Lancaster County Economic Development will begin crafting a new strategic plan for the county this fall.

The group created its first strategic plan in 2009. More than 80 percent of that plan has already been implemented, said Keith Tunnell, president of Economic Development, and it’s “time for an update.”

Tunnell is putting together three committees to represent […]

Lancaster City Council has agreed on a bright idea regarding the latest phase of its Streetscape beautification project – literally.

The city is working with a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant it received to go toward beautification efforts on South Main Street, to run from Emmons Street south just past the city limits near South Avenue.

The […]

On the menu for scores of community leaders: optimism. Both in where their communities are and where they appear aimed to go.

More than 100 people attended the Tega Cay/Fort Mill State of the Community Breakfast on Aug. 7, where Mayors Danny Funderburk of Fort Mill and George Sheppard of Tega Cay, along with Fort Mill […]

Red Ventures announced Tuesday, Aug. 7, it has purchased 16 additional acres adjacent to its headquarters with the goal of doubling its workforce over the coming five years.

According to the announcement, the company will begin construction of its third building by the end of the year, a move that will allow the company to hire […]

Chester County’s biggest industrial employer is about to get even bigger.

Chester Wood Products, which makes and distributes wood products for the industrial and commercial construction markets, is officially announcing expansion plans for its Chester County facility today. The total value of the investment is $10 million, which is expected to generate 20 new jobs.

“We are […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking comment from the public on the proposed 2013 Federal Aid Pavement Improvement Program. Projects listed in the program have been allotted $93,369,000 and will include the reconstruction and rehabilitation of a total of 258.12 miles with roads in each of the state’s 46 counties.

A copy of […]

Lancaster County is one of several communities across the state to receive federal grant money, according to a release issued late last month from the S.C. Department of Commerce.

The county is again the recipient of a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant, which will go toward continued infrastructural upgrades at the old Springs mill village in […]

Boral Stone Products is investing $6 million to expand its plant in the county. The expansion will add three jobs.

“Boral Stone Products has enjoyed a close, long-term relationship with the economic leaders of South Carolina and Chester County since opening our eastern manufacturing facility in 2001. We are committed to the region and are excited […]

The Town of Fort Mill received a Municipal Achievement Award for the marketing plan for its South Carolina Strawberry Festival. Officials were presented with the award during the Municipal Association of South Carolina’s 72nd Annual Meeting on June 30. The town won in the communications category. Thirty-three cities and towns submitted their projects and initiatives.

Fort […]

Hiring for TD Bank’s expansion plans for South Carolina is ramping up as its Greenville customer call center opens next month with 70 people.

The call center is part of the bank’s plans for a regional hub, announced last November. Bank officials say the center will employ about 260 workers by year’s end and 550 employees […]

The long tradition of service to the people of Union County by Belk, Inc. reached a new level Friday with the formal opening of the new Belk eCommerce distribution and fulfillment center, a milestone made possible by the continuing cooperation between the public and private sector to promote economic development.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning formally […]

A cooperative effort by the City of Union, Union County, the Union County Development Board and the SC Department of Commerce reached its successful conclusion Wednesday morning with the formal opening of the ESAB Welding and Cutting Products manufacturing facility.

City, county, development board and commerce department officials were part of a group of invited guests […]

Consumer confidence is stimulating a sluggish York County housing market, say those who make and sell homes.In the last few months, homebuilders have started – or announced plans to start – construction in several subdivisions. Baxter Village near Fort Mill, one of York County’s most popular communities, is almost built out. So far this year, […]

For the first quarter of 2012 (January-March), Union County saw a slight increase in building permits compared to the first quarter of 2011, according to information released this week by the Catawba Regional Council of Governments (COG).

The information shows that the number of permits for single-family homes stood at three, a 50 percent increase from […]

Signs of progress can be seen around the intersection of Hwy. 160 East and Barberville Road.

The intersection, slated for improvements for more than three years, is being widened and turning lanes are being added. It is expected to be complete this summer.

Improving the Barberville Road intersection is a $2.2 million project.

Funds for the project came […]

A local medical transportation service will keep its wheels turning for at least one more year, thanks to a recent resolution by Lancaster County Council.

Council unanimously approved the measure at its May 14 meeting allowing the Lancaster County Council on Aging to apply for grant funding to continue operations for the Lancaster Area Ride Service […]

EPA has released a white paper, scheduled stakeholder meetings, and is taking comments on proposed options for the 1-hour SO2 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) implementation.

