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Tag: Blythewood Industrial Park

  • Scout, state, county celebrate industry coming to Blythewood

    During a reception at Smoked restaurant in Columbia on Sunday, hosted by Scout Motors EV, Scout officials and state and county government officials talked about the historic significance of Scout vehicles and Scout’s potential impact on the future of the state, county and Blythewood. Shown here with Scout CEO Scott Keogh, left, are S.C. Governor Henry McMaster and Richland County Councilman Derrek Pugh, who represents Blythewood. | Barbara Ball

    COLUMBIA – During a press conference on Monday, Scout Motors Inc hosted an official signing ceremony of the Project Development Agreement with Scout President and CEO Scott Keogh, Governor Henry McMaster and Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey.

    Earlier, McMaster signed House Bill 3604, the joint resolution to approve the largest economic investment in the state’s history.

    Following the press conference and signings, Scout and SC state officials hosted a series of media roundtables where Keogh and other state and county leaders fielded questions from the media. The following are the answers to some of those questions.

    Gov. McMaster signs the project agreement with Scout Motors. | Contributed

    On-Site Job Training

    Brad Neese, ReadySC vice president of economic development, said ReadySC will build a $25 million training center adjacent to or on the Scout campus that will be staffed and run by ReadySC.  

    Neese said training has to take place before the production facility is competed and that he expects training will begin in 2025, before the plant opens in 2026.

    “So, we’re going to be working hard to get the walls up and get it ready for people to come in and start training,” Neese said.

     “As jobs become available, they will be posted on scoutmotors.sctechjobs.com,” he said. “We already have about 1,500 people who are looking for jobs and have given us their information,” Neese said.

    Test Track

    Asked if Scout Motors would incorporate a test track for potential customers to drive cars on when purchasing, Scout Motors CFO Chris Condon said, “Some sort of experience/delivery center we think is quite important to the brand.”

    “One of the things our product offers is just that – a fun experience – so rather than just being a truck like any other electric truck that may be out there, getting to come and feel what that looks like, what its capability is, in our early sketching how to lay out the plant, we’re trying to reserve some space for some sort of delivery experience, whether that’s a formal track or just some off-road opportunities, there’ll be a drive component to it should we find a way to include that.

    Hiring for 3 Different Types of Jobs

    Jobs that apply to the actual planning and building of the production facility.

    Jobs for experienced professionals – a supply chain leader, a director of fire and safety, a director of talent acquisition, etc.

    Early career/entry level jobs around functions like purchasing and supply chain.

    “We are not yet hiring for manufacturing,” Alexis Juneja said. “Those will come as we get closer to the start of production.”

    State Incentives

    “The total state incentive package is $1.291 billion,” Lightsey said. “In addition to that, Scout will have the opportunity to earn job development tax credits based on the number of people they hire over a period of time, and then they have to maintain that number over a period of time. That comes to about $180,000 if they (Scout) max it out.

    “Scout is committed to invest $2 million and hire 4,000 people. Their performance against that will determine how they earn the tax credits in terms of making sure that the state is protected first of all,” he said.

    “A study by an economist at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina established that by 2029, three years after the start of production, the state will already be over $15 billion to the good, and for every year after that, we will accrue an additional annual benefit of over $4 billion dollars,” Lightsey said. “So we believe that the growth generated by Scout justifies this investment.

    “In the extremely unlikely event that Scout does not stay in South Carolina, they would be subject to clawbacks for all of the investment that is not public infrastructure. So the investments we’re making in preparing the site for them totals about $790 million that is subject to clawback,” he said.

    “In addition to that part of the $1.291 billion is a $200 million loan to Scout Motors to invest in some soil stabilization work on the site. That will be repaid by Scout with interest,” Lightsey said.

    Both the loan repayment and the clawback provision are guaranteed by Volkswagon.

    Richland County Council Chair Overture Walker said the County paid about $31 million for the site Scout will locate to, plus the county offered a 40-year fee-in-lieu of tax agreement at a 4 percent assessment ratio.

    “There’s also a special source revenue credit on the table that doesn’t kick in until year 16,” Walker said. “The county is also offering an unprecedented stipend for child care for employees’ children.”

