Rock Hill Herald Logo

Heritage tower owners will not renovate, rebuild in Fort Mill | Rock Hill Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
  • Customer Service
  • Mobile & Apps
  • Newsletters
  • Archives

    • All News
    • Local News
    • Local Traffic Cam
    • North Carolina
    • South Carolina
    • Business
    • Education
    • NIE
    • Crime
    • More News
    • Andrew Dys
    • Nation/World
    • Politics/Government
    • Weird News
    • Databases
    • Down Home Magazine
    • Physicians Directory
    • Fort Mill Times
    • Fort Mill Times Sports
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
    • All Sports
    • Panthers
    • College
    • Winthrop
    • High School
    • High School Football
    • Auto Racing
    • Politics
    • Elections
  • Obituaries
    • All Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Submit a Letter
    • To the Contrary
    • James Werrell
    • Palmetto Opinion
    • All Living
    • Community
    • Weddings
    • Engagements
    • Anniversaries
    • Births
    • Religion
    • Family
    • Home & Garden
    • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Books
    • Calendar
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Rewards
    • Horoscopes

  • Legals
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Virtual Career Fair
  • Homes
  • Classifieds

Latest News

Heritage tower owners will not renovate, rebuild in Fort Mill

By Jamie Self - jself@heraldonline.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

January 15, 2011 12:00 AM

The owners of a blighted Fort Mill high-rise have offered to improve, but not replace, the building's crumbling façade - a long-time source of frustration for many living nearby.

MorningStar Ministries, the tower's owner, has offered some aesthetic and safety improvements hoping to satisfy neighbors' concerns and curb York County's insistence that the ministry begin renovations or demolish the tower.

Dave Yarnes, executive vice president of MorningStar Ministries, wrote in an e-mail to County Manager Jim Baker earlier this month that the proposal is "a potential remedy to any and all complaints from the surrounding community concerning the Tower's visual appearance."

Baker said he was "tremendously disappointed" by the proposal because it didn't provide a plan for renovating the aging tower's exterior, which would signal MorningStar's commitment to completing the renovations.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Now, the York County Council must decide whether to accept the proposal, which could further postpone any renovations.

Baker invited ministry officials to discuss their proposal with the County Council in a closed-door executive session when the council meets Tuesday night in York.

It's unclear whether the ministry will accept the offer to appear, Baker said.

Attempts to reach Yarnes in recent days were unsuccessful.

"Everyone would love to see them be successful," said Britt Blackwell, the council's new chairman. "But there has been doubt about if they're ever going to do what they'd planned to do."

Having not yet reviewed the proposal, which Baker sent to the council Thursday night, Councilman Chad Williams said the county's concerns need to be addressed moving forward.

"We've asked for proof of financing, we've asked for a plan, we've asked for several things," he said. "Those things that we asked for are fair requests."

An ongoing dispute

Built by former televangelist Jim Bakker, the building known as Heritage Towers was part of his vision for the Christian vacation destination Heritage USA. The project tanked in the late 1980s when Bakker left, disgraced by scandal.

In 2007, the county wanted to demolish the unfinished high-rise, but MorningStar came forward with a plan to renovate it into a spiritually-focused retirement community.

The county accepted the proposal, giving ministry leaders 180 days from the date site plans were approved to show proof they had the finances and ability to finish the project - or face demolishing the tower.

That deadline has passed, county officials said, along with several months of back-and-forth between the parties over what to do about the tower.

The ministry has blamed the economy for the lack of progress on the tower and said the county's deadline was unfair.

Following the terms of their development agreement, the county has asked for a mediator to hear the dispute. Mediation is required before going to court, and might not provide a solution, county officials have said.

With the Jan. 26 mediation date approaching, the ministry has offered a proposal, which, if accepted, would give the ministry more time to renovate the tower's interior.

The proposal

In November, MorningStar attorney Carl Epps told The Herald that the proposal would include plans to refurbish the tower and clean up the grounds.

