Mortgage Broker in Surrounding Lexington, SC

The neighborhood developer said the contractor who broke the sidewalk near the pond is expected to repair it.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — Neighbors living around Barr Lake in Lexington want sidewalks fixed, grass added and weeds maintained at a large water quality pond in the middle of their street, Rainbow Shad Way.

"I’m not trying to cause an issue or a problem," said resident Brian Zarb. "It’s all within our home right here, and we just would like to get this resolved and cleaned up and move on."

When asked who is responsible, News 19 received a statement saying, “The Town of Lexington does not own nor does it maintain the sidewalk or detention/retention pond in this neighborhood. Those matters would need to be brought to the attention of the developer or the homeowner’s association to be addressed.”

RELATED: Lexington County unveils comprehensive growth plan at Jan. 5 meeting

"I’ve reached out to the developer through emails. I’ve reached out to the developer with phone calls. I’ve reached out to the HOA multiple times and was promised that this was going to be fixed by Saluda, who is their lawn care (company) for the community. That never happened and that was six months ago," Zarb said.

The developer's office said, in part, "They are not required or allowed to have landscaping installed in the pond area as the roots could jeopardize the integrity of the pond slopes and dam."

Some, who have lived in the Barr Lake community for years say they haven’t seen much progress.

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"They had some big, heavy equipment come in here, start digging some stuff out of it, and we were hoping they would finish it, and we’ll see the finished product, we'll have sod here, we'll have sod on this side. Instead of doing that, they broke the concrete," said neighbor Shawn Singh. "Now, kids who ride bicycles, my son who rides a bicycle, I make him go on the other side from here across the road."

"They tend to go into the road, which is even worse because we live on the only through street to the construction zone, and there are huge trucks, cement trucks, construction traffic that fly through here," said neighbor Jennifer Ostan.

Now, they’re forced to still wait for it to get fixed.

There's no timeline yet on when the contractor who broke the sidewalk near the pond will be repairing it.

A 93.53-acre development is set to be added to the shores of Lake Murray.

The Lexington property, now known as Smallwood Cove, sits off Beekeeper Court and North Lake Drive near Jake’s Landing on the south side of the Lake Murray Dam.

Town Council revealed at its regularly scheduled May 1 meeting that a $733 million destination resort community is slated for the location, taking initial steps to approve the project.

The build-out for the forthcoming development, which is set to include a Regional Conference Center to be built by the town, is set to take 15 years.

According to Mayor Steve MacDougall, the new community will bring a marina, retail spaces, hotels, restaurants, and even living spaces for residents ranging from single-family homes to condos.

MacDougall called it the largest development Lexington will ever see.

“Because of this investment and this project everyone around us will win,” he said. “Irmo will win, Chapin will win, Gilbert will win, because more people will come to the region and when that happens everybody gets lifted up.”

Council Member Kathy Maness told the Chronicle the development is a great opportunity for the people of Lexington, emphasizing that it’s something that the town needs.

As part of the arrangement for the development, the town will receive as a donation the five acres for the conference center to be built upon, with Lexington taking responsibility for building the street to the center, along with water and sewage. The town estimates its total cost for this will be $30 million.

“I think it's a great opportunity having a conference center there for other people to see what a treasure we have in the Town of Lexington with Lake Murray,” Maness said. “t's a wonderful opportunity for others in South Carolina and outside of South Carolina. to see the beauty that we have.”

MacDougall said the cost for the center will be $30 million.

Construction on the project is set to start within two years and will be completed in phases.

“This project is a public/private economic development partnership which will create destination tourism for Lexington County and provide access to premier lake front property,” the town writes in a release. “Once completed, it will generate substantial tax revenue and economic benefits for the state and local community, including the creation of at least 400 tourism industry jobs.”

MacDougall emphasized that this kind of development has been on the vision plan since 2012, but the town is just now able to bring the goal to fruition.

“We had to create space that is now an asset for the town of Lexington – and not only for the town of Lexington but the entire region,” he said.

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.

Keywords

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Locals looking to get their exercise walking across the Lake Murray Dam will have to get their steps somewhere else for at least a few days longer.

The state Department of Transportation announced June 23 that it was working with Dominion Energy, which operates the hydroelectric facility and is responsible for land use and shoreline management around Lake Murray, to repair a damaged portion of the walkway.

Part of the walkway will remain closed while the work is done, as will the right, southbound lane of S.C. Highway 6/North Lake Drive going across the dam. The thoroughfare is the main connecting road between Lexington and Irmo.