    Child Care Stipend

    “It has not yet been decided how the child care stipend will work – whether it must be used only on an on-site child care facility or whether it can be applied to the cost of other child care facilities in the community,” Director of Richland County Economic Development Jeff Ruble said.

    Richland County Director of Economic Development Jeff Ruble, left, and panelists answer media’s questions.

  • Plan takes shape for BW industrial park

    BLYTHEWOOD – A formal planning process is now under way for the development of the commercial portion of the 1,300-acre parcel of land near Blythewood’s downtown that’s slated to become an industrial park with an adjoining commercial area.

    Richland County, which owns the land, is working with the Urban Land Institute to determine how best to develop the commercial portion of the property, said Tiffany Harrison, Deputy Director of the Richland County Economic Development Office.

    “We know how to develop an industrial park; the commercial piece is something we feel like we need to bring those experts in to sort of develop a strategy,” Harrison said, explaining that a panel of experts will visit the area in June to gain input and develop recommendations.

    “They will interview community stakeholders as well as county leadership and town leadership to kind of get a vision for what people would like to see happen there,” she said, “but at the end of the day the recommendation will be based on facts and market information, taking into account everything that they hear talking to the local community.”

    In other words, the development plan for the property – while considering everyone’s ideas – will depend on what the market can realistically support.

    The portion of the property where commercial development is planned consists of roughly 100 acres, which has frontage on Blythewood road and is mostly designated as part of the town’s “town center” zoning classification, which allows for multiple uses but is relatively restrictive.

    The plan, Harrison says, is not to have a big-box shopping center – and to work closely with the town of Blythewood on the project.

    “We’re looking for smart growth and smart development,” Harrison said. “We’ve got a great working relationship with the town. We’re really fortunate, and we meant it when we came up here and said we’re partners in this and we want to continue to work together. This benefits both the county and the town of Blythewood.”

    Town Administrator Carroll Williamson said he’s been working closely with county officials since January on the project, and he views it as mutually beneficial.

    Williamson said the town council, planning commission, and boards of architectural review and zoning appeals are all concerned about ensuring that the town’s growth is well-managed and reflects Blythewood’s character and standards.

    “I think high-quality commercial development built with the guiding hand of the board of architectural review, which will review and approve the structure of new buildings of this park along Blythewood Road (zoned Town Center District) will be very beneficial to the town,” Williamson said.

    “Obviously, traffic will be an ongoing issue that we will be addressing, both by working closely with the county and SCDOT [South Carolina Department of Transportation] as well as through the comprehensive plan. My hope and intent is for this development to complement the existing neighborhoods and benefit our residents.”

    Meanwhile, Harrison said, progress is being made with regard to the industrial park development, and construction on that part of the project, which will include clearing and grading of the first industrial site, is expected to begin within the next few months.

  • Council approves industrial park 5-0

    BLYTHEWOOD – After much discussion among town and county officials, the five members of the Blythewood Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve zoning for the remainder of a 1,300-acre site that Richland County plans to turn into an industrial park.

    The project site, located just west of Interstate 77 with access points in the heart of Blythewood, has spurred controversy because of anticipated traffic congestion and other impacts. But the council members said they and county officials had reached a good compromise in a series of meetings.

    “This is the way America should work,” said Mayor J. Michael Ross shortly after the meeting began, referring to the process that he said took into account both localities as well as the concerns expressed by the public. “I’m proud of the town of Blythewood working this way – unlike Washington, D.C.”

    The vote took place Oct. 2 in a Wednesday morning special called meeting. It was rescheduled after it had been announced at a prior meeting that the vote would be taken on Monday, Sept. 30. Significantly fewer opponents of the project were in attendance at the Wednesday meeting than had attended previous regularly scheduled meetings on the issue.

    Project details are spelled out in a declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions that includes what town leaders call a key concession – veto power for a town representative (appointed by town council) over several areas of the project. This person will sit on the project’s design review committee along with two people appointed by the county.

