Chapin sewer taps will be required for sale of Brighton site to go ahead
The multimillion-dollar sale of a Lexington County business park will be contingent on whether the developer can get the required hook-ups for sewer service from a town that has frozen new sewer connections.
One condition of the sale of the Chapin Technology and Business Park at Brighton for a planned mixed-use development is the confirmed availability of water and sewer utilities for the property, according to a draft sales contract shared with The State.
The document lays out all the requirements needed to finalize a sale on the 200-acre site off Chapin’s Columbia Avenue, including settling a dispute over utilities with the town of Chapin.
“Seller agrees in good faith to use its best efforts to enforce the Sewer Service Agreement with the Town of Chapin to provide sewer service to the property at the required capacity rates for Purchaser to develop this property,” the contract says.
If for any reason the county defaults on the sale of the business park, “Seller shall be entitled to receive the Earnest Money and pursue any remedy available at law or equity,” according to the contract, which has yet to be approved by Lexington County Council.
Despite the current sewer moratorium, the town of Chapin already signed an agreement with Lexington County in 2015 to provide sewer service for the development, including a commitment to increase its capacity as needed within 24 months of any sewer taps being paid.
At closing, the county will convey any “all sewer tap certificates and/or water tap certificates obtained by Seller prior to Closing.” The contract also says that “in the event Seller purchases sewer taps from the Town of Chapin or water taps from the City of Columbia, SC, prior to the Closing, Purchaser agrees to reimburse Seller at closing for the fees paid to acquire such sewer taps and/or water taps.”
Chapin Mayor Mitchell has said Lexington County offered to pay $4 million for the equivalent of 667 sewer taps for the Brighton site, but that Mitchell turned them down, citing the ongoing sewer tap moratorium.
The contract does not explicitly address Chapin’s current freeze on issuing sewer taps for new construction in the area on the north shore of Lake Murray, a policy Mayor Bill Mitchell instituted shortly after his 2025 election win, and reiterated in a Facebook video as the county council was considering a sale.
Freezing new connections to Chapin’s municipal system was seen as one of the few ways the town of about 2,000 people could try to influence a spurt of new development in the area surrounding Chapin, but outside the town limits.
But the policy is also affecting plans to develop Brighton’s technology park. Lexington County envisioned the park as an incubator for bringing new business and industry into the county close to Interstate 26. But the site has not attracted a tenant in nearly a decade, despite Lexington County investing at least $16 million into the park.
On April 14, the county council voted to proceed with a sale of the Chapin park to Brighton Capital Partners LLC for a future mixed-use development, with future residential and retail space.
If approved, the contract calls for Brighton Capital Partners to pay the county $20.4 million total in two separate phases as its purchase of the property moves forward. As well as sewer connections, the contract is also contingent on the approval of 600 residential units and 25% of the useable acreage for commercial, retail or office space. Adjacent property may also be annexed into the planned development district.
Development of the site will also require permits to construct the water and sewer system from the S.C. Department of Environmental Services, wetland delineation and permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and an encroachment permit from the state Department of Transportation.
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