“A portion of the walkway remains closed,” DOT posted to social media June 26, noting that work on the walkway will continue this week. “The only access to the walkway is from the Lexington side of the path.”

The Lexignton side of the dam is home to the public beach to which Dominion offers access during the warmer months, as well as a parking area for those who come to use the dam walkway. The Irmo side of the dam also features a Dominion park, but one that offers a boat ramp and no swimming.

“Drivers are reminded to stay alert and drive cautiously through the work zone,” the department added. “We appreciate the patience of our community members while we work to complete this project.”

The work on the dam comes as the lake anticipates one of its biggest events of the year. The annual 4th of July Celebration put on by the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board is slated for July 1, bringing an afternoon boat parade and evening fireworks show to the lake, with the Dominion Energy parks on each side of the dam serving popular viewing areas for the parade.

The fireworks are fired off from Dreher Island and Spence Island, not the Dominion parks near the dam, so Capital City/Lake Murray Country recommends viewing them by boat near the islands and by car near Dreher Island (noting Dreher Island State Park as a good option).

DOT didn’t offer a specific anticipated reopening date for the walkway or the southbound lane, only noting that the work will continue this week.

Keywords

lake murray dam, sc highway 6, north lake drive, dreher shoals, lexington county walking trail

Provided

Posted Friday, April 7, 2023 9:30 am

jordan@lexingtonchronicle.com

Five Lexington County food service establishments received C grades, the lowest SC Food Grade given out by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, during the month of March.

Identifying exactly what went into the grades given out by DHEC will soon be easier for patrons entering restaurants.

The stickers announcing restaurants’ grades will now feature a QR code that will direct them to the page on the department’s website where they can look up recent inspection reports.

“[It’s] a great resource for anyone interested in viewing recent inspection reports for their favorite restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores,” Sandra Craig, director of DHEC’s Division of Food and Lead Risk Assessments, is quoted in a release. “By adding a QR code to every Food Grade decal, patrons can conveniently view information beyond the food grade alone.”

The Lexington County businesses that received C grades in March are located in Batesburg, Irmo and Lexington.

Caper House, located at 215 S Pine St. in Batesburg, received a C (and a score of 89%) on a follow-up inspection conducted March 6. The business had previously received a B on a routine inspection conducted Feb. 24.

As of April 6, DHEC did not list a subsequent follow-up inspection at Caper House as having been conducted.

Among the violations noted March 6 was evidence of insects and rodents, with the report observing “dead insects on floor/underneath equipment throughout back storage area” and “rodent droppings in back storage area,” with the rodent droppings listed as a repeat violation from the previous inspection.

Other violations noted included a faulty handwashing sink and the use of lemon scented bleach as a dish and equipment sanitizer when unscented bleach is required.

The report notes that a follow-up inspection should have been performed within 10 days.

The El Jimador at 1072 Lake Murray Blvd. in Irmo received a C (70%) on a routine inspection conducted March 6 and again on a March 9 follow-up (when it received a score of 82%). The restaurant was upgraded to an A (97%) after a subsequent follow-up conducted March 12.

The violations noted March 6 included “employee handling ready to eat food with bare hands,” “cut limes in strainer being stored inside bar hand sink” with “no other vacant sink available for hand washing in bar area,” “raw hamburger patties stored above ready to eat food inside of prep coolers” and “packaged single serve pizza stored in contact with repackaged raw beef in prep freezer.”

The restaurant was also docked for improper cooling time and temperatures, improper cold holding temperatures and lacking required certifications.

The March 9 report noted violations including “dishes and knives with build up of food debris stored as clean,” “grocery style bags being used as storage for tortillas” and an “apron being used as a chute to direct the flow of shredded cheese during processing.” The infractions for improper cooling time and temperatures, improper cold holding temperatures and lack of required certifications were repeated.

The report from March 12 was nearly perfect, apart from observing a hole in the wall next to the kitchen door and an accumulation of dust on a vent above the cook line.

Fusion Bowl Asian Bistro, located at 5166-E Sunset Blvd. in Lexington, received a C (76%) on March 20 following a routine inspection and was brought back up to an A (100%) after a March 24 follow-up.

The March 20 report noted “raw meats stored above egg rolls in walk in cooler,” “food prep containers stored as clean ... with food debris and sticky residue,” “plates stored as clean ... with food debris,” a “large bowl that contained raw chicken ... rinsed off in the sink and stored as clean,” a toxic chemical spray bottle stored on the cook line without being properly identified, “containers of food and open sauces stored directly on the floor in the walk in,” and “puddled water ... on top of a bus pan of food in the walk in.”

