Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Revitalization topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council certifies downtown property as abandoned; developer touts tax-credit-fueled restoration
Summary
Council approved Resolution R25-16416 to certify 113–141 N. White Street as an abandoned building site under the South Carolina Abandoned Building Revitalization Act. A developer with L and D Redevelopment LLC described plans to use historic and state abandoned-building tax credits; the city attorney flagged a potential registered-agent concern for the mayor, which the mayor denied and the council nevertheless approved the resolution.
The Lancaster City Council voted to approve Resolution R25-16416, certifying properties at 113 through 141 North White Street as an abandoned building site under the South Carolina Abandoned Building Revitalization Act, clearing the way for the property owner and developer to pursue tax-credit-supported rehabilitation.
A developer representative identified in the meeting as Brennan of L and D Redevelopment LLC told the council the project is intended as a catalyst for downtown revitalization and can be supported by a combination of federal and state historic tax credits plus the state's abandoned-building tax credit. "We look at this as a catalyst project for the revitalization of the downtown storage area," Brennan said, adding that the combined incentives "help bring down the cost of construction" and make residential and commercial reuse viable.
City attorney counsel raised a potential issue: when he researched corporate filings, he found the mayor listed as a registered agent of the current owner or a similarly named entity. "When I researched it and saw that the mayor was a registered agent of the current owner...I pointed it out as a potential issue," the city attorney said. Mayor Deveney responded directly to the council and the public, saying he has "no interest in it whatsoever except...I'm the registered agent of dozens and dozens of buildings," and that the role of a registered agent is a conduit for service of process rather than an operational ownership interest.
Despite the attorney's note, the council moved to approve the resolution and recorded affirmative roll-call votes from council members present. A council member moved the resolution; the motion was seconded and carried. The developer said he would coordinate with city staff and the Department of Revenue as the project advances and that he expected to begin design work later in the summer.
The resolution formally certifies the properties as eligible for state abandoned-building tax credit consideration under the cited state act; the council did not set development conditions at the meeting beyond the certification. The mayor and city attorney discussed the registered-agent question on the record and the mayor stated he would vote on the matter.
The council thanked the developer for the presentation and moved on to other agenda items.
