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CAYCE — Dominion Energy could sell its 100-acre Cayce campus, built before the Virginia-based utility took over South Carolina’s largest investor-owned utility, to a Columbia real estate developer.

The company did not disclose any particulars of the agreement for a potential sale it signed with Bill Stern, owner of Stern & Stern Properties Inc.

Stern confirmed he has the property under contract and is conducting due diligence before closing on the deal. He expects to finalize the purchase later this year.

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“I think it’s a great property; it’s a beautiful facility,” Stern said. “I’d put it up against office buildings in any other state.”

Stern said his company is actively marketing the campus to corporate clients across the nine states where Stern & Stern Properties operates. He said it could be leased out to multiple tenants.

Before a failed nuclear plant project in Fairfield County sent South Carolina’s only Fortune 500 company spiraling into financial ruin, SCANA Corp.’s then-chief executive Bill Timmerman moved the utility’s more than 900 corporate employees from its Main Street, Columbia, office tower to the sprawling campus on the south side of Cayce, along Interstate 77.

The 25-year lease the company held on the downtown building was ending, and rather than signing a new deal and trying to upgrade the aging space, Timmerman opted to build a new $140 million facility on land the utility had owned for 25 years.

A year and a half after breaking ground, the company made the shift to the sparkling 540,000-square-foot headquarters with five interconnected buildings and room for 1,300 employees.

But when Dominion took over SCANA and South Carolina Electric & Gas in early 2019, its Columbia workforce was greatly reduced. Dominion did not say how many employees currently work in the building, but for more than a year the Richmond-based utility has been trying unsuccessfully to lease out some 100,000 square feet of space on the campus.

The company also did not say whether or where it would relocate if the sale goes through, only offering a statement.

“Dominion Energy is committed to maintaining a strong company presence in Cayce,” the statement read. “We continue to assess ways to operate even more efficiently, and this includes the potential for consolidating occupancy of our facilities on the 12th Street corridor if it is in the best interest of our customers and employees.”

Stern said he has not yet spoken to the utility about leasing back a portion of the space if his firm ultimately buys the property.

Stern could not recall who approached him and told him there might be an opportunity to buy the campus, but he said he has always been impressed with the property, with its numerous walking paths and water features.

“It’s too beautiful a facility not to be utilized,” said Cayce City Councilman Phil Carter, whose district includes the property. “I’d certainly welcome any new tenants.”

Carter said 12th Street is a “high-profile corridor” for the city and council has sought to encourage development of the area around the headquarters.

In 2020, Atlanta-based real estate investment company The Simpson Organization Inc. purchased 36 acres of land across from the Dominion campus with plans for a $65 million development to include apartments, restaurants, retail, a hotel, office space and an entertainment area, the company said in a statement.

“We envision this mixed-use village as a true live, work and play destination offering entertainment, shopping and a place to call home,” Boyd Simpson, owner of The Simpson Organization, said in a statement.

But the developer has yet to take any action at the site.

When it comes to the Dominion campus, Stern acknowledged that the office market has been in a slump, with many companies choosing to downsize their real estate needs since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said his company is always hunting for opportunity, and the opportunity to strike a good deal often comes during a downturn.

Add to that, the campus boasts easy access to interstates 77 and 26.

“It’s a great facility in a great location,” said Stern, who also is chairman of the State Ports Authority board. “I just don’t think these opportunities come around that often.”

The 1950s red brick house on the corner of Prentiss and Orchard streets in Cayce has been empty for half a decade.

The windows are boarded, the door is sealed tight. A bright yellow placard declares “CONDEMNED. DANGER,” to passersby.

Cayce officials deemed the home unlivable in 2018, but the city has no plans to demolish the structure. Despite complaints from at least one neighbor who says the house is creating pest problems, officials say there’s little they can do.

There are vacant properties across the small town of Cayce in similar states. Why are they still standing?

The house on the corner has been a topic of conversation for at least as long as Anna Percival has lived in the neighborhood, since 2017.

