Emmitt Smith tackles real estate with new Lexington shopping plaza

LEXINGTON, S.C. — A brand-new shopping center is coming to Lexington, and while residents are excited for the big-name retailer that will anchor the center, questions remain about the impact the plaza will have.

The new shopping center will be built just a few hundred feet from Lexington High School at 2552 Augusta Highway.

Developer 4-13 Solutions, the folks behind the project, announced Wednesday that a new Target store will anchor the plaza. David Mosley CEO of 4-13 Solutions said it made good business sense to build in the Midlands.

“Lexington’s one of the fastest growing areas in South Carolina. In the Columbia area, the population is over 800,000 with an annual growth rate of two percent. So, it makes sense for us to expand and work within that community,” he said.

In addition to Target, there’s another big name associated with the project.

Former Dallas Cowboys running back, Emmitt Smith who co-owns the development company.

“A lot of people don’t know that Emmitt actually has a real estate license. He’s engaged, he knows the business and he’s fully involved with us,” Mosley said.

Smith plans on attending the ribbon cutting for the plaza, once it’s finished.

The project calls for building just over 206,000 square feet of retail space on land adjacent to the Oak Pointe neighborhood.

Reaction within that community is mixed, with some residents saying they would welcome having a new Target store that close but worry about the impact the development would have on traffic and crime in the area.

“I know getting out of this little subdivision here might be a little hassle, but I think that won’t be a problem,” said Derrian Martin, who lives in Oak Pointe.

Christofer Cook is a local author who also resides in Oak Pointe.

“I think it’s wonderful that there might be a Target closer to where we are. We can just go to the end of our subdivision here and pick up whatever we need,” Cook said.

Mosley said increased traffic is something his team is acutely aware of.

“When you bring in that much additional traffic to an area with housing behind it already, we want to make sure that we’re not negatively impacting but having a positive impact of flow,” he explained.

Mosley said so far, the project is on schedule for a fall 2026 opening.