Archive for category: Frontpage Article

Scott spoke for over 40 minutes at the meeting, addressing the impeachment trial at the very beginning before taking questions and in response to the last question asked.

He said he was able to appear in Florence due to a planned delay in the impeachment trial. The Senate elected to begin the trial next Tuesday rather than on Friday because of Martin Luther King Day on Monday.

“It worked out where I had more time to come back home,” Scott said. “Anytime you have chance to come back home, you should say, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’”

Scott also said that more time spent in Washington makes him want to kiss the ground in South Carolina.

He said he was scheduled to speak at a school in Myrtle Beach on Friday, and things worked out for him to appear in Florence as well.

Scott was also scheduled to visit Vital Aging in Kingstree after the Florence stop.

At the end of the question-and-answer session, Scott was asked if the impeachment was a hoax.

“Is impeachment a hoax?” Scott asked. “I’m not sure of the definition of a hoax, but what I will tell you over the next two to four weeks, we will find out lots of information about the fact patterns that either do exist or don’t exist.”

He said his theory was a very simple one: Look for the truth and put aside all partisanship. He called for an objective process not littered with personal agendas to decide the fate of not only Trump but of the greatest democracy the world has ever seen.

“If we will take that approach to the next four weeks, I think that we will come up with a pretty healthy position and one that can be articulated and supported by facts,” Scott said. “If you can’t do that, then you’re in the wrong job.”

One of the more important challenges America faces, Scott said, is the challenge of civility and fairness.

He said he had recently appeared on a TV show where he was asked how bad things are in America in terms of race relations.

“I thought to myself, ‘How long have you been alive? Like 12 days?’” Scott said.

He said he was born in the heart of Dixie, the state of South Carolina. Scott added that he had run against Strom Thurmond’s son in the place where the Civil War started — Fort Sumter guards Charleston Harbor — and won election to the House of Representatives.

“You’re going to tell me nothing has changed in 50 years?” Scott continued. “Are you smoking crack? I mean, seriously, I don’t understand how someone could have such audacious, salacious, inconsistent with reality comments. That frustrates the dickens out of me.”

He was appointed to the Senate on Dec. 17, 2012, by Gov. Nikki Haley to fill the seat of the retiring Jim DeMint. Scott was elected to finish the remainder of DeMint’s term in 2014 and elected for a full term in 2016.

Scott indicated that he plans to run again in 2022 but probably will not run after that. He said he plans to return to private business.

Prior to being appointed to the Senate, Scott was the representative for South Carolina’s Congressional District 1, which included most of the coast of the state. He was elected to the seat in 2010 over the son of Strom Thurmond, a longtime senator from South Carolina.

Scott was re-elected in 2012.

He ran for and was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2008, serving until his election to Congress.

Prior to the South Carolina House of Representatives, Scott was chairman of the Charleston County Council in 2007-2008.

Scott was elected to the Charleston County Council in a 1995 special election and reelected in 2004.

Scott was born and raised in North Charleston, graduating from R.B. Stall — he said “Go Warriors” during his speech — and Charleston Southern University with a degree in political science.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

The project is formally designated as Project Urban Square in the agreement.

The grant agreement also establishes the developer of the property as Styx Florence Land LLC. It adds that the developer will be led by a team of David and Jule Tuttle.

Styx Florence Land plans to develop and construct a multifamily apartment building, a professional office building, a hotel, and “high-density residential units” which probably would be town homes or condos.

The project is expected to include 150 new apartments, according to Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela. The nearby Emerson apartments have approximately 100 units.

Wukela also added the $62.5 million figure probably will increase.

“This is without question the largest single development the city has engaged in, and it’s complicated in the sense that it really involves several sub-developments when you parse out the townhomes and the apartments,” Wukela said. “There are still things to be filled in.”

He added there were still things to be revealed later, such as the name of the hotel and the tenant of the office building.

The project is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs as well as 150 to 200 new, well-paying jobs in the downtown area, according to the grant agreement.

The private investment in the property will total approximately $50 million.

In the agreement, the city agrees to convey the property to the developer for no monetary consideration. Part of the property being conveyed is subject to a lease with Elite Euro, an automotive repair garage that expires in Nov. 2022.

The agreement notes the city is working to terminate the lease but adds the property may be conveyed still subject to the lease.

The investment is expected to increase the taxable value of the property by $41 million as well as result in governmental fees, including water and sewer fees – the city agrees to design, construct and install the systems – hospitality and accommodations taxes, business license fees and building permits.

The city also agrees to construct a public parking garage at a cost of up to $11 million.

Wukela indicated the parking garage would have 300 spaces and that there would be other parking available on the site.

However, the agreement indicates the garage must contain no less than 250 spaces with 400 total public parking spaces in the development.

The city also agrees to design, construct, maintain and operate street and pedestrian lighting, landscaping and sidewalks along West Evans Street, Coit Street, N.B. Baroody Street and McQueen Street similar to the improvements in the 100 and 200 blocks of West Evans Street. The city also agrees to design, construct, maintain and operate a 1.5 acre park on the site.

The agreement notes that the total cost of the public amenities shall be between $1 million and $1.5 million.

The town homes or condos also are eligible for a 50% tap fee grant program for water and sewer tap fees.

The city also agrees to cooperate in Styx’s efforts to obtain benefits under the South Carolina Abandoned Building Revitalization Act.

The total amount of incentives provided by the city to Styx cannot exceed the value received by the city, according to the agreement.

The agreement calls for Styx to present the city with a site plan – Wukela indicated there were three to choose from – by Feb. 1 and that the city and Styx will agree upon a site plan by Feb. 29, the date of the land transfer.

A construction schedule is as follows: 10 months after Feb. 29, Styx will begin construction on the apartments; 60 days later the city will begin construction on the parking deck; by March 1, 2021, Styx will obtain a commitment from a hotelier and will submit site plans to the city; by Jan. 1, 2022, Styx will begin construction on the hotel.

Construction on the parking garage will be substantially completed by 12 months after construction begins. The apartment building is expected to be substantially complete by July 1, 2022, the hotel by July 1, 2023 and the whole project is expected to be substantially complete from the date five years and 10 months after Feb. 29, 2020.

The bill probably will be before the council on second reading in February.

To read the full story on SC Now, click here.