Questions arose at a Lake Murray Community meeting as Lexington Mayor Steve MacDougall described a 93-acre secret development agreement without taxpayer input. When asked, Mayor MacDougall said he would be willing to listen to taxpayer concerns, but avoided answering the question of whether or not taxpayers could vote on the development project.

In a meeting sponsored by the Lake Murray Community Association at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, May 16th, Mayor Steve MacDougall introduced the idea of a 93-acre Development concept to approximately 150-200 residents. Despite attempting to create imagery to sell citizens on the idea, the mayor struggled to answer citizens questions directly and definitively. Nor did he address concerns raised regarding the impacts to Lexington County quality of life, worsening traffic, strained capacities on all facets of infrastructure (school capacities, water quality), or the environmental, health and safety issues that loom large in the minds of current County and Town residents in attendance.

Melissa Sprouse Brown previously detailed the property in an article where she stated: “the Smallwood Cove development would encompass seven individual tracts of lands across 93 acres, situated between Lake Murray and North Lake Drive. All of the tracts are intended to be annexed into the Town of Lexington. As outlined in the Smallwood Cove Development Guideline prepared by Kimley Horn and Associates, the usage breakdown will be:

●Multi-family/Town-homes: 940 units
●Single Family Homes: 160 units
●Hotel: 290 rooms
●Conference Center: 50,000 square feet
●Retail/Office: 40,000 square feet
●Restaurant: 10,000 square feet”

The seven tracts of land are currently owned by corporate entities, including Smallwood Cove, LLC; Kendrick Cove, LLC; Kendrick Cove II, LLC and Edisto Cove, LLC; all showing the same registered agent of Silas Calhoun McMeekin, Jr.

The Mayor’s primary points emphasized increased tax revenues and that the Town of Lexington needed an “iconic presence on the Lake”. That while stating the development would be “creating generational wealth” for the landowner and his family for decades.

We heard several surprises regarding his sequence of meetings and negotiations held in secret. According to him, the mayor struck a “gentleman’s agreement” with the property owner. This agreement was his explanation for not being fully transparent. The proposed real estate deal appears to satisfy the MacDougall vision for Lexington without sufficient input from residents.

As some context, MacDougall mentioned he has gotten some of his ideas by attending a National League of Cities (NLC) conference, a liberal DC-based enterprise funneling strategies and support for the conversion of towns and cities to more similar attributes of other left-leaning cities. Despite being an ostensibly non-partisan organization with some cross-party membership, NLC leadership appears center-left. Readers can find out more at www.nlc.org.

A few recommendations and questions that residents may wish to consider: the Mayor mentions the 93-acre living/resort area would draw from all areas of the midlands and the entire state and beyond. What will be done to avoid North Lake becoming another Harbison Avenue type grid lock like what we currently have with Hwy 378 and US Hwy 1 added to an anticipated uptick in crime?

What is the plan and the precise incremental investment required – especially in light of more recent miscalculations, i.e., River Bluff High School budget overruns? For any funds sought from State to Federal level, what commitments will be tied to such funding that will influence proposed development? Does anyone in town to county leadership roles, or their family members, derive any direct or indirect financial benefit from the annexation of the development? If so, what are the benefits?

Openly refuting the traffic problem in Lexington, MacDougall cited use of “Bluetooth-enabled surveillance” to reduce traffic. For those of us that travel on Hwy 378 or US Hwy 1 we know this highly questionable use of technology is irrelevant to solving the problem thus far. By what authority and funding source does MacDougall have permission from the people to track and surveil individuals and their car movements? There are quite mature ways to monitor volume violation of privacy. Perhaps, we should have an open, transparent town hall reviewing this use of technology and others that do not violate privacy.

Lastly, where is the authority to have a secret agreement without informing the public? What are the details of this agreement? Does he have a formal, contractual NDA in place? A FOIA request should begin to get at some answers that the people of Lexington deserve to know, but such disclosures – proactively by the Mayor – would be best.

Based upon his statements, MacDougall seems to think many of the new residences will be retirees that will not be on the congested roads much at all? What makes the Mayor think older people are content to sit in a rocking chair all day and never leaving their home? The mayor must refrain from such generalized comments about retirees and the diversity of activity and use of roadways that they represent.

The current petition, calling for full transparency and a balanced set of considerations between the town and county, stands at over 1,017 signatories as of this writing. Residents of Lexington County were obviously concerned. At the meeting most spoken to in private conversations were opposed to the development and or wishing to see a fully transparent process is growing. All residents are encouraged to get involved, speak to your neighbors and engage the town planning committee, town and county council members directly in the coming weeks and months ahead.

The next planning committee meeting to hear citizens’ feedback will be held at 111 Maiden Lane June 28th.

Greg Brewer Graduated BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering from USC in Columbia and studied International Business at the University of California. Greg has held diverse technical, operational and business development roles in large corporations such as GE, Siemens and Philips to small technology start-ups serving industrial, utilities and government sectors from the east to west coasts of the USA, in Australia and Europe. After more than a decade in San Diego and Napa, California, Greg returned to SC seeking a better quality of life and now resides in the Lexington town center to be close to his family here.

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