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CAYCE — Dominion Energy could sell its 100-acre Cayce campus, built before the Virginia-based utility took over South Carolina’s largest investor-owned utility, to a Columbia real estate developer.

The company did not disclose any particulars of the agreement for a potential sale it signed with Bill Stern, owner of Stern & Stern Properties Inc.

Stern confirmed he has the property under contract and is conducting due diligence before closing on the deal. He expects to finalize the purchase later this year.

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“I think it’s a great property; it’s a beautiful facility,” Stern said. “I’d put it up against office buildings in any other state.”

Stern said his company is actively marketing the campus to corporate clients across the nine states where Stern & Stern Properties operates. He said it could be leased out to multiple tenants.

Before a failed nuclear plant project in Fairfield County sent South Carolina’s only Fortune 500 company spiraling into financial ruin, SCANA Corp.’s then-chief executive Bill Timmerman moved the utility’s more than 900 corporate employees from its Main Street, Columbia, office tower to the sprawling campus on the south side of Cayce, along Interstate 77.

The 25-year lease the company held on the downtown building was ending, and rather than signing a new deal and trying to upgrade the aging space, Timmerman opted to build a new $140 million facility on land the utility had owned for 25 years.

A year and a half after breaking ground, the company made the shift to the sparkling 540,000-square-foot headquarters with five interconnected buildings and room for 1,300 employees.

But when Dominion took over SCANA and South Carolina Electric & Gas in early 2019, its Columbia workforce was greatly reduced. Dominion did not say how many employees currently work in the building, but for more than a year the Richmond-based utility has been trying unsuccessfully to lease out some 100,000 square feet of space on the campus.

The company also did not say whether or where it would relocate if the sale goes through, only offering a statement.

“Dominion Energy is committed to maintaining a strong company presence in Cayce,” the statement read. “We continue to assess ways to operate even more efficiently, and this includes the potential for consolidating occupancy of our facilities on the 12th Street corridor if it is in the best interest of our customers and employees.”

Stern said he has not yet spoken to the utility about leasing back a portion of the space if his firm ultimately buys the property.

Stern could not recall who approached him and told him there might be an opportunity to buy the campus, but he said he has always been impressed with the property, with its numerous walking paths and water features.

“It’s too beautiful a facility not to be utilized,” said Cayce City Councilman Phil Carter, whose district includes the property. “I’d certainly welcome any new tenants.”

Carter said 12th Street is a “high-profile corridor” for the city and council has sought to encourage development of the area around the headquarters.

In 2020, Atlanta-based real estate investment company The Simpson Organization Inc. purchased 36 acres of land across from the Dominion campus with plans for a $65 million development to include apartments, restaurants, retail, a hotel, office space and an entertainment area, the company said in a statement.

“We envision this mixed-use village as a true live, work and play destination offering entertainment, shopping and a place to call home,” Boyd Simpson, owner of The Simpson Organization, said in a statement.

But the developer has yet to take any action at the site.

When it comes to the Dominion campus, Stern acknowledged that the office market has been in a slump, with many companies choosing to downsize their real estate needs since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said his company is always hunting for opportunity, and the opportunity to strike a good deal often comes during a downturn.

Add to that, the campus boasts easy access to interstates 77 and 26.

“It’s a great facility in a great location,” said Stern, who also is chairman of the State Ports Authority board. “I just don’t think these opportunities come around that often.”

The 92-acre building serves as a main campus for Dominion, now the company is looking to possibly move employees to another space.

CAYCE, S.C. — The potential sale of Dominion Energy's main campus could mean big change for the Cayce community.

Stavros Seremetis has owned Tony's since 2010 and says his business is always impacted by changes that happen in the community.

"If we lose 10 customers from there, we're going to get 15 from there," Seremetis said.

A big unknown in the Cayce community at the moment, is the potential sale of a Dominion Energy building on Otarre Parkway.

"My regulars from Dominion, I see them at least once a week, but I know if they move they won't be able to come by as much, maybe once a month, but either way it will affect us," Seremetis explained.

The Dominion building was built on Otarre Parkway in 2009 and sits on 92 acres of land.

WLTX reached out to Dominion Energy on Monday to confirm the sale of this particular building and received this statement in reply:

"Dominion Energy is committed to maintaining a strong company presence in Cayce. We continue to assess ways to operate even more efficiently, and this includes the potential for consolidating occupancy of our facilities on the 12th Street corridor if it is in the best interest of our customers and employees. In doing so, Dominion Energy has entered an agreement with Stern & Stern Properties Inc. for the potential sale of our main campus on 12th street."

Phil Baughman who often rides his bike near this particular Dominion Energy building, along a portion of the Cayce Riverwalk, says he hopes the sale of the building will be a good thing.

"You've still got to pay your electric bill no matter what, no matter who it's from," Baughman said. "People will have jobs, I mean there are jobs around now, people begging for work, for workers, so I think we'll be okay either way."

