Lake City hopes federal money will bring new life to empty, abandoned properties

LAKE CITY, S.C. (WMBF) – Neighbors in Lake City are tired of empty and abandoned homes in their area, and the city’s mayor hopes to change that with federal money.

The City of Lake City applied for a Community Development Block Grant that the mayor says he wants to use to revitalize the city’s neighborhoods.

Lake City Mayor Lovith Anderson said many of the empty and rundown properties in the area have caused issues for neighbors.

He said he wants to use the grant money to demolish and rebuild homes and rehabilitate the city’s neighborhoods.

“Housing is a big need in South Carolina. And rural areas are no less inundated with people looking for a place to stay than the larger communities as well, and we need people in solid structures in the wind zone we’re in,” Anderson said.

He added that his goal is to make Lake City a more attractive to people who want to live there.

“We lost a little population during the last Census, not a whole lot, so we want to recoup those and gain a lot more,” Anderson explained.

A public hearing on the grant will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Lake City Senior Center.

Copyright 2021 WMBF. All rights reserved.