Aiken County Council approves incentives for huge economic development project

Apr. 19—The identity of a company behind a proposed economic development project that would be one of the largest ever in Aiken County remains a mystery.

But that didn't stop County Council from approving Tuesday the third and final readings of two ordinances that would provide incentives for the venture.

Will Williams, president and CEO of the Western SC Economic Development Partnership, told the Aiken Standard that Starskey LLC is "the project entity representing a large company," which "I've been told is one of the top five data center developers in the world.

"I don't even know who it is," he added.

When asked what the possibilities might be, Williams mentioned a list of the biggest global providers and operators of data centers on dgtlinfra.com that includes Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

The Corporation Service Company of West Columbia is the registered agent for Starskey, which was incorporated in Delaware.

According to County Council documents, the venture, which has been known in the past as Project Sabal, could result in the investment of at least $800 million in the county and the creation of at least 50 jobs.

Last December, Starskey and other entities purchased four tracts, totaling 572.58 acres, in Sage Mill Industrial Park in Graniteville for $19,299,555.

Aiken County land records now identify Starskey as the owner of all four parcels.

Williams told County Council that the Starskey is "still in the process of doing their due diligence" and there is no guarantee that the Sage Mill property "will be built upon."

Other sites in other locations are under consideration, he said later.

The incentives approved by County Council for the project were a fee in lieu of tax agreement, according to one of the ordinances, and "a jointly owned and operated business/industrial park in conjunction with Edgefield County," according to the other.

The vote on both ordinances was 7-2.

Kelley Mobley of District 4 and Mike Kellems of District 2 were the dissenters.

"I don't just don't think it's fair to us as elected officials to not be able to answer to our constituents and to the community about who it is that we're voting on," Mobley said.

He also expressed concern that County Council was being "asked to approve an unknown."

In addition, Mobley was worried about the lack of information, so far, about what demands such a big project would place on the county's infrastructure.

Kellems also didn't like being kept in the dark about the identity of the company behind the project.

"Usually (in the past), it is my understanding, that by third reading or at third reading, Council has known what the project was at the time," Kellems said.

County Council Chairman Gary Bunker told the Aiken Standard last month that Project Sabal would be "the largest private investment in the county" since Bridgestone Americas announced in 2011 that it would spend $1.2 billion on projects to build a new tire production plant and expand an existing one.

In other action Tuesday, County Council unanimously approved the third and final reading of an ordinance that "conveys a limited warranty deed for Parcel Six in Sage Mill Industrial Park to a company known as Project Bundle."

Prior to the vote, Williams said Project Bundle was actually Bettis Investment LLC, which plans to build warehouses.

The Aiken Standard previously reported that Project Bundle had offered to buy the 48.4-acre tract in Sage Mill for $1.062 million.