County officials said there was talk of a new technology that could be used to reattach bricks to the exterior of the building.

MorningStar's proposal includes a series of "temporary visual aesthetic" improvements and a plan to deal with loose bricks and debris, but no information about financing renovations to the building.

The plan includes:

Securing, reattaching, or removing loose bricks "(where feasible) at the owners discretion"

Painting exposed concrete "to match brick color" in order to "temporarily conceal" it

Removing stains, graffiti and visible debris from the building's grounds, roof and exposed interior

In a letter responding to the proposal, Baker said the proposal fails to include three key items the county requested:

A plan to repair or replace the existing façade

Proof MorningStar can finance the repairs, ensuring construction would begin immediately

An updated plan for completing the building's interior.

Renovating the façade, Baker argued, would show the ministry's commitment to making "real progress" toward finishing the tower while satisfying neighbors' concerns about its appearance.

Baker called the proposal an "unfunded expression of the intent to explore minimal and purely cosmetic improvements" that "falls far short" of the county's expectations.

Blackwell said he'd rather wait until after MorningStar presents its proposal to the council to comment.

"We want to hear what they have to say and give them every fair chance in the world to make that happen," he said. "But sooner or later, you have to do what you said you're going to do.

"If we only get lip service, that's only going to go so far. We have to have some facts, some proof."

  Comments  

Videos

Friendship Nine member Willie McLeod revisits sit-in lunch counter

Listen: York County Sheriff releases 911 audio from Rock Hill triple shooting

View More Video

Trending Stories

We’ve canceled the ‘Non Sequitur’ comic strip in The Herald and want you to know why

February 15, 2019 12:23 PM

That trendy CBD product in your smoothie? Adding it is illegal, NC officials say

February 15, 2019 11:56 AM

Gamecock great Rick Sanford joins Kornblut’s new statewide SportsTalk show

February 16, 2019 12:13 PM

USPS helps bust up marijuana ring that connected SC to California, police say

February 16, 2019 03:08 PM

‘Living legend’ Friendship 9 member back at Rock Hill sit-in counter had this to say

February 16, 2019 03:09 PM

Read Next

‘I intend to win’: Kamala Harris tells SC voters she’ll beat Trump in 2020

Politics & Government

‘I intend to win’: Kamala Harris tells SC voters she’ll beat Trump in 2020

By Maayan Schechter

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 16, 2019 05:48 PM

California Democrat Kamala Harris met with black female business owners Saturday, before joining Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin at Brookland Baptist Church to talk about her 2020 presidential campaign.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE LATEST NEWS

Dale Earnhardt Jr. mourns death of NASCAR artist who painted portraits of his dad

Latest News

Dale Earnhardt Jr. mourns death of NASCAR artist who painted portraits of his dad

February 16, 2019 04:39 PM
Here’s what’s happening in York, Lancaster and Chester counties

Local

Here’s what’s happening in York, Lancaster and Chester counties

February 16, 2019 08:21 PM
USPS helps bust up marijuana ring that connected SC to California, police say

Crime

USPS helps bust up marijuana ring that connected SC to California, police say

February 16, 2019 03:08 PM
‘Living legend’ Friendship 9 member back at Rock Hill sit-in counter had this to say

Local

‘Living legend’ Friendship 9 member back at Rock Hill sit-in counter had this to say

February 16, 2019 03:09 PM
Riverbanks zoo’s baby gorilla gets a name

South Carolina

Riverbanks zoo’s baby gorilla gets a name

February 16, 2019 10:05 AM
‘Please hurry:’ Police release emotional 911 audio from Rock Hill triple shooting

Crime

‘Please hurry:’ Police release emotional 911 audio from Rock Hill triple shooting

February 15, 2019 03:52 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Rock Hill Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Advertising Information
  • Place Obituary, Celebration
  • Place Classified, Legal
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story