SANTEE, S.C. — The Santee Development Corporation says it has hired a local contractor and is finalizing permits to tear down the old Santee Outlet Mall. The 40-acre property, built in the early 1980s, has been vacant for years.

Founder Wallace Cheves says the demolition is scheduled for early next year, regardless of whether the legislature approves casino gaming.

“We are in the process of finalizing a contractor, a local contractor, to demolish the Santee Outlet Mall, which we own,” Cheves said. “We’ve owned it for several years. And it’s a dilapidated old mall that was built in the, I guess, early 80s. And so we want to go ahead and move forward with tearing down the mall and starting to lay the groundwork for a future casino resort.”

Cheves said the demolition will take several mont

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