Eastern Florence Set For Transformational Growth

For decades, the corridor from McLeod Health to Francis Marion University has been peppered with weedy motels, crumbling businesses and vacant lots hemmed in by barbed wire.

“This side of Florence has always been the last on everybody’s list,” said Brandon Rawlinson, a business owner who has lived and worked in the area for years. A recent report described the corridor as a “pass-through rather than a place.”

That’s about to change — or at least officials hope it is.

With the introduction of major developments like Buc-ee’s and the electric vehicle battery plant, economic development and planning officials expect to see East Palmetto Street take off.

Now, Florence County is embarking on an ambitious project to reshape the eastern gateway into Florence and control the projected development.

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