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York County Council can finalize an incentive agreement Monday night for the $1 billion QTS Data Centers project. The decision would come after a scheduled public hearing.

For months the county has been working through details on the agreement. York County on Friday released it’s agenda for Monday’s meeting, which listed a final decision on the incentive agreement. That was the first time the county identified QTS Data Center, which previously been called “Project Cobra.”

The Herald had connected the project via land records and prior county decisions to the Kansas-based data center.

QTS is projecting a $1 billion investment and 12 new jobs. The proposed economic incentive deal would require a minimum $900 million investment and 10 jobs within eight years.

Property that ordinarily would be taxed at 10.5% would instead pay a fee, if the company hits promised targets, based on a 4% assessment. Millage would be adjustable. The deal would extend over 40 years.

The company also would be eligible for credits against that fee of 20% to 35% during the four-decade term. Those special source revenue credits are based on infrastructure produced by the company.

QTS owns property for the site in the Campbell Road and Hands Mill Highway area of Lake Wylie. The Herald previously reported QTS had 360 acres in that area after spending more than $10 million in July.

A $7 million purchase was for more than 230 acres at 2107 Hands Mill Property and surrounding areas, north of Paraham Road. QTS spent more than $4.3 million for another 130 acres at 5805 Campbell Road.

Also at Monday night’s council meeting, set for 6 p.m. at the county government center at 6 S. Congress St. in York, two more decisions await.

Both involve economic incentive agreements.

The county can finalize an incentive deal with Silfab Solar Cells. The Herald previously reported plans for 800 new jobs and a $150 million investment for the solar manufacturer eyeing 7149 Logistics Lane in Fort Mill. There has been citizen and council member push back on that project related to roads in that area.

The Silfab project was initially labeled Project Mountie. The incentive deal would be a similar assessment rate reduction and fee in place of a tax, this time for 30 years.

Also on Monday’s agenda, council can decide whether to convey terms from an existing economic development incentive deal for RG Baxter Lane to Exeter 7149 Logistics. The county completed a fee deal with RG Baxter Lane in 2019.

The Herald reported RG Baxter Lane bought 72 acres of farmland in the Gold Hill Road area of Fort Mill in 2019 for almost $8.5 million. The Herald also reported RG Baxter Lane applied that same year for a 1.1 million-square-foot warehouse project, Stateline 77.

Documents listed with the decision to convey the incentive agreement list the same Stateline 77 subdivision property. The property, building and incentive arrangement would transition to Pennsylvania real estate investment management company EQT Exeter.

This story was originally published September 15, 2023, 3:40 PM.

A new economic development project in York County could bring $1 billion of new investment.

The company hasn’t been named. However, there have been negotiations with the county, and a key upcoming decision by York County Council could move the project forward.

A resolution up for vote Monday night offers some detail. The resolution by the county calls it Project Cobra, and describes it as a new data center.

The resolution would require a first reading and vote for the potential $1 billion project. York County Council would have to pass that, plus two more readings, and hold a public hearing, to finalize an incentive deal.

The name Project Cobra does not appear on any other recent documents. An unnamed company informed the county, per the resolution, of plans to invest at least $1 billion and create a dozen new full-time jobs within eight years.

The actual requirements of a deal with the county, used to create tax incentives for the company, would be set at $900 million of investment and 10 new jobs.

If those thresholds are met, the county would agree to allow the company to pay a fee instead of taxes for 40 years. The deal would set an assessment rate at 4%, well below typical commercial or industrial rates, and an initial millage of 351 mills which could be adjusted every five years.

The company would be allowed an additional special source credit against those fee payments of 35% each of the first five years, 30% the next five years, 25% the next 10 years and 20% for the remainder of the deal. Those credits would go toward infrastructure costs.

Last fall, York County Council had a proposal, listed as Project Cobra, among several decisions. It’s unclear if the current decision and that one are related.

The decisions last fall involved county-owned property in Lake Wylie aimed at economic development.

The county had an offer to sell 173 acres at 2157 Handsmill Highway in Lake Wylie. The unnamed buyer proposed a $4.3 million purchase. Further details weren’t given.

The county acquired that Lake Wylie property from Bank of North Carolina in 2013 for $800,000. County land records show a transaction in February for almost $56,000 but a new owner isn’t named and the county remains the listed owner, per county land records.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.

This story was originally published June 3, 2023, 9:17 AM.

School soon will let out for summer. In some areas this fall, and perhaps more to follow, it won’t come back the same.

Some school districts will transition to a modified calendar this fall.

Others will do so next year. Students will come back sooner from summer break. In some places, new week-long breaks will be added during the year. Change could be short-term or, if successful, could alter when students attend school each year.

“We’re all looking for innovative ways to support student learning,” said York School District public information officer Latoya Dixon, whose district starts a modified calendar Aug. 7. “We’ll all be watching to see what the benefits are.”

For years, area school officials bemoaned a state requirement that school start no sooner than the third Monday in August. Depending on how late that third Monday falls in August, the requirement can complicate schedules particularly at the high school level where classes run one semester. The 2024-25 school year is one such year when it will be hard to balance those semesters on either side of a winter break.

