RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — An $800 million investment is moving forward in Richland County.
The manufacturing facility, set for 1,287.17 acres in the Blythewood area, was approved by County Council Tuesday, but will still need further approvals before construction can begin.
It's known as Project Golden Eagle and would bring roughly 1,800 jobs to the area of Blythewood and Community Roads off I-77.
According to Richland County, discussions will now continue with the state and other players.
If the project moves forward, it will be one of the largest investments made in Richland County history.
It's just one of several approvals County Council made at the special called meeting.
It also moved forward on a multi-million research and development center for Two Notch Road near the Village at Sandhills and supported the expansion of a new brewery on North Main Street.
Aside from developments, Council approved raises for area first responders.
While the salary range varies based on position, sheriff's deputies, attorney's for the solicitor and public defender's office, and paramedics are among those to have a raise approved.
"We are now giving them the increase that they need, that we'll now have people that can have can have competitive wages," Councilwoman Gretchen Barron said. "This is just for the remaining of our budget cycle for this year, and then we'll take another look and see how we can continue to fund these positions in the future."
She added that the raises are set to go into effect in January.