During its most recent meeting, Lexington County Council gave first reading approval to the redevelopment of Chapin Business and Technology Park, which has sat vacant for several years.

Bordering Interstate 26, the Chapin Business and Technology Park at Brighton spans about 200 acres and was originally intended to serve as an industrial park when it was developed in the early 2010s. Its target audience, according to Lexington County’s economic development website, included businesses in the life sciences, manufacturing, distribution and aerospace industries.

According to a press release from Lexington County Councilwoman Beth Carrigg, the proposal to redevelop and rezone the property includes the creation of more than 2,500 jobs, along with the construction of a library, an amphitheater and a mixed-use village featuring commercial, retail, food and beverage options.

“Your County Council has worked hard to ensure that the jobs going in the park will be in technology and that there will be no data centers or heavy industry,” Carrigg said in the release. “This is a huge win for Chapin and Lexington County.

“The initial $20.4 Million to purchase the park offsets the $16 Million taxpayer investment, ends 16 years of marketing campaigns by Lexington County Economic Development, and brings a one of a kind, multi-million-dollar investment to Lexington County.”

Prior to county council meeting last Tuesday, Chapin Mayor Bill Mitchell, via a Facebook livestream, spoke about the potential project and his attempts to contact county council members.

“I got nothing but a door closed in my face,” he said, adding that only District 9 Councilwoman Charli Wessinger maintained good communication with him.

“They are having a conversation about 667 homes combined with 390 homes that Mungo wants to put on the front 100 acres of Brighton, which equals about 1,000 homes, and they don’t want to talk to the mayor about the town’s concerns,” Mitchell said, referring to a separate neighborhood development project near the business park. “I don’t consider that concurrency. I consider that stiff-arming the town of Chapin, and I do not appreciate it.”

Mitchell also said he was offered $4 million by the county to cover the cost of 667 water and sewer taps. He said he declined the offer, citing concerns about strain on infrastructure and local schools.

“This kind of behavior without conversation provokes me as the mayor of your town,” Mitchell said. “I want honest conversation. I want transparency. I don’t want a large sum of money waved in front of our face. We will make decisions that protect our children, even if it costs us money to not issue those taps.”

In her statement, Carrigg said the business park project “would not begin until after completion of the expansion of Columbia Avenue and the new bypass around the town center, and will have very limited impact on local traffic.”

The public hearing for the project will likely be during the next Lexington County Council meeting on April 28.