    “Two members appointed by Richland County and one by the town council. But this member gets a veto authority on eight different line items,” said Town Councilman Bryan Franklin.

    He said the veto power is important, as it represents an assurance that Blythewood will have a say in the project as it moves forward. He said the plan agreed upon was a compromise of “mutual respect.”

    Richland County Councilman Calvin “Chip” Jackson was in attendance and addressed the town council, expressing confidence that the project as currently conceived would protect the livability of the Blythewood community while building for the future – and that the industrial park would be as good as any anywhere.

    “I chair the economic development committee for Richland County Council,” he said, “and in that role and that capacity, I want to make sure that any development that’s occurring anywhere in our county represents the best interest of development, it represents the best interest of our county, it represents the best interest of our citizens and also of our community.”

    A couple of audience members also spoke against the project during the public comment portion of the meeting, the final reading for approval of the project which had previously divided the council 3-2.

    “A disaster awaits the residents,” warned former town councilman Tom Utroska. “I’ve done traffic planning for 45 years, and this is not well thought out.”

    Before voting for approval, the town council members spoke about it in the context of broad issues: Blythewood’s past planning and current growth trajectory, both of which they say dictate this type of development for a site that’s for sale and well-situated in relation to infrastructure and transportation.

    Town Councilman Malcolm Gordge said the town’s master plan has included development of the site for a decade – and, as an opportunity and economic climate emerged that enabled a plan to solidify, town officials had to take a hard look at what kind of development would bring the biggest advantage to the town.

    “We don’t know what’s going to be within the park itself,” he said, “but with the indications from the economic development council, the plan looks far, far better to me than an intense residential development that could add another 2,000 homes in that area, which would be the worst of all things.”

    Town Councilman Larry Griffin echoed the reality: whatever type of development is done on the land – whether business or residential – it will increase traffic. But Griffin, a lifelong Blythewood resident, said ultimately growth has been a good thing.

    “This is not perfect,” he said of the plan, “but I want you to understand – you talk about change, and you talk about growth – you’re talking to the wrong person here, because I’ve seen changes and growth that you can’t believe.

    “When you say, ‘I want to see Blythewood the way it used to be’ – no, you don’t,” he said. “You want to see Blythewood the way you see it and the way you moved to it. That’s not what it used to be…. Somewhere along the line, you’ve got to trust this council that we may be doing the right thing.”

    In reference to the traffic issue, Ross said the potential traffic snarl near Exit 27 will be solved by common sense, as both truck drivers and employees who work in the park choose a different entrance and exit point less bogged down by Blythewood commuters accessing the Interstate.

    Also, he said, a planned road widening project will include a traffic circle in front of the Cobblestone Park community to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

    “This is not going to be Killian Road,” he said. “There’s not going to be car dealerships on these corners. There’s not going to be a Walmart. You can’t put those there. We have ordinances against that.”

  • Final rezoning vote set for Oct. 2

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood Town Council will take its second and final vote on whether to approve the rezoning of 162 acres from Development (D-1) to Limited Industrial 2 (LI2) at a special Called meeting to be held next Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 9 a.m. at The Manor.

    The 162 acres is part of Richland County’s proposed 1,300 acre Blythewood Industrial Park.

    Clock Here to view the rezoning information packet: TC-Packet-MA-LI-2Download

  • Council defers final industrial park vote

    A large crowd attended a controversial town council meeting Monday night to weigh in on an industrial park zoning requested by Richland County on property in Blythewood. Jeff Ruble, Director of the county’s Office of Economic Development, is shown at the podium. | Barbara Ball

    BLYTHEWOOD – Richland County’s request for Blythewood Town Council to rezone 162 acres between Fulmer Road and I-77 from Development (D-1) to Limited Industrial 2 (LI2) hung by a thread Monday night. Things weren’t looking good for approval when Councilman Bryan Franklin made a motion to defer the issue until Monday, Sept. 30.

    That motion passed 3-2 with Mayor J. Michael Ross and Councilman Eddie Baughman voting against.

    The acreage is part of the 1,300-acre Blythewood Industrial Park the county is proposing to develop west of i-77. Much of that property is in the Town of Blythewood.