She expected something to happen to the house when the city became involved in 2018, but in her view, very little has been done to maintain the property. She’s had to deal with rat problems, and she watches feral cats laze on the home’s roof and porch. Percival said she’s spent roughly $7,000 on repairs to her own home caused by the pest problems she believes stem from the empty house.

“Every time I have a rat issue or any big bug problem, all the pest control companies, especially the one that I trust, tells me as long as that house is next door breeding rats and feral cats and mosquitoes and things of that nature, (I’m) going to continue to have issues,” Percival said.

She’d like to see the house demolished or repaired.

But Cayce officials say the house is already in compliance with city code and there’s nothing more they can do about it.

The Prentiss Street house could use a coat of paint. There’s some debris on the porch, and at least one window appears broken. But the structure is stable, explained Cayce building official Stuart Jones.

When code enforcement initially learned of the Prentiss Street house in 2018, they kicked off the same process used anytime a vacant home is discovered out of code in the city.

The property owner, in this case Ronald Capps, according to property records, was notified and given 60 days to bring the home back into compliance. In Cayce, there are three ways to do that: 1. Repair the house. 2. Secure the house. 3. Demolish the house.

Capps chose option two, according to Cayce officials. In addition to securing the property by boarding the doors and windows, the property owner maintains the yard to keep that in compliance as well.

“They can keep it that way in perpetuity, really,” Jones said, as long as it stays structurally sound.

Capps did not respond to a request for comment from The State.

Now that the home has been secured and doesn’t violate city code, the matter is out of the city’s hands, said Cayce city manager Tracy Hegler.

As for the pests, officials said the problem is one of jurisdiction.

“We live in a state that has very strong property rights,” said assistant city manager Michael Conley. “I can go to this guy and go, ‘Hey, you have a pest problem.’ He’s going to go, ‘So, it’s not your problem,’ and it’s not. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

The city can act on a pest problem when the house is occupied because there are clauses in state law that require certain health and safety standards for human habitation. But because the home is vacant and has already been deemed unlivable, the city doesn’t have the jurisdiction to investigate, officials agreed, adding that concerned neighbors should contact the homeowner directly.

Hegler added that there isn’t clear evidence that the vacant home is the source of the pests.

Percival has gotten this response as well, but she says she doesn’t know the homeowner and has never seen him.

“I feel like that’s something that the city should be taking care of. I don’t think I should even have to touch that issue,” Percival said.

The Prentiss Street house is not unique. It’s typical that when a vacant Cayce property falls out of code, property owners usually opt to secure the home, rather than repair or demolish it.

Officials couldn’t provide exact numbers Friday but said they typically only demolish one house a year, if that. Most of the time, the homeowner addresses the problem. The city did not readily have a list of those vacant homes Friday, but officials said they do keep track of them.

Jones, the building official, said he doesn’t believe vacant houses are a widespread problem in Cayce and doesn’t believe there are particularly blighted areas.

Houses that are left vacant are also still monitored by the city, and the homeowner will get notified if the property does fall out of code, Jones said.

There’s also a reason that demolition of vacant homes is so uncommon.

It will take a minimum of four months to get to the point where a problem property can be razed, Jones said, but often it takes much longer. The process can be slowed by homeowner appeals and ownership changes, among other red tape.

Sometimes the property owner will demolish the house themselves. If the city has to do it, it will issue a lien against the property, but there’s no guarantee the city will get that money back, Hegler said.

Hegler added there may be things the city can do to make the process more easily understood by residents. For example, the language on the sign affixed to the Prentiss Street property uses the word “condemned,” but the house isn’t actually condemned. By the city’s view, it’s vacant but in compliance, and it hasn’t been abandoned.

Jones added that if residents see a home in their neighborhood they believe is not in line with city code, they should contact Cayce code enforcement at 803-739-5361.

This story was originally published August 19, 2023, 5:30 AM.

The 92-acre building serves as a main campus for Dominion, now the company is looking to possibly move employees to another space.

