Holidays, Zoning, Infrastructure, Promise of New Jobs Highlight County Update
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Zoning is among the latest topic stirring local anxieties—a perennial concern in Anderson County, where farmland meets the slow creep of development.
Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns said that three such requests are on Tuesday’s ballot.
“When that petition is filed with the appropriate signatures, as you know, it goes on the ballot,” said Burns, who sketched out the process, the careful choreography of local governance.
“In the meantime, you meet with those people, which we did on numerous occasions, to find out how they want it zoned. So then we take the existing land use, and then we invite people from that area to come in and look at it. And from everything—those that I attended and from everything I’ve heard—everybody was very well pleased. But it was really, in those areas, keeping things as they were.”
In 2025, Anderson County, South Carolina has faced a surge in civic discussion over zoning and land use, driven by rapid development and the resulting anxieties of longtime residents. Petitions filed at the precinct level — a unique feature of Anderson’s local governance — are going to the ballot box, most notably in precincts like Neal’s Creek, Rock Spring, and Shirley Store, where zoning policies are now set to could become official following the November 18, 2025, reading by the Planning Commission.
Burns said late autumn has been a busy time for economic development, with multiple announcements of new jobs expected before the end of the year.
He also said progress on sewer infrastructure is looking good in the county right now. The completion of sewer lines at the I-85 Exit 14 are among the projects close to completion.
“Looks like we are good right now. for at least another 25 years,” said Burns. “That's with the two city treatment plants in Anderson, and of course, we're building the Clemson, Pendleton, Anderson County wastewater treatment plant should put us in pretty good shape up there. So, in terms of sewer infrastructure right now, we're in pretty good shape. We're very pleased about that.”
As winter closes in, the county is also preparing the parks, with clean ups and a new project at River Forks Park.
“We're going to put two campsites at River Forks, just like the state park system does, just like the national park system. where people will agree to come in and they will camp there, but they will be tasked with maintaining the park and patrolling the park,” said Burns. “It just gives us a presence, somebody we vet living there. It's worked very well at Green Pond, and you have eyes on a place 24 hours a day in exchange for them having that camping space. These people are very good and very dedicated. Treat these places like they're their own.”
A taller county Christmas tree is currently being raised downtown in preparation for the unofficial lighting Nov. 21 and the official downtown Christmas event Dec. 5. Work on the historic courthouse will not be complete, but there is a possibility that the scaffolding on the front will include some holiday decorations.
Burns discussed these issues and more in this interview with the Anderson Observer.