    At issue is the credibility of Richland County Council concerning promised covenants and restrictions to protect the community from any adverse effects that might arise from the industrial park.

    “Tonight’s vote for or against is probably the most vital thing to determine the future of Blythewood since I’ve lived here,” Cobblestone Park resident John Moore said in his address to council during public input. “It is my feeling that it is political suicide for Blythewood to vote ‘yes’ without written assurances from Richland County regarding traffic, recreational areas, fire protection, etc…I have absolutely no confidence in Richland County Council,” Moore said. “I am not against the industrial park, but without assurances, we are going down the wrong path.”

    Cobblestone resident Tom Utroska agreed.

    Utroska insisted that council maintain control over the section of the industrial park that is in the Town of Blythewood.

    “Richland County (should) agree to change the county’s proposed covenants and restrictions to provide for the Blythewood representative on the design review committee (for the industrial park) to have veto power over the balance of the design review committee with regard to any action occurring wholly or in part within the town limits of Blythewood. We need to maintain our control,” Utroska said.

    “I think this rezoning, if approved, should be contingent upon a binding agreement between the town and Richland County similar to an IGA (intergovernmental agreement) wherein Richland County agrees to a time frame and funding for a new fire station near Blythewood Road to service the new industrial park.” Utroska said. He also asked for full funding for the current Blythewood fire station.

    He also called for an agreement between the town, county and SCDOT that addresses the use of Blythewood Road and the proposed traffic circle at Community Road by truck traffic seeking ingress to and egress from the light industrial park to development on Community Road.

    “If we don’t maintain it, it will be a traffic nightmare,” Utroska said.

    Bill Shives, who’s residential property is adjacent to the proposed industrial park, urged council to consider what they are getting ready to turn Blythewood into.

    “You say you want a class A industrial park,” Dennis Lane resident Jim Christopher, a commercial real estate developer said.  “The way to have a class A industrial park is by putting covenants and restrictions in place. Reading it, I thought, ‘Well, it could be worse.’”

    But Christopher said he also felt it could be better.

    “They [covenants and restrictions] don’t address traffic on Blythewood Road, and nothing is dedicated to public spaces,” he said. “Nothing about limiting railroad access. If you eliminate railroad, you won’t have a lot of the noxious uses in the park. I’d like to see the design development committee address that in [the covenants and restrictions].

    When you put this document in place, that’s the most restrictive it will ever be. It will go backwards from there. Developers ask for this and that. Whatever you don’t get up front, you’re not going to get later after you guys vote on it. You need to get it now, up front,” Christopher said.

    “Everyone wants a Class A industrial park,” he said. “So let’s design that in to it.”

    “We’re trying to do everything we can to work with you.” Jeff Ruble of the Richland County Economic Development office, told the speakers and council. “We’ve listened. We’ve heard everything you said. I promise we’re not trying to do anything underhanded. We’re trying to work with you as best we can. The reason we’re doing this is to create good jobs and to bolster the tax base.”

    Addressing traffic, Ruble said that any project in the park over 25,000 square feet needs a traffic study.

    “And that traffic study will lead to results,” Ruble said.

    Middlefield Road resident, attorney Stuart Andrews, disagreed.

    “The reason traffic studies are inadequate,” Andrews said, “is that in virtually every case, they result in the identification of what improvements need to be made to accommodate increased traffic,” he said. “We don’t want a larger road on Blythewood Road, or a four-lane road with several traffic signals or even a six lane road with more traffic signals. That does not protect the integrity of the community. It invites and encourages more and more and more traffic. So traffic studies simply identify the increased volume of traffic,” he said.

    “And there are a couple of sleeper provisions that I hope the council is aware of,” Andrews added. “First, there is an additional property loophole that expands without approval, without review and without any public participation. It is the incorporation of any unlimited amount of additional property into the 1300 acre industrial park. Zoning of course, would have to be complied with and as you say other laws would govern. But in the absence of that, if zoning is consistent and it’s certainly outside the county, the county can do whatever it wants. They can bring in other parcels that don’t even have to be contiguous to the park. So they could go behind the elementary school, behind Cobblestone and, frankly, anywhere they wanted to, and designate the additional property as being part of this very industrial park. And that is an ability that is open ended, without limitation. Without any review. It’s a unilateral right the county has reserved to itself that I see no justification for. I would suggest you strike it out,” Andrews said.

