columbia Councilwoman Anne Sinclair, who represents a downtown district, is familiar with his work. "In the Shandon area, he's buying up property that was pretty sad and has dramatically improved the appearance of them," she said. The City Council has the final word on land-use zoning and building plans that don't fit the norm. Sinclair noted that the council approved one of Dorsey's larger projects, six homes at Superior and Howard streets, earlier this month - after it gained an endorsement by the Rosewood Neighborhood Council. Dorsey said he has outgrown a go-it-alone attitude, realizing he needs to compromise with neighborhood groups that have the ear of many elected leaders. "Maybe at one point," he said, "I was just looking at the dollar figure." When Stan Frick met Dorsey about a year ago, the two got into an argument in the middle of Osceola Street. Frick and his Rosewood neighbors were upset to find out the developer was squeezing two small houses on a corner lot - and using vinyl siding along a street of brick bungalows. "That lot has been vacant since the neighborhood was developed almost 60 years ago," Frick said. The Rosewood Neighborhood group appointed Frick as head of a committee to broach redevelopment issues with Dorsey. Since then, the two have reached a truce: Dorsey has agreed to no longer use vinyl siding in Rosewood; to put in driveways with two parking spaces instead of one; and to vary the design of homes. And Frick said the experience has forced residents to think about what they want to encourage in a neighborhood that has traditionally attracted first-time homebuyers and investors - and is now becoming more desirable. Jennifer McBroom, a real estate agent with Russell & Jeffcoat, said in-fill development is a trend that will continue for another five to 10 years - until the available land is gone. For buyers, the allure is a new, maintenance-free house in a charming old neighborhood. "We could sell them all day long for $145,000," said McBroom, who specializes in downtown housing. "As soon as they can be walked through, they're gone." Dorsey, meanwhile, has bought a home on Shandon's Monroe Street that he plans to renovate and expand to 4,500 square feet, complete with wiring for the newest high-tech features, such as a big-screen television concealed by remote-control artwork. Dorsey and his family will move into the house once he completes the transformation. "We sell our house (and move) every two years," he said. "It's a perk of being a builder." ABOUT THE TREND "In-fill housing" refers to building on vacant lots in the middle of a block of established homes. Often, the land originally was used as space for a vegetable garden or work shed. Builders will pay anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 for a lot in Columbia, depending on the neighborhood and the lot size, said Jennifer McBroom, a real estate agent with Russell & Jeffcoat Realtors who specializes in downtown properties. Neighborhoods where in-fill housing construction is going fast are Rosewood, Shandon and Earlewood. But with developers and real estate agents scouting for land, it's really occurring all over town. McBroom suggests that as vacant lots close to downtown become more scarce, the next wave of in-fill construction will occur in Olympia, Eau Claire and parts of Forest Acres. |