The S.C. Mental Health Commission on Friday asked for a declaratory judgment from the S.C. Supreme Court on who controls the former State Hospital property on Bull Street in Columbia.

A plan to redevelop the 178-acre campus into a neighborhood of office buildings, stores and more than 1,250 homes — considered a centerpiece of Columbia’s economic future — has been stalled until the issue is resolved.

An attorney general’s opinion has stated the commission might control the property, rather than the State Budget and Control Board.

The commission might also be entitled to part or all of the proceeds from the sale, the opinion stated.

The commission filed directly with the Supreme Court to speed the process, because the suit might have generated appeals, commission attorney Mark Binkley said.

The justices can agree to hear the request for a declaratory judgment or not. If not, the department would file with circuit court, Binkley said

Both Gov. Mark Sanford and Columbia Mayor Bob Coble have said they would like to see the issue resolved quickly.