$300-Mil Power Plant Triggers Growth Plans in Timber County

But the area, about 160 miles southeast of Charlotte, is starting to attract a lot more development interest for a variety of reasons, Zenie Ingram, executive director of the Jasper County Development Board, tells Globest.com.

"Traditionally, 85% of our property has been unavailable over the years for development, which has created a lot of trees and lots of wildlife and a good quality of life, and now our growth is just beginning," Ingram says.

The recent decision by the South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. to build a $300-million natural gas-fueled power plant in the county on a 500-acre parcel between Hardeeville, NC and Tillman, NC has been one catalyst for growth.

But even more of a factor are seven local interchanges along I-95, which eventually take visitors to Hilton Head, SC. "I-95 goes straight through the heart of the county, and its the county's lifeblood," Ingram says.

Only three of the seven interchanges, however, are developed with hotels, service stations and restaurants. "The city of Hardeeville at exit 5 has a good many hotels," she says. "Ridgeland at Exit 21 has development, and the Point South Exit at 33 has motels and other developments."

Ingram expects the biggest potential for development, however, to come at Exit 8 at Hardeeville. "That's a four-lane highway that goes off I-95 all the way to Hilton Head," she says. It's about a 20-mile stretch with little development.

Land has not traditionally been readily available until recent times. And prices have ranged widely, anywhere from $10,000 per acre to $300,000 an acre.

"What's been happening is that developers are seeing what is happening in Jasper County and are coming in to buy parcels of land as they become available," Ingram says. "They're developing the land for commercial or housing purposes, then selling it to users."

Serious commercial interest in Jasper County has come only in the past five years, Ingram adds. Construction of the new South Carolina plant is expected to begin in April of next year. When it is completed in two years, the facility will generate up to 600 megawatts of electricity.