EPA is seeking additional input from states, tribes, and other interested parties to refine its approach for implementing the SO2 standard, and has released a final version of a […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking  public comment on the following items:

 Fiscal Year 2013 State Program
Five Forest Highway Projects across the state

Click here to view the comment page from SCDOT.

Congestion at one of the busiest intersections in Fort Mill could be relieved sooner than expected.

Last week York County Council voted to request a grant that would speed up improvements to the Gold Hill Road/I-77 interchange. The $825,000 air quality grant would be used for planning, design and right-of-way acquisition to put work ahead of […]

The South Carolina Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is the State’s six-year transportation improvement program for all projects or program areas receiving federal funding, including bridge replacements, safety, roadway resurfacing, interstate maintenance and upgrades, primary and secondary road system upgrades, federal lands projects, transportation enhancements, congestion mitigation and air quality, and public transportation. The STIP […]

The South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC State Housing) announced a $10 million initiative designed to help South Carolina law enforcement officers, correctional officers, teachers, firefighters, nurses, veterans and EMS personnel who want to become homeowners.

Buying a first home can be a challenge, even if you are employed in a noble profession, […]

The Freight Mobility Plan develops a regional strategy for freight movement, incorporating trucking, marine cargo, rail freight and air cargo, and intermodal connections between them.

It also examines current and future freight issues as the region looks to preserve and enhance a reliable and efficient transportation system for the future.

The plan is developed through public‐private sector coordination with […]

Discount retailer Ross Stores Inc. will invest $150 million for a new distribution and warehousing center in Rock Hill that’s expected to create 600 jobs over five years, officials said Wednesday.

The facility will span 1.2 million square feet and ship merchandise to Ross Dress for Less and retail stores in 30 states. The center, under […]

The application has been sent. And now Kershaw officials have to wait to find out if they’re selected.

Since last year, the town of Kershaw has been eyeing a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). If awarded, that federal money will pay for the replacement of old water lines in the Springs cotton mill village neighborhood, […]

Already green because it generates most of its power from renewable sources, a local utility company is getting even greener with the construction new hydroelectric facilities in Lockhart and Pacolet.

Bryan Stone, Chief Operating Officer for Lockhart Power, said Thursday that the company recently began construction of the new facilities which are expected to be completed […]

Work continues on the multi-phase effort to revitalize Lancaster’s Brooklyn Avenue area.

At its Tuesday meeting, City Council unanimously accepted a bid to place a soil cap over a portion of the city’s property on 15th Street. The cap will “cover some environmental concerns” identified during an assessment of the property, said City Administrator Helen Sowell.

LCI […]

Department store retailer Belk Inc. today announced plans to locate a new eCommerce distribution and fulfillment center in Union County. The $4.5 million capital investment is expected to generate 124 new jobs over the next five years.

“Belk’s eCommerce growth has been very strong, and to accommodate the demand from our customers, we need additional fulfillment […]

For the second time in as many Chester County Council meetings, Economic Development Director Karlisa Parker had good news in the form of an industrial announcement.

Parker announced that Rolled Alloys, based in Ohio, would be locating in an existing building in the county.

“Rolled Alloy has committed to come to Chester County,” Parker told Chester County […]

The City of Union will seek $500,000 in state funding for the second phase of a program of infrastructure and other improvements in the Union Mill Village.

Union City Council voted unanimously Feb. 21 to approve a resolution agreeing to provide a $72,550 match to a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The city proposes using […]

The need for space to accommodate the growth of its online business and the availability of a building and a workforce that could meet its needs led the nation’s largest privately-owned department store to locate its newest distribution facility in Union County.

In February, Union County Council voted unanimously to approve an incentive package for a […]

What:       Next week, the U.S. Census Bureau will release the 2010 Census Summary File 2 for Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina and South Dakota. During December through April, the Census Bureau will provide statistics for states on a flow basis. These Summary File 2 tables will add a new layer of detail to the population and housing […]

Union County High School teachers and administrators visited local industries in order to better prepare their students for life after high school.

As part of the Union County School District’s ongoing efforts to promote career awareness and strengthen business and educational partnerships, UCHS teachers and administrators toured three local industries — Timken, Gestamp and Haemonetics—on Friday, […]

“Project 1032” is no longer just a code number.

On Monday, Chester County Council heard a brief presentation from Jerry Danes, a project manager for Jones Hamilton Company. Danes said the company would begin construction on a local plant in 2013 and hoped to be operational by 2014.