    “There are a lot of things that can come up and bite us in ways that are unintended and unexpected,” Andrews told council. “And that’s the risk of rushing through too quickly with two days to review and negotiate it. And we’d like to ask you to permit more time to review it.”

    Ross, who has spoken in strong support of the industrial park, said he believes the industrial park is the best and highest use for the property.

    “If the industrial park doesn’t go there,” Ross has said in several meetings, “we could have thousands of more houses there and more traffic.” He said the council has been working almost two years with the county on the project.

    Ross said Monday evening that the covenants and restrictions would be voted on at a later time, perhaps a year later.

    After the vote to defer, Ross suggested that the deferred vote for the rezoning might be taken on Monday, Sept. 30 during a special meeting called for the final vote on the sale of the Doko Depot.

    However, on Tuesday, when asked by The Voice what leverage would be available to the town to influence the covenants and restrictions if they are negotiated after the vote is taken, Ross said he felt sure that the county would have revised the covenants and restrictions and have them in place before the rezoning vote. That vote, Ross said on Tuesday, might now be delated until Wednesday or Thursday of next week when all five council members would be available to vote.

    Richland County Council passed first reading Tuesday evening to rezone another parcel of the industrial park to Light Industrial (LI) that is in the county. These are the last two parcels of the 1300 acres to be rezoned.

    For specific information about the date, time and location of the Blythewood Town Council meeting, call town hall at 754-0501.

  • County industrial property to go to RCPC

    BLYTHEWOOD – Of the 1,300 acres that Richland County hopes to purchase and have rezoned for a Blythewood Industrial Park, almost 500 acres (two parcels) are in the county, not the Town of Blythewood, and the county will have jurisdiction over their re-zoning.

    The two parcels, located along Blythewood Road, west of Fairfield Electric Cooperative’s facility, will go before the Richland County planning commission Monday, Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. for a public hearing and recommendation to council.

    While the public can sign up to speak their minds about the rezoning, county staff has already made up its collective mind, recommending that the planning commission not approve the rezoning.

    Both parcels are zoned rural (RU). The County is asking for one of the parcels (456.01 acres) to be rezoned to Light Industrial (LI) and the other (27.54 acres) to be zoned for General Commercial (GC).

    The 2015 Richland County Comprehensive Plan designates the RU zoned area as Neighborhood (Low-Density) for future zoning.

    According to the staff report, the LI district is intended to accommodate wholesaling, distribution, storage, processing, light manufacturing and general commercial uses.

    “The zoning request [for the 456.01 acres] is not consistent with the objectives for non-residential development within the Neighborhood (Low-Density) future land use designation,” staff stated in its report. “Within the Neighborhood (Low Density) designation, the Comprehensive Plan recommends that industrial development with significant community impacts, i.e., noise, exhaust, odor, heavy truck traffic) is discouraged. The variety of industrial uses allowed under the LI district includes potential uses which would be incompatible with the general area as it is currently developed.”

    For these reasons, staff recommended disapproval of the requested map amendment.

    Likewise, the county’s planning staff recommended disapproval of GC for the smaller parcel, stating that it was not consistent with surrounding zoning and would constitute leapfrog development.

    Blythewood Town Council has rezoned about 600 acres from Development (D-1) zoning to Limited Industrial (LI) at Richland County’s request and passed the first of two votes to rezone the remaining 163 acres of the 1,300 acres.

    The Blythewood planning commission voted 3-3 on the recommendation to Town Council which resulted in no recommendation. Blythewood Council will take its second and final vote on September 23.

    Richland County Planning Commission will meet on Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. in Council Chambers, 2020 Hampton Street in Columbia 29202. The Commission’s recommendation will then go to County Council.

    Blythewood Town Council will meet on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., at the Doko Manor. That vote will be the final vote for the rezoning request for the 163 acres.