SCRA Will Have Presence at 4,500-Acre Master Planned Community

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

SCRA, an applied research corporation based in Columbia, S.C., has announced entering a deal to buy 10 acres at Nexton, the 4,500-acres master planned community that broke ground earlier this year. The company plans to move its Charleston operations and most of its 185 employees to the newly acquired property at the junction of I-26 and Highway 17A.

The deal, which also includes an option to buy seven more acres at the same location, is expected to close within 90 to 150 days, with groundbreaking for the new facility expected to happen within six to eight months. The new facility, currently in its design stage, is expected to be operational by October 2014.

SCRA has signed Choate Construction as general contractor for the project. LS3P Associates Ltd. is joining the development team, handling the architectural aspect of the facility.

“We are excited to announce our plans for relocation,” said SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney. “While we carefully evaluated several properties throughout the region, Nexton was best-suited for our needs, location and space requirements. We look forward to being a part of a community where technology and sustainability are embraced in a walkable, urban environment.”

MWV Community Development and Land Management President Kenneth T. Seeger added: “SCRA and Nexton are a perfect fit. We are both committed to ‘what’s next.’ SCRA’s mission is to help develop technology-based companies, and Nexton seeks to become the region’s most technologically advanced community.”

Nexton, the 4,500-acre master-planned community being developed just a short distance from Charleston at the junction of I-26 and Highway17A, will contain several neighborhoods and villages, as well as major employment opportunities. It will feature several multifamily developments, hotels, LEED-certified office buildings, retail developments, and entertainment and dining venues, along with an abundance of parks. Nexton is being developed by MeadWestvaco Corp.’s MWV’s Community Development and Land Management Group.

Image courtesy of www.nextonsc.com