During the meeting, the council discussed third reading of […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking comment from the public based on Office of Public Transit’s South Carolina State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2012 – 2013 Transit Programs Funding Recommendations.  You may review this information and provide comment until March 8, 2012. 

Click here to view the information and provide comment.

For the time being it is called “Project Presents,” but its real name will soon be known and it is bringing the people of Union County presents of $4.5 million in investment and 124 new jobs.

Union County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution authorizing the county to enter into an inducement agreement with […]

The purpose of this open house is to receive feedback on the challenge, the process, the goals, and identify issues to be addressed in the scope for the development of a coordinated Regional Freight Mobility Plan.

Click here to view schedule.

A transportation planning committee in eastern York County is exploring four paths for a proposed bridge over the Catawba River that would connect northern Rock Hill with Fort Mill.

The bridge would span from the area of Mount Gallant, Twin Lakes and India Hook roads in northern Rock Hill to Fort Mill near Harris Road or […]

Chester County Council got a brief sneak preview Monday, but Ring Container Technologies, a maker of plastic containers, is officially announcing plans today that it will expand its current operations in Chester County. The more than $7.89 million investment has generated 18 new jobs.

“Ring Container Technologies is proud to be growing in Chester, S.C. We […]

Regional Freight Mobility Plan Scoping Process
Open House February 8, 2012

What important issues should be addressed to ensure the efficient and effective freight movement in our region?

That will be a chief topic of open houses designed to get public input into the development of a scope of work for a Freight Mobility Plan for the […]

Hattie McCrorey now has an affordable ride to work.

And at $2.50 one way, “It’s every bit worth it,” she said Wednesday, when she rode a York County Access bus from her house to her job at Winthrop University, where she works in the food court in the DiGiorgio Campus Center.

“Before I had found out all […]

Council voted unanimously to award the bid for Monarch Mill Village Phase I sewer improvements to C & W Utilities, Inc. in the amount of $474,465.50, pending approval of funding through the South Carolina Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

Eight bids were received on Jan. 10 at City Hall, and C&W Utilities, […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking public comment on a proposed 2013 Federal Match Program that would include resurfacing and system upgrade (widening, new location) projects with a minimum 50-50 federal/local match ratio.

Under the proposal, candidate projects would include “Shovel-Ready” resurfacing projects (reconstruction, rehabilitation, or preventive maintenance) and system upgrade improvements. Projects […]

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking comment from the public on the Draft Final Report for the South Carolina Statewide Intercity and Regional Bus Network Plan (January 2012).

Title 49 U.S.C. 5311(f) requires each state to spend 15 percent of its annual Section 5311 apportionment to carry out a program to develop and […]

The final phase of Lancaster’s Main Street streetscape beautification series will end at the city limits, as opposed to Great Falls Highway, which had been proposed.

City Council voted unanimously Tuesday on the bounds of the work, which will go from the Emmons Street intersection south to the city limits. The work is projected to cost […]

Thanks to a platoon of volunteers, a path to a planned 500-mile network of trails through both Carolinas gained ground on Saturday.
Fifty people gave up their morning to clear brush and build a section of the Carolina Thread Trail in Fort Mill. The chunk they cleared spans two-tenths of a mile along Sugar Creek near […]

Licensing fees normally paid by York Electric Cooperative and Comporium to the state are staying in York County, funding an economic development priority.
The funds will be used to build a 40,000-square-foot building in the Antrim Business Park off Dave Lyle Boulevard and adjacent to Interstate 77.
The “spec” building will be marketed to firms looking to […]

The City of Chester, along with the Catawba Regional Council of Governments (COG), has crafted a list of prioritized needs for the coming year.

The list is compiled by COG each year, with input from the city. Some of the eight items listed appear on the list nearly every year.

The first item includes revitalization of East […]

The Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) application period will be opening soon! This handy guide will give you a kick-start in preparing your grant application to thoroughly answer all the grant application questions.

The primary goal of the SAFER grants program intends to improve or restore local […]

The vision includes 500 college students living in the city of Lancaster – each one representing a $21,000 surge to the local economy.

They will live in housing units on Brook Drive, within walking distance of the University of South Carolina Lancaster campus.

The setting gives the area a “true campus feel,” while attracting young adults who […]

Union County will use a state grant to study the needs of the Ottaray Mill Village and develop a plan for its revitalization.

In a letter to Supervisor Tommy Sinclair, Gov. Nikki Haley announced that “Union County will receive a $25,000 Village Renaissance Grant from the Community Development Block Grant program. Funds will be used to […]