County Council Considers New Economic Development
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County Council will meet Tuesday morning to honor longtime public servants, take up major planning and zoning measures, and consider new economic development incentives and public safety technology.
Council will open the 11 a.m. session at the Anderson County Sports & Entertainment Center with resolutions recognizing two pillars of local public service. One resolution salutes Medshore Ambulance for 50 years of service in Anderson County, tracing its growth from Greg Shore’s small Anderson Ambulance Service in 1976 to a nationally accredited regional provider that has partnered with the county’s 9‑1‑1 system since 1987. Another will honor retiring Magistrate Judge Sherry E. Mattison for more than 40 years of county service, including over three decades on the bench in Belton, where she has presided over thousands of criminal and civil cases.
On second reading, Council will consider expanding the multi‑county “2010 Park” with Greenville County for an industrial project known as “Project Silver,” a move that would place additional industrial property under a joint tax‑sharing agreement. Members will also debate an amendment to Article 7 of Chapter 48 that would remove all special exception permits from the county’s land‑use rules, a change that could significantly alter how certain developments are reviewed.
First readings will focus heavily on planning and land use. Council is scheduled to introduce Part I of the 2026 Anderson County Comprehensive Plan, covering population, housing, community facilities, land use and priority investment, which will guide long‑term growth decisions. Three companion ordinances would rezone roughly 45 acres from Residential Agricultural to R‑20 single‑family in the Fork No. 2 precinct, shift about 30.87 acres from Commercial Rural back to Residential Agricultural in the same general area, and approve ground leases for new private aircraft hangars at Anderson Regional Airport.
In a title‑only measure, Council will introduce an ordinance to rewrite Section 24‑118 of the county code to add explicit intensity standards, traffic impact analysis requirements, and road capacity and level‑of‑service thresholds as conditions of development approval. Staff have been working on broader land‑use and code updates as part of the comprehensive plan process, and the new traffic language is expected to tie growth more directly to road conditions.
On the incentives front, Council will weigh a fee‑in‑lieu‑of‑tax and special source credit agreement for a project identified only as “Project Next,” which would trade standard property tax payments for negotiated fee payments and credits tied to infrastructure investment. A separate inducement resolution would designate a Duke Energy Carolinas power‑generation project as economic development property under the state’s simplified fee‑in‑lieu statute, allowing a future fee agreement, potential special source credits, and inclusion in a joint industrial park.
Beyond land use and incentives, Council is slated to vote on a memorandum of understanding with the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board, a step counties statewide are taking to formalize use of opioid settlement dollars for treatment, prevention and recovery efforts. The agenda also includes an executive session for legal advice on a personnel matter involving a former employee, followed by possible action in open session.
Council will consider awarding a bid for a new package software solution for public safety under RFP 25‑032, a move that could update how law enforcement and emergency agencies manage calls, records and response. Members are also scheduled to act on district requests to support the Hejaz Shrine Circus and the Crescent Elite Shooters program, hear an administrator’s report on building and codes and special projects, and take comments from citizens on both agenda and non‑agenda matters before closing with Council remarks.
