(AP) -- An Upstate developer has agreed to buy 165 acres owned by the Department of Mental Health in downtown Columbia.
The State newspaper reported bob Hughes submitted a signed contract to the state agency late Thursday to buy the Bull Street property for $15 million.
The contract says the payment can be made over seven years.
Mayor Steve Benjamin says the sale will change Columbia. He says it's the most significant development opportunity for Columbia in a generation.
Mental Health Commission attorney Mark Binkley says the agency's board already has approved the contract for the sale negotiated by agency lawyers and Hughes.
The deal still requires court approval, as well as a review by the Budget and Control Board.
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