CAYCE, S.C. — The potential sale of Dominion Energy's main campus could mean big change for the Cayce community.

Stavros Seremetis has owned Tony's since 2010 and says his business is always impacted by changes that happen in the community.

"If we lose 10 customers from there, we're going to get 15 from there," Seremetis said.

A big unknown in the Cayce community at the moment, is the potential sale of a Dominion Energy building on Otarre Parkway.

"My regulars from Dominion, I see them at least once a week, but I know if they move they won't be able to come by as much, maybe once a month, but either way it will affect us," Seremetis explained.

The Dominion building was built on Otarre Parkway in 2009 and sits on 92 acres of land.

WLTX reached out to Dominion Energy on Monday to confirm the sale of this particular building and received this statement in reply:

"Dominion Energy is committed to maintaining a strong company presence in Cayce. We continue to assess ways to operate even more efficiently, and this includes the potential for consolidating occupancy of our facilities on the 12th Street corridor if it is in the best interest of our customers and employees. In doing so, Dominion Energy has entered an agreement with Stern & Stern Properties Inc. for the potential sale of our main campus on 12th street."

Phil Baughman who often rides his bike near this particular Dominion Energy building, along a portion of the Cayce Riverwalk, says he hopes the sale of the building will be a good thing.

"You've still got to pay your electric bill no matter what, no matter who it's from," Baughman said. "People will have jobs, I mean there are jobs around now, people begging for work, for workers, so I think we'll be okay either way."

Cayce Mayor, Elise Partin, also hopes the sale of the building will be positive. She sent WLTX this statement:

"While there are still many unknowns for us… we hope that Dominion will stay in the area even if they don't own the building. We look forward to welcoming new businesses and corporate partners in that space as well. Cayce has a great quality of life and we are thrilled about the possibility of more employees getting to enjoy our restaurants, local coffee shops, and businesses."

From what we know the sale is not a done deal as of yet, and there are still discussions to be had.

We reached out to Stern & Stern Properties about the sale of this particular building to get more details about what it will be used for, but we have not heard back just yet.

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A new delay in Cayce’s redistricting process will push the municipality’s updates to its City Council map until after the coming November election, highlighting a lack of specificity in election law.

Council was set to pass final and second reading of redrawn council districts at its regular July 11 meeting, fulfilling its municipal requirement to update its district map to make sure that every person in the city has as equal representation as possible on council after receiving population data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

But Council Member Phil Carter had asked about a residential section along Dogwood Street between Cypress Street and Haynes Lane at the previous meeting, seeking to figure out why that section was being sent from District 4, which Carter represents, to District 3, represented by Hunter Sox, when the move breaks up what is a contained neighborhood in that area.

City Manager Tracy Hegler advised Council that they could redraw the new map to send that section back to District 4 and still be within the acceptable 5% population deviation between the city’s districts.

Council decided to take advantage of that opportunity, but also decided it would need to inform residents of the change before implementing it, holding another public hearing and sending out letters detailing the new map. With filing set to open next month, the members decided they didn’t have enough time to accomplish all that beforehand, asking Hegler if they could punt the decision to after the coming Nov. 7 election.

“There’s no statute that you have to do it in a certain time,” Hegler said.

Asked by Sox if, theoretically, they could never redistrict, she replied, “You’re supposed to do it as soon as you can, that’s reasonably possible.”

Council then held a unanimous vote to postpone the second and final reading on redistricting until the first meeting after the November election.

These developments might come as a surprise to those who followed redistricting talks in neighboring municipality West Columbia last year. Last August, the City Council there had some tense arguments amid concerns about the quickness with which it was moving through the process.

That haste was spurred by the resignation earlier that month of a council member moving out of the city. At the time, West Columbia City Administrator Brian Carter said the city had to take into account the updated Census information it received in late 2021 before holding a special election to secure a replacement.

According to the Municipal Association of South Carolina, however, this may not have been necessary, and Cayce could be fine pushing its redistricting to after this year’s election.

