Richland County, SC (WLTX) -- The Richland County Council voted to tear down the county administrative building and build a new courthouse Tuesday night.
It's known as the 'Richland Renaissance', which is a comprehensive plan for the entire county. There are still a lof of unanswered questions, but according to council members, the plan includes demolishing the county administrative building, which is located at 2020 Hampton Street, and building a new courthouse and judicial complex at that location.
The county offices would move to Columbia Place Mall. Council members said the plan also consists of developing an aquatics facility and an urgent care medical facility in Lower Richland.
It was a 6-5 vote to move forward with the plan, which included purchasing properties, but some county members voted against the plan because the overall cost of the project is still unclear.
"It's something I feel good about in concept, but there are a lot of details, particularly the financing of it that gave me concern and felt like we should have that information before we moved forward with it," said Councilman Jim Manning, who voted against the plan.
Councilman Norman Jackson voted for the comprehensive plan.
"The county is growing and we have to prepare for the next 20 years. We shouldn't have to play catch-up. Over the last several years, we haven't really done anything to move forward, dealing with future growth in the county. We can sit and do nothing and wait until it's bursting at the seams. We have to be proactive and that's one of the reasons why I voted to support it," said Jackson.
News 19 tried to get more information regarding the plan, but a county spokesperson said they would not discuss the plan or its cost right now. She said it would not increase taxes for Richland County residents.
Additional details of the plan are scheduled to be unveiled Tuesday, December 19.