Building Standards,Zoning, Parks Busy Moving Toward Summer
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Development standards to determine the parameters for building in Anderson County are among the top concerns moving into May.
Some areas, such as the Shirley Store Precinct have petitioned and certified the votes needed to have a referendum to adopt zoning. Other areas are also in the process of considering zoning to protect their neighborhoods.
The county recently hired Code Wright Planners to help update and unify the standards for development and are expected to translate the complicated information into a simpler to understand document, complete with graphics and other helpful materials. The county remains concerned about the City of Anderson annexation of property along the East-West Parkway, an area that had been designated as green space when the road was built in 2013. The county maintains the property along the three-mile stretch of road.
The closing of the Orian Rugs rug manufacturing is another reminder of the need for continued economic development in the county and a diverse manufacturing base, especially as markets change, said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns. Burns said a few announcements of new jobs were on the “near horizon.”
The county is still working with a group representing the county on a roads referendum for November. If approved, the one-penny tax on everything except groceries, will generate $37 million annually for road work and maintenance. The current backlog of road/bridges projects in the county is more than $350 million, and more than a third of all roads and bridges are in failed or failing condition.
Construction is still under way to stabilize, restore and refurbish the historic courthouse downtown. Currently draped in scaffolding, the bricks are being repaired/replaced and repointed and the mortar replaced on the 127-year-old structure.
Just behind the courthouse, the large green space, known as the Elephant Pen, continues to grow in popularity as was evidenced during last weekend’s Anderson Soiree. Burns said he’d yet to see any proposal compelling enough to develop the property.
“It’s working out very well as a public green space,” said Burns. “To put anything else there it would have to be something that would change the whole feel and vibration of the city.”
The county is currently looking for a site to plant an Elm tree in celebration of the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The county will join other locations across the country in this effort. The traditional site for the declaration was beneath the "Tiadaghton Elm" tree, which stood until the 1970s in what is now Clinton County, Pennsylvania.
The tree will likely be planted in one of the county’s parks, which are still in the process of being updated. Burns expects to see more attention given to the smaller parks, such as Wellington in the months ahead.
Green Pond continues to bring in professional anglers from across the globe, and last weekend’s event was broadcast live on Fox Sports FX1 for 28 hours, drawing national attention to Hartwell Lake and the area. Work is under way to improve the lighting and sound potential at Green Pond’s amphitheater to allow for concerts and other events.
Dolly Cooper Park is preparing for June’s Rhythm on the combined River/Saluda River Rally, the “other Celebrate Anderson.”
The parks have flourished in part because of earmarks, now called directed spending, from the S.C. General Assembly via the County Legislative Delegation. These funds have also traditionally been used by smaller towns for infrastructure needs that would be out of reach otherwise. Burns said the General Assembly’s rejecting this funding source in the current state budget. Burns said the decision will impact the county’s budget.
