The Village at Sandhill

The Village at Sandhill is a large open-air lifestyle center in northeast Columbia, South Carolina. The development occupies approximately 300 acres and is positioned on Clemson Road near the intersection with Two Notch Road, roughly between Interstate 20 and Interstate 77. Its location places it within the expanding northeastern part of the Columbia metropolitan area and gives it access to a broad suburban trade area. The center was developed by Kahn Development Company and opened in late 2004. It was conceived as more than a conventional enclosed shopping mall, combining retail stores, restaurants, services, financial institutions, entertainment, residential uses, and senior living in a landscaped, village-style setting. At opening, its first tenants included PLEX Indoor Sports, Rhodes Furniture, World Market, and Super Bi-Lo. The property subsequently expanded its tenant mix and added several national department-store, home-improvement, warehouse-club, apparel, grocery, and entertainment anchors. Major anchors and large-format tenants associated with the center include JCPenney, The Home Depot, Belk, Sam's Club, Burlington, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Lowes Foods, Old Navy, Rooms To Go, HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, Regal's Sandhills Cinema 16, and other retailers. JCPenney opened in 2005, The Home Depot in 2006, Belk in 2007, Sam's Club in 2016, and Burlington in 2018. The former Bi-Lo location was sold to Lowes Foods in 2020 after Bi-Lo entered bankruptcy proceedings. The Village at Sandhill also includes smaller nationally recognized and locally owned merchants, restaurants, and service businesses. Examples cited for the center include Starbucks and Edible Arrangements, together with banking locations operated by Wells Fargo, Regions Bank, First Citizens Bank, BB&T, and Grow Financial. This combination supports both destination shopping and routine neighborhood-oriented visits. Later development phases broadened the project beyond retail. The Promenade at Sandhill added luxury condominiums above retail shops, while Discovery Village at Sandhill introduced a 186-unit senior-living community. Nexus at Sandhill added 240 apartment units. These components reinforce the center's mixed-use positioning and create a more diversified environment combining shopping, dining, entertainment, housing, and residential care. The Village at Sandhill competes with other Columbia-area retail destinations, including Columbiana Centre and Columbia Place. It is described in reference material as the largest retail center in Columbia. Although the project has been described as continuing to develop, its core identity is an active lifestyle and retail center serving Columbia and surrounding communities.

The Village at Sandhill was developed by Kahn Development Company as a major retail and lifestyle project in northeast Columbia, South Carolina. The approximately 300-acre development occupies a strategically positioned site on Clemson Road at Two Notch Road, between Interstate 20 and Interstate 77. Its location reflects the growth of Columbia's northeastern suburban corridor and gives the center access to regional as well as local shoppers. The center opened in late 2004 as an open-air alternative to the traditional enclosed shopping-mall format. Its initial tenants included PLEX Indoor Sports, Rhodes Furniture, World Market, and Super Bi-Lo. From the beginning, the project combined shopping with restaurants, services, and community-oriented uses rather than relying solely on department stores. Expansion during the following years added several major anchors. JCPenney opened in 2005, followed by The Home Depot in 2006 and Belk in 2007. These additions established the center as a substantial regional retail destination. The tenant base also grew to include national and regional retailers, restaurants, banks, and specialty businesses. The center's open-air layout supported a village-style environment with a mix of large-format stores and smaller merchants. The retail offering continued to change as consumer demand and the Columbia market evolved. Sam's Club opened in 2016, and Burlington opened in 2018. In 2020, the former Bi-Lo location was sold to Lowes Foods following Bi-Lo's bankruptcy. This transition preserved a grocery component while replacing the former operator with another supermarket brand. The project's later phases expanded its scope into mixed-use development. The Promenade at Sandhill introduced luxury condominiums above retail shops. Discovery Village at Sandhill added a 186-unit senior-living community, and Nexus at Sandhill added 240 apartments. Together, these additions made the development more than a shopping center: it became a combination of retail, dining, entertainment, housing, and senior living. The Village at Sandhill is positioned against other major Columbia-area shopping destinations, including Columbiana Centre and Columbia Place. Reference material identifies it as Columbia's largest retail center. The development remains active and has continued to be described as evolving, with its identity anchored by an open-air lifestyle-center format and a broad mix of national, regional, and locally operated businesses.

• 2020

  Former Bi-Lo space transfers to Lowes Foods

  [1]The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org

  Following Bi-Lo's bankruptcy, the grocery location is sold to Lowes Foods.

• 2018

  Burlington opens

  [1]The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org

  Burlington joins the development as an off-price apparel and home-goods anchor.

• 2016

  Sam's Club opens

  [1]The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org

  Sam's Club expands the center's large-format warehouse retail offer.

• 2007

  Belk opens

  [1]The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org

  Belk joins the center's department-store lineup.

• 2006

  The Home Depot opens

  [1]The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org

  The Home Depot adds a major home-improvement anchor to the development.

• 2005

  JCPenney opens

  [1]The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney becomes one of the center's major department-store anchors.

• 2004

  Center opens

  [1]The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org

  The Village at Sandhill opens in late 2004 as an approximately 300-acre open-air lifestyle center developed by Kahn Development Company.

A large, open-air, mixed-use lifestyle center combining destination retail, everyday services, dining, entertainment, and residential uses in northeast Columbia.

• Lifestyle shopping center · 2004

  Open-air retail center

  The core offering is an open-air, village-style retail environment with pedestrian-oriented outdoor areas, large-format stores, smaller merchants, restaurants, financial institutions, and consumer services. The format is designed to support both planned destination trips and routine shopping.

• Retail · 2005

  Department and specialty retail

  Department and specialty retail has included JCPenney, Belk, Old Navy, HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, Burlington, and other national or regional merchants. These stores provide apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and off-price merchandise across a range of customer segments.

• Big-box and warehouse retail · 2006

  Large-format retail

  The center includes major large-format operators such as The Home Depot, Sam's Club, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Rooms To Go, and Lowes Foods. Together they cover home improvement, warehouse shopping, sporting goods, furniture, and grocery needs.

• Entertainment

  Regal's Sandhills Cinema 16

  Regal's Sandhills Cinema 16 provides the development's principal cinema and entertainment component, complementing the retail, restaurant, and service mix.

• Residential and senior living

  Mixed-use residential components

  The wider development includes the Promenade at Sandhill luxury condominiums above retail shops, the 186-unit Discovery Village at Sandhill senior-living community, and the 240-unit Nexus at Sandhill apartment complex.

• 2020

  Replacement of Bi-Lo by Lowes FoodsM&A

  Background

  Bi-Lo entered bankruptcy proceedings, creating a change in grocery occupancy at The Village at Sandhill.

  Action taken

  The former Bi-Lo location was sold to Lowes Foods.

  Aftermath

  The center retained a grocery anchor under a new operator.

  Source

1. 1The Village at Sandhillen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Village at Sandhill official websitevillageatsandhillonline.com