Cayce Mayor, Elise Partin, also hopes the sale of the building will be positive. She sent WLTX this statement:

"While there are still many unknowns for us… we hope that Dominion will stay in the area even if they don't own the building. We look forward to welcoming new businesses and corporate partners in that space as well. Cayce has a great quality of life and we are thrilled about the possibility of more employees getting to enjoy our restaurants, local coffee shops, and businesses."

From what we know the sale is not a done deal as of yet, and there are still discussions to be had.

We reached out to Stern & Stern Properties about the sale of this particular building to get more details about what it will be used for, but we have not heard back just yet.

Provided

jordan@lexingtonchronicle.com

A new delay in Cayce’s redistricting process will push the municipality’s updates to its City Council map until after the coming November election, highlighting a lack of specificity in election law.

Council was set to pass final and second reading of redrawn council districts at its regular July 11 meeting, fulfilling its municipal requirement to update its district map to make sure that every person in the city has as equal representation as possible on council after receiving population data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

But Council Member Phil Carter had asked about a residential section along Dogwood Street between Cypress Street and Haynes Lane at the previous meeting, seeking to figure out why that section was being sent from District 4, which Carter represents, to District 3, represented by Hunter Sox, when the move breaks up what is a contained neighborhood in that area.

City Manager Tracy Hegler advised Council that they could redraw the new map to send that section back to District 4 and still be within the acceptable 5% population deviation between the city’s districts.

Council decided to take advantage of that opportunity, but also decided it would need to inform residents of the change before implementing it, holding another public hearing and sending out letters detailing the new map. With filing set to open next month, the members decided they didn’t have enough time to accomplish all that beforehand, asking Hegler if they could punt the decision to after the coming Nov. 7 election.

“There’s no statute that you have to do it in a certain time,” Hegler said.

Asked by Sox if, theoretically, they could never redistrict, she replied, “You’re supposed to do it as soon as you can, that’s reasonably possible.”

Council then held a unanimous vote to postpone the second and final reading on redistricting until the first meeting after the November election.

These developments might come as a surprise to those who followed redistricting talks in neighboring municipality West Columbia last year. Last August, the City Council there had some tense arguments amid concerns about the quickness with which it was moving through the process.

That haste was spurred by the resignation earlier that month of a council member moving out of the city. At the time, West Columbia City Administrator Brian Carter said the city had to take into account the updated Census information it received in late 2021 before holding a special election to secure a replacement.

According to the Municipal Association of South Carolina, however, this may not have been necessary, and Cayce could be fine pushing its redistricting to after this year’s election.

“The courts have allowed for ‘reasonable’ periods of time to elapse between Cenuses and redistricting so long as local governments are working toward a plan,” Scot Slatton, director of advocacy and communications for the association, told the Chronicle when we reached out about Cayce’s redistricting plans. “We can’t say how a court would view the situation in Cayce you outline.”

He shared a 2021 article from the association pondering the question “Delay Municipal Elections, or Not?” when the U.S. Census Bureau announced that it would release 2020 info in September 2021, much later than usual.

“Federal courts have repeatedly held that the release of official census data does not require the immediate abandonment of the existing ward map,” the article explains. “Rather, the rule is that state and local governments must follow a reasonable plan and process to adopt an updated ward map that incorporates the new census data.”

Cayce is moving forward with its delayed redistricting process with Hegler, the city manager, relaying much the same understanding of the law to council.

The city with nearly 14,000 residents will hold its Nov. 7 election with its current district lines still in place.

The mayor’s seat as well as Mayor Pro Tem James "Skip" Jenkins' District 2 seat and Carter's District 4 seat will be on the ballot.

In the meantime, the council members said they will look to make sure people are as informed as possible about what the final map is set to look like.

“We could do that, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it because we haven't told those people,” Mayor Elise Partin said when Council discussed the possibility of going ahead and approving the readjusted map without reaching out to inform the public first. “We’re very thorough about everything this body has done. We send letters. We educate. We communicate. We give people the opportunity, in this case ... for a public hearing.”

The small change to Districts 3 and 4 won’t alter the new map that much.

The most significant shifts between current district lines and what Council will look to approve in November see District 4 ceding two large swaths of territory along the Congaree River to District 2. One runs along New State Road and includes the Martin Marietta Cayce Quarry and the neighborhood backing up to Kelley Jones Park and the Cayce Riverwalk, while the other is bordered by the 12th Street Extension, Taylor Road and Old State Road and includes Dominion Energy’s Cayce headquarters.

The other changes see a few scattered blocks along the boundaries between districts swapping their affiliations, with District 3 ceding territory to District 2 and receiving territory from District 4. District 1 (represented by Tim James) will send three blocks sandwiched between Oakland Avenue and Poplar Street to District 2.

