Midtown at Forest Acres is anchored by three of South Carolina’s most popular department stores with a good mix of high-end and mid-market mall shops. The anchor line-up, national mall shops, attractive and efficient physical structure, and cinema help make Columbia's original mall one of the area's most preferred shopping.
The food court was relocated to accommodate the conversion and expansion of a portion of the back upper level of the Mall to office space for 136,740 square foot lease to Verizon Wireless. Verizon, formed by merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic has 1,100 employees here working multiple shifts. Its high-density use ideally complements the Mall’s retail tenants without jeopardizing it 4.6/1,000 sf parking ration. The doubling of Verizon’s area for lease term to November 2010 should generate increased traffic throughout the Mall, benefiting and food court and all other retailers, as well as providing long-term stability to the property.
Midtown Is conveniently located at the intersection of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard, two miles west of I-77, five miles northeast of downtown Columbia and two miles east of the University of South Carolina (USC). Its accessible location offers an easy entrance to the Mall from the fastest growing residential area of Columbia, as well as from the 35,000-student campus.
One of the greatest benefits of the Columbia MSA is the area’s efficient transportation system. In particular, the city of Columbia is one of only eleven in the nation served by three interstate highways, with two other just an hour away. As a result of this hub location the diversification of the local economy has flourished. In sum, this favorable location makes transportation remarkably convenient for area shoppers.
