Homeless No More Broke Ground on Grand Village
The Columbia project will transform a former motel into 30 family homes for those in need.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Construction
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Homeless No More has officially broken ground on the new Grand Village housing community in Columbia. The project involves converting a former motel on Two Notch Road into 30 permanent homes for families.
Why it matters
The development aims to combat a critical shortage of attainable housing in the Midlands, where an estimated 50,000 units are currently needed. By repurposing existing infrastructure, the organization seeks to provide stable living environments for local residents.
The Grand Village project represents a total investment of $12.8 million to provide 30 homes for families. This initiative addresses a portion of the Midlands housing shortage, which is estimated at 50,000 units.
The players
Homeless No More
This organization manages the Grand Village development to provide housing solutions for families in the Midlands.
James E. Christopher
The community center at the new housing site is named in honor of this individual.
The details
The development combines partial new construction with the rehabilitation of the Grand Motel site, originally built in the 1950s. Once finished, the property will feature a community center named for James E. Christopher that offers financial literacy classes and children’s mentoring programs.
Timeline
The Grand Motel was originally constructed on the site during the 1950s.
Homeless No More acquired the property in 2023.
The groundbreaking ceremony for Grand Village took place on October 13, 2026.
Market Landscape
This development addresses the persistent regional housing shortage by converting aging commercial properties into functional residential units. It positions the organization within a broader movement to utilize adaptive reuse strategies to compete with limited local housing inventory.
Local families struggling with housing availability may gain access to 30 new, affordable living units once construction concludes. The community center will additionally provide free resources such as financial literacy classes to the surrounding public.
The takeaway
The transformation of the former Grand Motel reflects a growing trend of adaptive reuse to solve urban housing scarcity. Residents can track similar development projects to understand how local organizations are addressing regional infrastructure gaps.
Further reading
For more information on ongoing infrastructure projects in the area, visit the Construction section.
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Do you believe your community is doing enough to address the shortage of affordable housing?
