Lakeside development plan includes multi-million-dollar conference center for Lexington
Lake Murray could soon host a new major residential and commercial development with a town-owned conference center at the middle of it.
Lexington Town Council on Monday approved the proposed Smallwood Cove development.
The 93.5-acre development will hug the coast of Lake Murray along North Lake Drive, above Jake’s Landing and below the Lake Murray Public Park and Dreher Shoals Dam, according to documents reviewed by the town council Monday.
Part of the development will be a 50,000-square-foot conference center long planned by the town of Lexington. Lexington officials secured a $1 million state budget proviso last year to help pay for the new Lake Murray conference center, which will provide the town with a new venue for both in-town businesses and events as well as attract visitors to the lake. The center could also become a competitor to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on Lincoln Street in the state capital, which is partly owned by Lexington County.
The 5-acre conference site will be donated to the town as part of an expected $733 million investment into the new development, according to a news release issued by Lexington. The town estimates that $6 million in state dollars have been committed in the last couple of years to building the conference center, with an expected opening date in 2028.
Mayor Steve MacDougall said the town has been hoping to add a facility like this for some 15 years. He believes adding the conference center will make Lexington a “one of a kind destination” for visitors from around South Carolina and beyond.
“The property owners agreed to give us the 5-acre site for the conference center, and we will build roads out there and provide water and sewer service,” MacDougall said. “This is such a win-win for the entire community.”
The new lakeside development will also include both single family and multi-family/townhome-style developments, as well as space for retail, restaurants, a hotel and a lakeside marina.
The cove is currently only lightly developed, the proposal says, and satellite images show a mostly wooded area with only a few structures visible. Existing structures will be removed, but docks and a boat ramp will remain.
About 40 acres will be used for low-density housing, with a minimum lot size of 4,000 square feet, and more than 30 acres for higher-density housing development, with under 20 acres for commercial and hospitality uses. The final plan would include 160 units of single-family homes and 940 townhome units. The hotel will have 290 rooms, retail space 40,000 square feet and restaurant space 10,000 square feet.
The town council also voted Monday to annex all parcels on the property into the town of Lexington. The plan also calls for open space for recreation and walking trails — some of which may tie into the neighboring Lake Murray Public Park — as well as resident access to the lakefront.
Smallwood Cove is expected to be built out over 15 years, and create some 400 jobs in the tourism industry, the town said. The development will still need to be reviewed by the town planning commission later in May.
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