In recent years districts began to look closer at the third Monday rule, which states districts must follow it unless they implement a modified year-round calendar.

“We’ve talked a lot in here about, what is a modified calendar?” Fort Mill School District public information officer Joe Burke said when that district board met Tuesday night. “And my response has been, nobody knows.”

Rather than a full year-round calendar, districts began to look at smaller changes that could keep a shorter but still relatively long summer break while adding time off during traditional school months. Those changes vary considerably.

Burke said he visited websites for the almost 80 districts statewide to see their coming calendars. About 50 of them have modified calendars beginning this fall. Burke said start dates ranged from July 21 to Aug. 14. Some added a week to spring break. Some used off time to help students catch up, while others used it as full breaks from school.

“I saw everything,” Burke said. “So again, there is no standard for what actually would be a modified calendar.”

York and Clover schools will start with a modified calendar this fall. Fort Mill schools will and Rock Hill schools may start modified calendars for the 2024-25 school year.

York schools run Aug. 7 to May 30. In addition to the typical winter and spring breaks, there are weeks off scheduled for students Oct. 9-13 and Feb. 19-23. Clover schools will run Aug. 8 to May 30. There are slight variations, but Clover schools have the same October and February weeks off as York does.

“While this will be a mindset shift and adjustment for our community,” York superintendent Kelly Coxe said in announcing the change earlier this year, “this calendar provides us with an option that we have not had before.”

York will be able to use additional time off during the year to help students who fall behind in classwork, something discussed in other area districts as well.

The Fort Mill school board voted Tuesday night to adopt a modified calendar for 2024-25. Initially Fort Mill had drafts similar to York and Clover, with extra weeks off during the school year but a shortened summer. Instead Fort Mill will run Aug. 8 to May 23 to shift the calendar earlier. It won’t start as early as other versions, but also won’t have the extra weeks off school.

Teachers having to come back in July was an issue in the feedback process, Burke said, which caused concern with the model more similar to York and Clover.

“Everybody generally sees July as, that’s at least my summer month,” Burke said. “Nothing is going to get taken away there.”

Rock Hill has a more traditional calendar this fall but has been soliciting public feedback for the 2024-25 year. One draft in Rock Hill runs Aug. 19 to June 5 that year. Another runs Aug. 5 to June 5 with extra weeks off for students in October and February.

The Lancaster County School District has a traditional calendar for the upcoming school year. The Chester County School District starts back Aug. 7 and school won’t end until May 31, 2024. Included are full week breaks for students in October, November and February in addition to winter and spring breaks.

Because Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are so close, school calendars there can impact the Rock Hill region from availability of summer workers at Carowinds to childcare options for parents or teachers who may live and work on opposite sides of the state line. CMS schools traditionally start later than York County ones. For the coming school year, CMS schools run from Aug. 28 to June 7.

Officials will perform contact tracing and test all staff and inmates at the jail on Tuesday.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Three now-released inmates of the York County jail have tested positive for tuberculosis, the sheriff's office said on Monday.

The York County Sheriff's Office said all three people were acquaintances and were together prior to being arrested. The first person was taken to jail on Oct. 7 and the second on Oct. 8. The third person was not taken to jail but instead went straight to the hospital after being arrested, according to the sheriff's office.

All three people posted bond for their charges and have been released from custody. The sheriff's office did not provide the names of the inmates or say what they were charged with.

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The Department of Health and Environmental Control will arrive at the jail on Tuesday to complete contact tracing and train all staff and inmates.

“We will test as many people as necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all staff and inmates,” York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said in a release.

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Three Rock Hill school district campuses were placed on “secure” status Thursday during the chase of a suspect by York County Sheriff’s Office deputies, officials said.

The incident was late Thursday morning in the area of Firetower Road, Porter Road, and Interstate 77, according to a video statement from Trent Faris, sheriff’s office spokesman. Deputies chased a suspect in a car believed to be stolen from Union County, N.C. The chase was first in vehicles and then on foot, Faris said.

The sheriff’s office released a Facebook Live video about the incident before noon Thursday on its official social media site.

The suspect was taken into custody after the pursuit, Faris said in the video. And schools returned to normal activities.

The name of the suspect has not been released.

The pursuit and incident prompted a heavy law enforcement presence in the area.

Schools were notified by law enforcement, Faris said.

The schools affected Thursday were Castle Heights Middle School, Rock Hill High School, and Independence Elementary School, according to Rock Hill schools spokesperson Lindsay Machak and a school district email bulletin sent out to families from those schools. Alerts sent around 10:15 a.m. said the incident was ongoing and schools were on secure status.

That schools message stated:

“Our top priority is keeping your children safe each and every day.

Castle Heights, Rock Hill High School and Independence Elementary have been placed on SECURE.

We are bringing all children indoors and won’t be allowing anyone in or out of the buildings as our law enforcement partners notified us that they are working on a situation in the area.

We will notify you when the SECURE has been lifted.”

A second message after noon said the secure status was lifted.

Secure status is not a lockdown, Machak said.

Secure status means all students and staff are brought inside the building, outside doors are locked, and school business goes on inside buildings as usual, according to Machak and a “secure” status definition on the school district Web site.

This story was originally published August 24, 2023, 1:34 PM.