‘Santee Town Center’ a dream, becoming a reality

Martha Rose Brown
Assistant Editor Santee Striper

“It’s really just getting started,” said Ron Nester Sr., the attorney representing Santee Ventures LLC, an investment group located in Santee, “and it may take 10 years to blossom.”
Nester recently sat down with this newspaper reporter to outline details of “Santee Town Center,” a residential and commercial development soon to be underway near the intersection of Bass Dr./Hwy. 15 and Old Number Six Hwy. in Santee (including the Centerpointe neighborhood).
Included in the project are the following totals: 169,400 sq. feet of commercial space; 6,900 sq. feet of amenities; 246 apartment units; 80 units in a quadraplex; and 112 units of single-family residences.
The area for “Santee Town Center” includes land on both sides of Old Number Six Hwy. and Bass Dr./Hwy. 15 for a total of 76 acres.
“It will be a pedestrian-friendly area, complete with four parks,” Nester said.
“In other words, it will reduce the reliance on a person’s automobile and allow a person to spend more time in their own neighborhood,” he explained.
Nester said that Santee Ventures LLC began working together last year, but officially formed just a few months ago.
The initial phase of developing “Santee Town Center” will include the demolition of the Tastee Food Restaurant and Mansion Park Motor Lodge.
Dates for demolition of these structures has not yet been set, Nester said.
In early half to middle of 2009, Nester said Santee Ventures LLC will likely be adding office buildings to an already existing mini-office park – which would create a larger business park.
The immediacy of the development of “Santee Town Center” depends partly on Jafza South Carolina’s schedule for construction of a container port and light-manufacturing facility at the intersection of I-95 and Hwy. 301.
Nester said he and Santee Ventures LLC investors are looking forward to watching Santee grow and develop a cozy and thriving “Santee Town Center.”
To receive updates about Santee developments, access a weblog maintained by Ron Nester Jr. at www.santeesc.blogspot.com.