By Lauren Leibman lleibman@postandcourier.com
Feb 11, 2025
GEORGETOWN — Georgetown County wants to purchase three pieces of land owned by International Paper as part of its effort to redevelop waterfront property in the longtime industrial hub, local officials said.
No specific plans for the property have been presented, but County Administrator Angela Christian said the county would like to pursue a large-scale redevelopment that includes the nearby county-owned port.
The county intends to quickly make an offer on the properties, Christian said. The land would have to be appraised, so she’s not sure how much the county would offer yet.
"That’s part of the process of where we are … exploring what those price points would be," she said.
The properties are not part of the main paper mill site, Georgetown County Councilman Raymond Newton said. He said they are located on the east side of U.S. Highway 17, next to the Georgetown port. IP hasn't used this land in many years, he said.
IP announced in October that it would close its 87-year-old Georgetown mill, eliminating the jobs of roughly 700 workers and some 200 contractors. The mill ceased operations at the end of 2024 and is expected to be decommissioned by the summer, local officials said.
For weeks, local leaders have explored potential options for the mill site and surrounding properties.
State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, said several developers are interested in Georgetown's waterfront, and he would like to see the port, defunct paper mill and idled steel mill rolled into the same redevelopment package.
Goldfinch said he hadn't heard anything about the county's interest in IP properties until after Christian discussed the idea at the county's Feb. 6 budget retreat. He hopes to see "some commercial, industrial-type stuff up on the hill," but he'd like much of the port and steel mill land converted into a mixed-use development with restaurants, shops and second-story apartments above commercial spaces.
"Just an extension of Front Street," he said. "Obviously the steel mill's got to come down for that to happen. So (it's) a waterfront that Georgetown can be proud of that's aesthetically pleasing but also produces some jobs and some taxes."
Goldfinch doesn't see the main IP site as ever being suitable for housing, but he wants the redevelopment effort to factor that entire area into any long-term plans.
The steel mill land is still owned by Liberty Steel, but that facility has been idle since Oct. 11. Shortly after it halted production, it was announced that the mill had sold some of its equipment and assets to Insteel Industries Inc., a North Carolina company that makes wire-reinforcing products.
The steel mill has also stopped receiving power from Santee Cooper because its electric furnace and rolling mill aren't being used, according to a statement from a Liberty Steel spokesperson. If the mill remains idle for 365 days in a two-year period, it could be forced to close.
The hope for a mixed-use development on the waterfront coincides with recommendations from a 2016 Urban Land institute study commissioned by Georgetown government and business leaders. The study identified potential uses for the steel mill and port properties.
The report suggested mixed development that would encourage recreation along the waterfront while saving space for traditional maritime businesses.
Newton said the IP properties beside the port could work well for that vision.
"The bigger, the better when it comes to that waterfront right there," he said.
Charles Perry contributed to this report.