By Stan Welch
The Anderson County Planning Commission met Tuesday night to consider the proposal to construct twenty four homes on a twenty four acre tract in the vicinity of Bagwell Road and Highway 81 North.
The development, which will be known as Wren Woods, will be built in three phases along two cul de sacs. Once complete, the development is expected to generate an additional two hundred forty new trips a day, as far as traffic goes. Since Highway 81 North is designated as an arterial road, there is no maximum trips allowed, so there will be no official impact on traffic.
The homes will be on individual septic tanks, and water will be supplied by the Powdersville Water Authority. No zoning variances were requested.
The request is just the latest evidence of a growing surge in housing construction in northern Anderson County, which includes the readership area of The Journal. A review of the county planning department’s records of approvals sought for housing developments in that area indicates a significant growth in housing starts. (Editor’s note: The requests for approval listed below are in various stages of the process. Most are in the preliminary stage.)
In Anderson County Council District Six, which encompasses Powdersville and Piedmont, generated requests in 2016 affecting two hundred four acres, and proposing construction of three hundred seventy eight single family residences. District Seven saw proposals to construct ninety nine single family residences on fifty seven acres, while District Four, which essentially borders The Journal’s readership area, proposed construction of one hundred twenty six family residences on seventy nine acres.
This year, so far, District Six once again leads the way in proposed new construction, with fifty three single family residences, thirty two townhouses, and two hundred eighty eight apartments proposed for construction on a total of fifty three acres.
District Seven shows eleven single family homes on eight acres, while District Four shows forty three single homes on thirty two acres, located mostly in the Highway 81 and McGee Road area.
Recent and consistent successes by both Anderson and Greenville Counties in attracting new industries and creating jobs are driving the surge in demand for housing. West Pelzer Mayor Blake Sanders has been touting a couple of pending housing developments. One, adjacent to the town’s limits could result in the construction and annexation of twenty four homes.
