GEORGETOWN — A developer intends to purchase the idled Liberty Steel mill as part of a plan to redevelop Georgetown’s waterfront, state and local officials said.
State Rep. Lee Hewitt, R-Murrells Inlet, and Georgetown Mayor Carol Jayroe recently met with the developer to discuss plans for a mixed-use project on the land. The developer, who hasn't been identified, specializes in revitalizing former industrial sites, Hewitt said.
Affordable housing, parks, entertainment spaces and waterfront access have been mentioned as potential uses. Jayroe and Hewitt said they expect the sale to be finalized soon.
"The vision that he has laid out is, to me, transformational for Georgetown," Hewitt said.
Georgetown Steel, as the mill was once called, helped diversify the city's industrial base in the 1960s, but it cycled through various owners and industry changes that reduced its workforce before Liberty acquired it in 2017.
For years, the plant made wire rod that was used in various products, from tires to bridge cables.
Liberty cut 50 jobs at the site last year. Four months later, the mill was idled. The company also sold some of its equipment to a North Carolina company that makes wire-reinforcing products.
After being idled, the mill stopped receiving power from Santee Cooper because its electric furnace and rolling mill were not in use, a company spokesperson previously said.
Santee Cooper is now seeking more than $7 million from the company’s owner after the mill missed payments in November and December, leaving it with past due balances of more than $334,000, court records show. The lapses prompted Santee Cooper to terminate a five-year agreement with the company and to ask the court to enforce a section of its contract that requires Liberty to pay the utility the total of the minimum monthly bills that would have been collected during that period.
For some leaders, the city's redevelopment is long overdue.
"You're talking about a change of the skyline that I think people have wanted for years," Hewitt said. "We hate to lose those jobs from the steel mill, but you know, having an old abandoned plant sitting there certainly isn't good for the city either."
Liberty Steel declined to comment on the potential sale of the property or the status of its Georgetown mill.
Redeveloping the mill property could be the beginning of a larger effort to move the area away from heavy industry.
After International Paper closed its 87-year-old Georgetown paper mill late last year, state and local leaders began exploring potential options for the site and surrounding properties.
Many, including state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, said they would like to see the paper mill, steel mill and Georgetown port redeveloped as a cohesive package that would highlight the city's scenic waterfront.
Hewitt said the developer pursuing the steel mill property has also expressed interest in buying IP land.
"Having one person to have a vision for the whole area is certainly beneficial for Georgetown," he said.
Georgetown's mayor said she's thrilled that the steel mill site could be redeveloped. Jayroe hopes that housing, light industry, retail shops and restaurants will be built on the property.
Basically, she'd like to see everything except a Ferris wheel, she said.
"It's a great opportunity for Georgetown," she said. "We need it. We're due that. I'm excited."
Others, like James Sanderson, president of Liberty's steelworkers union, say they would rather see another steel company purchase the property. Sanderson is concerned about the lack of high-paying manufacturing jobs, which he said could be detrimental. He warned against area leaders placing too much emphasis on tourism.
Jayroe said the potential property developer plans to hire only local companies and contractors, which would create jobs. But Sanderson insists the city needs another permanent, high-paying employer.
"Without decent, good-paying jobs ... I don't know what it's going to be like," he said.