The report also assessed violations for lack of required certification, improper cooling time and temperatures, improper cooling methods, improper cold holding temperatures and multiple infractions for inadequate access to handwashing stations.

Fusion Bowl wasn’t assessed any violations on the March 24 follow-up.

Taqueria Y Tienda Del Valle, located at 152 Pine St. in Batesburg, received a C (75%) on a routine inspection conducted March 29 and again after a follow-up inspection conducted April 5 (when it received a score of 84%).

The March 29 report noted that the “facility does not have a date marking system in place for time/temperature control for safety, ready to eat foods held in excess of 24 hours” and assessed multiple infractions for improper holding temperatures.

The report also detailed “employees ... not washing hands between points of contamination to include handling raw foods/ready to eat foods,” an employee handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands, “fresh eggs soiled with dirt and feathers,” “areas of walls and ceilings that were in poor repair throughout the kitchen area,” and the lack of a test kit for chemical-based sanitizers.

The April 5 report again noted the lack of a date marking system and again assessed multiple infractions for improper holding temperatures.

The follow-up report again docked the restaurant for lacking required certification and for the disrepair in the kitchen area.

The Tokyo Grill at 1787 S Lake Dr. Ste J in Lexington received a C (71%) on a routine inspection conducted March 1 and As on follow-up inspections from March 3 (97%) and 10 (100%).

The March 1 report noted that the “facility does not have a date marking system in place for time/temperature control for safety, ready to eat foods held in excess of 24 hours” and assessed additional infractions that observed an “employee handle raw beef, put it on the grill, and proceeded to handle broccoli without washing his hands in between,” “boxed food items stored directly on the floor in the walk in cooler” and an “accumulation of trash and cardboard surrounding the dumpster area.”

The restaurant was also docked for insufficient access to handwashing sinks and supplies, improper cooking times and temperatures, improper hot holding temperatures, improper food labeling, along with improper equipment and plumbing.

The March 3 report was perfect except for the plumbing issue again being noted.

The March 10 report didn’t assess any infractions.

Keywords

lexington county food grades, sc dhec, columbia restaurants

LEXINGTON — The town is taking early steps to limit new self-storage businesses in an effort to prioritize retail stores in commercial districts and improve economic development.

In a Jan. 18 meeting, the Lexington Town Council showed support for a proposal to alter the zoning required for self storage units from commercial and industrial zoning to solely industrial zoning.

The move would push new self-storage businesses to set up away from the heart of town toward Interstate 20, which runs along Lexington's southern edge. The proposal is now headed to Lexington's planning commission.

"We have a couple of vacancies in Lexington, some big box stores and things like that, and we're trying to work with different companies to come in for another retail location," Lexington Economic Developer Jack Stuart said. "We're just seeing that self-storage places are a hot item and always love to take those spots."

Redefining zoning for self-storage would allow Lexington to prioritize economic drivers in town, and increase employment opportunities, Stuart said.

"We're just trying to protect what we have here as a center of commerce, for our community," Stuart said.

If the town changes zoning definitions for self-storage businesses to industrial zoning only, new storage developments would be unable to open near Lexington's vibrant downtown. Existing self-storage businesses would be grandfathered in and able to remain in commercially zoned districts.

The town has seen an influx in self-storage businesses in recent years, in response to a high demand for storage, Stuart said.

Columbia Business

"Storage follows population growth," Stuart said. " Also, we see an increasing number of businesses that operate out of self storage for their warehousing and things, as offices closed during the pandemic."

Lexington currently has nine self storage units, with two more in development, Stuart said in the Jan. 18 meeting.

Last year, the council approved a subdivision request that allowed a former big-box retail space to convert to self storage, something that wouldn't have been allowed if the proposed rule changes had been in place then.

The vacant site on Lexington's W. Main Street where a Kmart closed its doors in 2019 had not seen any interest from big-box stores, according to Ryan Maltba, the director of development for property owner Baker Commercial Properties. Maltba blamed concerns from commercial stores about now wanting to compete with the retail powerhouse that is Harbison Boulevard near Irmo, a short distance to the north.

Baker Commercial Properties received town approval in 2022 to subdivide and sell the Kmart Space to a a self-storage developer that operates five other self-storage spaces in the Midlands, Maltba said.

"Storage is like a puzzle piece," Maltba said. "It doesn't belong everywhere, but sometimes its the proper puzzle piece to fit."

Maltba argues that Kmart is the right location for a self-storage space, because it is set back about 150 yards from the street, and has room for developments in front of it.

Stuart had no comment on what happened with the former Kmart space.