Commission OKs plan for old Lincoln Village Apartment complex

The Hartsville Planning Commission approved a request to allow a developer planning to renovate the former Lincoln Village Apartment complex to subdivide the property by building and sell individual pieces to investors on Tuesday.

Eight apartment buildings currently sit on the property. The complex, situated on Eighth Street and Marion Avenue, has been vacant for a decade or longer, city officials said.

Lexus Builders of Florence wants to subdivide the property into as many as 11 parcels that would include the apartment buildings and some out parcels, according to Brenda Kelley, planning director for the city. Tentative plans call for the project to be called Hartsville Commons.

Commission members said the project will bring some much needed improvement to the area.

Tony Hall of Lexus Builders told the commission that subdividing the property will allow his company to sell parcels to individual investors and ensure that each building is renovated as it is sold off.

Lexus specializes in condominium conversions and subdivision development, Hall said.
The company acquired the former housing complex in May 2008, he said.

Kelley said there are about 64 apartments in the complex. Hall said most of the apartments are two-, three- and four-bedroom units.

He said selling off individual parcels will make renovating the complex more economical and ensure that the work will get done in a timely manner. In a letter to the city, Hall said that if a single investor were to attempt to renovate the complex, the cost for that one investor would likely exceed $3 million and would be difficult to finance as a single project in the current economy.

Smaller investors can get easier access to financing sources to carry out the work, he said. “This is a way of giving smaller investors a chance,” he said.

He said Lexus will require buyers to renovate the buildings they acquire. “We don’t want somebody having this unit that looks renovated and another one that is not,” he said.
Hall said the project will require Lexus to hire an architect and an engineer. He said the buildings, while they have been vacant for some time and are in poor condition, are still suitable for renovation.

The commission made its approval of the request contingent on three items. Lexus will take ownership from the city of Village Street, which runs through the complex. The plat for the property will be redrawn to provide for off street parking. The company will grant an easement to the city to allow city personnel a city-owned sewer line on the property for maintenance.

Kelly said the facility meets all current city zoning requirements.

All of the owners of the parcels will be required to become members of a homeowners association which will implement requirements aimed at keeping the properties up to standard, Hall said.