SOLD! Bull Street property under contract – The State, Columbia SC

An Upstate developer has signed a contract to buy the 165-acre state mental hospital campus on Bull Street in one of the most anticipated and significant land deals in city history.

Bob Hughes submitted a signed contract to the S.C. Department of Mental Health late Thursday afternoon agreeing to a total guaranteed price of $15 million to be paid on a maximum seven-year installment plan. DMH retains ownership of individual parcels until they are sold.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin called the site the largest piece of land in any major city’s downtown east of the Mississippi River. A 2005 plan called for construction of more than 1,200 homes and nearly 1 million square feet of office and retail space, which would have added significantly to the city’s tax rolls. It is unclear whether Hughes will be bound by that plan.

Story continues here >>>