An expansion of public lands in Cayce, anticipated for a couple years, has come to pass.

The state Department of Natural resources announced that it has completed the purchase of the 644-acre Taylor Tract to add to the Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve, more than doubling the size of the now 1,286-acre preserve.

The nonprofit land preservation group Open Space Institute bought the property for $7 million last year, with the intention being to sell it to the state for the same price. That intention was fulfilled, as DNR reports it bought the property for $7.3 million, including $6.3 million from the department’s Heritage Trust Program and $1 million from the S.C. Conservation Bank, “in partnership with the Open Space Institute.”

“What a great day for the Midlands. What a great day for our conservation partners. What a great day for the state of South Carolina,” DNR Director Robert Boyles is quoted in a release recounting a dedication ceremony held Oct. 20.

The purchase has been hotly anticipated by Cayce, one of two projects looking to enhance the public’s ability to enjoy the outdoors in the area.

A visitor’s center for the 12,000 Year History Park, a city-owned amenity that comprises 350 acres and adjoins the Timmerman Trail and connects to the Cayce Riverwalk, continues through its planning phases, aided by a $1 million grant from the state that was announced in 2021.

The River Alliance, the local nonprofit that guides efforts to expand and enhance river amenities around the Midlands, reported in April that the visitor’s center project was moving forward with final permitting.

“I think they’re both unique assets, especially to be found within an urbanized city,” Cayce City Manager Tracy Hegler told the Chronicle in February. “So to play them off of each other in terms of a full robust tourism attraction to this area — I don’t know what would be similar to it anywhere else.”

Indeed, the uses detailed by DNR for the preserve are considerable.

“Of the 644 acres, 241 acres are upland sandhill ecosystem and 403 acres are wetlands that will be protected from development,” the release states. “The property allows for 10 miles of hiking trails and 10 miles of canoe and kayak paddling. Six Mile and Congaree creeks offer fishing opportunities.

“That’s significant given that the heart of the Midlands has limited public recreation properties of this type, said Sean Taylor, senior archaeologist with the SCDNR Heritage Trust Program.”

The release additionally notes that adding the Taylor Tract forms “a large anchor to protect the Congaree Creek watershed, laying the groundwork for a more comprehensive watershed preservation project” and that there is evidence of human habitation dating back 12,000 years on the property.

“This expansion will double the size of the Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve, making it 25 percent larger than Central Park and one of the largest urban preserves this side of the Mississippi River,” state Sen. Nikki Setzler (D-Lexington), whose district covers Cayce and West Columbia, is quoted. “The Taylor family, who owned this property, has worked to help us preserve this property to be enjoyed by future generations. It is a tremendous benefit to the people of South Carolina.”