An anonymous benefactor has purchased 1,200 acres of land from USC, located near Pawleys Island, South Carolina, in order to prevent future development and establish a conservancy zone along the coast, according to The State.
Through the corporation PG Preservation LLC, the buyer struck a deal to acquire the Prince George Tract of land on Friday at an undisclosed price.
The Prince George Tract is one of the only remaining pieces of undeveloped land in the Pawleys Island and Litchfield Beach area, which is located in a popular tourist destination between Georgetown and Myrtle Beach.
The buyer remained anonymous but made it known that the purchase was for the sake of conserving the property.
The land was acquired from the University of South Carolina Development Foundation. The foundation fell under criticism in 2013, when it announced it would be selling the property rather than using it for research and conservation, as it had originally stated.
The foundation maintained that the original plan was to sell and develop part of the land, while conserving the remainder, in an attempt to bolster funding for USC, which at the time was struggling, according to foundation officials interviewed by The State.
Mostly wetlands, the Prince George Tract houses a variety of flora and fauna, as well as the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.
Owned by the Vanderbilt family for decades, the property was originally sold for development in the 1980s, but after plans for an apartment complex dissolved, the federal government assumed control and eventually sold the land to the USC Development Foundation.