INDIAN LAND, S.C. Condos. Shops. Outdoor concerts. Internships to prepare students for careers in broadcasting.
All were to be part of the Inspiration Networks' 93-acre City of Light.Or so S.C. and Lancaster County officials thought when they gave their blessing – along with at least $5 million in incentives – to the religious broadcaster. But more than five years after unveiling its plans, Inspiration has delivered on few of its development promises, leaving Lancaster officials disappointed as they try to revive a county with 19 percent unemployment. Today, the City of Light campus is home to two buildings – both nonprofit projects that don't pay county property taxes.
The fast-growing network, with nearly $80 million in annual revenue, has yet to bring any of the for-profit ventures it promised. County officials now question whether those pieces will ever be built.
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