Anti-blight plan for part of Lexington County gets final OK

A one-year test of a blight prevention plan is starting for neighborhoods in Lexington County located mainly north of Lake Murray.

County Council gave final approval to the plan Tuesday as a first step in cleaning up pockets of rundown homes in the Chapin, Irmo, St. Andrews and Dutch Fork areas as well as those north of Lexington.

The plan allows county officials to crack down on dwellings with exteriors in poor repair, overgrown lawns and stagnant water in swimming pools.

Many of the requirements for residential upkeep are similar to those in half of the county’s 14 municipalities.

Some neighborhood leaders in the areas slated for the test call the plan a new tool to deal with neglect of basic home maintenance.