Wedding & Event Venue in Greenwood, SC

A CSX train derailed at around 3:54 a.m. on Monday near Cross Hill. At least 17 cars fell from the tracks.

Emergency crews and environmental monitoring teams are on the scene in Laurens County after a multi-car CSX train derailment near Lake Greenwood early Monday morning.

First responders were called to the scene near Cross Hill and Whitten Road around 5:20 a.m. Monday after 17 train cars were derailed. CSX crews are working to clear the derailment.

No injuries or hazardous spills have been reported. However, Greenwood County said that a white material was released from one rail car and has been identified as sodium borate, an active ingredient that can be found in laundry detergent. The county said they do not believe any material from the spill has reached Lake Greenwood.

According to Greenwood County officials, an environmental cleanup firm is on-site and confirmed that all derailed railcars were empty. The firm will remain in the area throughout the cleanup process to monitor environmental conditions.

Also, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is directing boat traffic around the lower train trestle on Lake Greenwood. As of 10 a.m. only one of the elevated openings beneath the train trestle is open for boat passage.

According to Laurens County, all residents located on the south side of the train tracks that run perpendicular to Whitten Road will be unable to travel on Whitten Road until the scene is clear. The county also said that many residents in the area may have received a "Shelter in Place" alert. The alert was not released as a result of an immediate threat to safety but to inform residents that an incident has occurred and leaving the area is not possible at this time. However, emergency personal can reach residents if an issue arises.

County officials are asking the public to avoid the area while cleanup operations continue.

CSX and environmental crews expect to remain on-site throughout the day to remove the derailed equipment and inspect the track.

This is an evolving story.

GREENWOOD COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Greenwood County residents are watching two competing measures ahead of a county council meeting Tuesday night that could determine whether data centers are allowed in the community.

Two measures, opposite outcomes

The first measure would change zoning guidelines to allow data centers as a conditional use in Greenwood County, meaning they could be approved under certain conditions. Tuesday marks that measure’s third and final reading.

At the same time, three council members are sponsoring a second reading of a one-year moratorium that would block all data center approvals in the county.

Resident raises loophole concern

One neighbor said he is concerned that if the first ordinance passes before the second, council members would leave a loophole allowing data centers into the community.

“The thought that this would happen here is heart-wrenching because the cool thing about Greenwood — it’s under the radar in many ways and that’s a good thing,” said Russ Fitzgerald, a Greenwood County resident.

“There are beautiful places to live, beautiful terrain, it’s green and lush and beautiful. All that goes out the window if data centers come in,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s like something out of Star Wars. It’s the Death Star practically.”

Council members to speak at meeting

All seven council members were contacted for comment. Only two responded, Johanna Bishop and Dayne Pruitt. Both council members said they’ll make statements at Tuesday’s meeting.

Due to the expected crowd, the meeting will be held at District 50’s Performing Arts Center at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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Greenwood County Council moved forward Tuesday with a more than $4 million project to purchase and demolish the flood-prone Fox Hollow Townhomes.

Council unanimously approved Resolution 2026-23, a $3,843,641.50 grant from the South Carolina Office of Resilience, for the purchase and demolition of all 19 Fox Hollow townhomes. The Fox Hollow community has experienced repeated, significant floods over the past decade, displacing some residents multiple times.

The county will provide a $306,000 match from funds budgeted for a watershed study through the 2016 capital project sales tax. The $306,000 represents the 10% local match the county committed when it first applied for the grant.

This will bring the total potential project cost to about $4.15 million.

Capital Project Sales Tax Coordinator Josh Skinner said the funding originated with federal money set aside following Hurricane Helene for some of the state’s most heavily affected counties.

The project is contingent on all 19 property owners agreeing to the purchase prices offered for their homes. The S.C. Office of Resilience would oversee appraisals, environmental reviews and other work associated with the buyout.

Because the townhomes are within the city of Greenwood, the city would need to execute the grant agreement, accept the property and agree to preserve the site as an open space permanently.

Greenwood City Council is expected to consider the agreement Aug. 17.

Council also received the first reading, by title only, of Ordinance 2026-26, which would rezone part of a 100.45-acre property at 2307 Bypass 25 SE from C-2 to R-4.

The property is one parcel divided by Bypass 25 Southeast, near Highway 25 South and the Food Lion shopping center.

Planning Director Ryan Bland said about 66 acres are zoned C-2, while the northwestern section is already zoned R-4.

The requested change would place the entire property under R-4 zoning and allow the applicant to pursue a single-family residential development. Both county planning staff and the Greenwood County Planning Commission recommended approval.

Councilman Mark Allison asked whether residential construction was already possible under the commercial zoning. Bland said C-2 zoning presently allows duplexes, townhomes and multifamily housing at a higher density than R-4 zoning.

“Essentially, the only reason you would make this move in rezoning would be to accommodate single-family residential,” Bland said.

Because Tuesday’s consideration was a title-only first reading, council took no vote on the rezoning.

During public comment, resident Tracy Rickey raised concerns about Ordinance 2026-26, and whether roads in that area could accommodate continued residential growth. She said existing one-lane roads are already experiencing increased traffic and asked whether road widening and turn lanes could be completed as homes are constructed rather than after development occurs.

Chairman Theo Lane said the county relies heavily on S.C. Department of Transportation traffic studies during the approval process. He said improvements such as turn lanes or road reconstruction could take a year to a year and a half.

Full coverage of the meeting will be included in Friday's Index-Journal.