Keywords

cayce city council, 2022 election, redistricting sc, mayor elise partin, council member phil carter, hunter sox, municipal association of south carolina

The ‘canyon’ was once a small stream that carried water from a drainage pipe, but now it’s a ravine that residents say their yards are slowly falling into.

CAYCE, S.C. — A handful of Cayce residents say erosion has ruined their yards and made it impossible to sell their houses, thanks to a creek they call ‘Cayce Canyon.' The residents want the City of Cayce to intervene.

“We are tired of being a hostage of Cayce,” said resident Karen Dawkins.

Dawkins has lived in the avenues of Cayce for thirty years. Her yard backs up to the riverwalk and right behind her fence is ‘Cayce Canyon.'

“Property values have decreased steadily,” Dawkins said. “Making it not feasible to sell our homes at the same time with the damage that continues to be done.”

The ‘canyon’ was once a small stream that carried water from a drainage pipe, but now it’s a deep ravine that residents say their yards are slowly falling into.

“We have lost one telephone pole already,” Dawkins said. “We've lost our fences. Our property has been deemed unsafe from the midpoint to what's now the bank.”

What used to be a flat back yard has become a steep hill, and now her house’s foundation is cracking. American Engineering Consultants review found that development in the area caused increased stormwater flow, and the ditch is significantly over capacity.

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Dawkins has reached out to everyone she can think of for help.

“The first thing we did was contact our city leaders,” Dawkins said. “Our city leaders told us that they were not solely responsible, that they even did a water study back in 2016 and found that the water coming onto the city's property comes from different entities.”

City officials say they are aware of the issue. "We're constantly looking for funding, whether it's via grants or talking to our state representatives or federal representatives, to help tackle this project,” Cayce City Manager Tracy Hegler said.

The City of Cayce recently received a $10 million rural infrastructure grant. The money’s from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and it’s going towards drainage issues in the Avenues. Hegler says a portion of this money is going to what residents call the ‘Cayce Canyon.'

“There'll be a little bit more on what we're calling the indigo basin, where we've started our work already,” Hegler said. “Some of our citizens are already seeing the great impact of that, and it will address what's kind of the next outfall in the Avenues drainage area, which is the Naples basin, and so we will be able to, we will be, we will be working on that.”

For residents, it may be the end of a decades-long issue.

“Cayce’s motto is 'Time for Life.'" We've been waiting over 20 years for ours,” Dawkins said.

Residents may see improvements soon, as the City of Cayce says the grant money must be spent in the next two years.

CAYCE, S.C. — The City of Cayce has received funding that it says will go towards drainage issues that have annoyed residents for years.

In Wednesday's City Council meeting, two major moves were made to address a growing issue with drainage and flooding.- a check worth $10 million was given to Cayce from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, and the council approved professional engineering services for the second phase of the Cayce Avenues drainage improvement project.

Tracy Hegler is the city manager and says the money is a huge leg-up for getting the work done. She adds that part of the city is prone to flood, especially from storm water.

'It's just an older neighborhood that was built before we knew how to design storm water management, it's not uncommon, it happens everywhere," she says.

She explains additional funding will also come from the state transportation department making the total cost of the grant $11 million. She adds the drainage project is broken into three phases, with the second phase and will focus on drainage close to the river along Indago and Karlaney streets

"It's going to be either new pipes, bigger pipes, new culverts, upsized culverts, just to capture that flow in a more efficient manner than exists today," Hegler says.

That might not be the only change coming to Cayce's infrastructure.

RELATED: Cayce residents say erosion is causing a 'canyon', taking over properties

In Wednesday's meeting, Dara Brown a community health coordinator with Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center provided a presentation on a possible walking and biking loop that would run through Cayce.

"So our vision of the loop is to connect Steel Hands and Savage Craft breweries. So starting from Foreman Street with Steel Hands and going up Frank and across State streets towards Savage Craft and then down meeting street in West Columbia, turning left onto Twelfth Street and following Twelfth Street all the way into Cayce." Brown explains.

She says the color is to connect disadvantaged communities, especially communities of color, and additionally provide a safe place for people to walk and shop in the area. The idea is receiving verbal support from the council according to Mayor Elise Partin. She says the project could be a huge help to the local economy.

"We have so many great small businesses but there's space for more and adding in safe ways to bike and to walk we know will actually help to bring more business," she claims.

Brown says the next step is to host some audit walks, where city leaders and the community will come out and survey the proposed improvements, and says she is working to secure grant funding and garner more support from the community.

Residents of Cayce tell us they're excited about both projects, including Randall Clamb. He's an Avenues resident and sees a walking corridor as a safe alternative for his dog walks.

"When you're driving on the street you're thinking about getting over, so if there were sidewalks to walk on, it would just be a lot safer," he says.

He adds additional help with flooding will also be huge for the neighborhood.

"I think it's time to take care of a problem that has plagued us for a long time," Clamb says.