“The courts have allowed for ‘reasonable’ periods of time to elapse between Cenuses and redistricting so long as local governments are working toward a plan,” Scot Slatton, director of advocacy and communications for the association, told the Chronicle when we reached out about Cayce’s redistricting plans. “We can’t say how a court would view the situation in Cayce you outline.”

He shared a 2021 article from the association pondering the question “Delay Municipal Elections, or Not?” when the U.S. Census Bureau announced that it would release 2020 info in September 2021, much later than usual.

“Federal courts have repeatedly held that the release of official census data does not require the immediate abandonment of the existing ward map,” the article explains. “Rather, the rule is that state and local governments must follow a reasonable plan and process to adopt an updated ward map that incorporates the new census data.”

Cayce is moving forward with its delayed redistricting process with Hegler, the city manager, relaying much the same understanding of the law to council.

The city with nearly 14,000 residents will hold its Nov. 7 election with its current district lines still in place.

The mayor’s seat as well as Mayor Pro Tem James "Skip" Jenkins' District 2 seat and Carter's District 4 seat will be on the ballot.

In the meantime, the council members said they will look to make sure people are as informed as possible about what the final map is set to look like.

“We could do that, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it because we haven't told those people,” Mayor Elise Partin said when Council discussed the possibility of going ahead and approving the readjusted map without reaching out to inform the public first. “We’re very thorough about everything this body has done. We send letters. We educate. We communicate. We give people the opportunity, in this case ... for a public hearing.”

The small change to Districts 3 and 4 won’t alter the new map that much.

The most significant shifts between current district lines and what Council will look to approve in November see District 4 ceding two large swaths of territory along the Congaree River to District 2. One runs along New State Road and includes the Martin Marietta Cayce Quarry and the neighborhood backing up to Kelley Jones Park and the Cayce Riverwalk, while the other is bordered by the 12th Street Extension, Taylor Road and Old State Road and includes Dominion Energy’s Cayce headquarters.

The other changes see a few scattered blocks along the boundaries between districts swapping their affiliations, with District 3 ceding territory to District 2 and receiving territory from District 4. District 1 (represented by Tim James) will send three blocks sandwiched between Oakland Avenue and Poplar Street to District 2.

Keywords

cayce city council, 2022 election, redistricting sc, mayor elise partin, council member phil carter, hunter sox, municipal association of south carolina

With filing about to open this month for November’s election, voters in Cayce already know they’re going to have a choice to make for the city’s next mayor.

Elise Partin, who has been Cayce’s mayor since 2008, is running for another term in the city’s top office on Nov. 7. Also running for the mayor’s office is Lexington 2 school board member and lifelong Cayce resident Abbott “Tre” Bray.

In a statement announcing her candidacy, Partin touts a record of keeping taxes down and quality of life high, with an emphasis on government responsiveness and customer service. The city recently won a $10 million state grant for stormwater improvement, and Partin was named public servant of the year in 2019 by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

“Under Partin’s steady leadership, City services have continued to be modernized and are more cost effective,” the media release from the Partin campaign says. “By reversing the City’s credit to an excellent rating (it was poor before her tenure), Partin and City staff were able to get a low-interest loan via the State of S.C. to replace and upgrade 75% of the city’s water lines in 2017 — a massive public works project.”

She will face Bray, a graduate of Brookland-Cayce High School who deployed to Iraq with the S.C. National Guard. He now manages a contract for the Department of Defense providing risk reduction services and prevention training to the Army and Air National Guard. He has served on the Lexington 2 school board since 2020.

“I know first-hand what it’s like to grow up in the Cayce community, one with charm and character like no other,” Bray said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “With the right leadership, we can ensure that Cayce grows responsibly and sustainably. I want Cayce to remain an incredible place to live, work, and raise a family for generations to come.”

Races for public office in Cayce are nonpartisan.

Cayce voters will not only chose a mayor for a new four-year term in November but also two of four city council members. Many other municipalities will also hold local elections this fall.

Filing for local offices in Lexington County opens Aug. 16 and closes Aug. 30.