Council Gives Initial Ok to Split Housing Moratorium Plan
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
In a meeting that ended with some confusion, Anderson County Council approved on first reading a revised and thrice amended proposal from the Planning and Public Works Commission to allow council districts independent voting choices on putting in place a moratorium on new housing developments.
The original plan called for a 60-day countywide pause in allowing new housing developments over 25 housing units without additional approval of full council. The hybrid plan approved would allow each council member to choose whether to pause building in their district.
It remains unclear if the split-district proposal would survive legal challenges, another hurdle council plans to address before second reading of the plan.
Public comments on the proposal seemed to lean toward support of the moratorium, with a little over half of the 13 who addressed council speaking in favor of the plan, citing challenges of rapid growth including overcrowded schools, lack of adequate roads and infrastructure, storm-water runoff and strain on police and fire departments,
School Dist. 1 Superintendent Seth Young, who said he had met with developers and other officials, expressed concerns that his schools are already at or above capacity as the population of this group continues to grow.
“We want to work with all of our stakeholders,” said Young. “We feel like our good schools, as well as those of other districts in the county, are a big reason for the continued growth. (But) to continue with high-performing schools, we need help to provide infrastructure.”
School Dist. 1 is especially vulnerable to finding ways to keep up with funding for student growth due to S.C. Act 388 of 2006 which relieved property owners from paying school-related property taxes, shifting the burden to industrial taxes for schools. The lack of a substantial industrial base in the district makes it difficult to find financial resources for growth. The second largest district,
Dist. 1 has roughly 1,600 fewer students than School Dist. 5, which has 12,500 students, but is strapped with a budget $30 million less than the largest district.
Citizens who opposed the housing development moratorium suggested the move would be bad for the county and hurt first-time homeowners and derail progress.
“It would drive housing prices through the roof if we pass this moratorium,” said Anderson Real Estate Attorney Brad Richardson, adding that it will also impact current generational landowners. “I would like to see us solve the problems with existing ordinances, and work with planning and development.”
According to the Appalachian Council of Governments, the county has around 12,000 lots available.
Councilwoman Cindy Wilson, who represents Council Dist. 7 and who chairs the Planning and Development Committee said 5,000 more are working their way through the development pipeline and the City of Anderson is looking to annex an additional 1,500. Wilson has been monitoring development issues for some time, especially the problems surrounding the new subdivisions being built on Midway Road. The video below shows failure to properly control runoff and pollution of the creek that runs under Midway Road near Midway Presbyterian Church (see Anderson Observer Video below).
Councilman Chris Sullivan, who serves Dist. 1 and is also on the committee said feedback from his community on a moratorium was mostly negative.
“I don’t want to lose sight of the people who need housing in my district,” said Sullivan, adding that one of the biggest employers in his district, Anderson University, is growing and so is their need for affordable housing for employees.
Sullivan also worried that the county’s liability, getting between landowners and potential buyers, is unclear.
Wilson said she was confident that council would “have nothing in place that would impede” such agreements.
Jimmy Davis, who serves Dist. 6 and is the other member of the committee, says he’s for progress, he just wants to pause to get a plan in place for the future.
"This is not to stop growth, not to stop building, but to get to work coming up with ideas and to work hard for our constituents,” said Davis.
Anderson County Council Vice Chairman Brett Sanders recapped the meeting for the Anderson Observer.
