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 In the News
Jennifer Bradey
Executive Officer
Home Builders Association of Greater Spartanburg
Zoning refers to the assignment of land, by a municipality, for a particular use. Common zoning designations are residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial. If enacted, Spartanburg County regulations could dictate what kinds of structures and activities, and sometimes what size of lots, extraction of natural resources, maintenance or types of pets or livestock, or other activities, are allowed in certain zones.
According to a recent poll conducted by Ayres, McHenry & Associates, forty percent of Spartanburg County voters say that the economy and crime are the most important problems facing the county, while only 8 percent indicated growth. Spartanburg County residents are far more concerned that the county will not create enough jobs in the next few years, rather than grow too much during that time. While we understand that by state law, we are required to reauthorize our land use ordinance at this time, it is important to realize that further regulations may not be the most important or immediate concern of our county’s residents despite what you may hear in the media.
Folks are frequently quoted in the local media lamenting the “growth problems” or the “problems in Boiling Springs”, but admittedly, we remain a bit perplexed on the subject. Boiling Springs seems to have everything going right: new construction and development, a great school district, economic progress well beyond other areas of the county, and an array of affordable living choices. In this instance, it would be helpful to know exactly what we are trying to remedy in an area where everyone seems to want to live and build. If the issue is congestion on Highway 9, zoning isn’t going to fix that, nor will it prevent it in other areas. Take for instance Woodruff Road in Greenville. Zoning surely didn’t prevent major traffic problems there.
Residential and commercial growth are fluid – meaning that when it is stopped in one place, it will inevitably occur somewhere else. Attacking past development patterns and blaming builders does not recognize the fact that housing preferences of Spartanburg residents dictate where development occurs. Notwithstanding the revitalization of older suburban and inner city markets, even under the best of conditions, infill development will satisfy only a small percentage of a community’s demand for new housing.
Let our elected officials regulate those things which we find most offensive. Perhaps our issues are crowding of roads, fear of dump sites, unsightly cellular towers, poor school locations, adult-oriented businesses…whatever they are… we should let County Council, in cooperation with the Planning Commission, target them specifically. And in most instances, they already have. We should be fearful of untargeted solutions, but rather take a rifleman’s approach and zero in precisely on the perceived problems.
Arguably, our current ordinance does not allow for mixed use development, and probably stands to improve on setback and buffering requirements. We look forward to working with Council on these issues and are certain they may be remedied outside of the zoning debate. Our members and leaders want to make sure the plans laid forth ensure future growth as well as preserve the special character of Spartanburg County. However, we believe that the current ordinance and the free market provide stringent land use controls, and should not be crippled by a third party of government officials.
Historically, the HBA has worked hand-in-hand with Spartanburg County Council on land use issues and assisted in crafting our current ordinance. Our builders, developers and associate members take great pride in our community and our industry, and want to be part of the solutions to any problems Spartanburg County may face. We do not wish to impede progress or the beautification and livability of Spartanburg County. It is just imperative that the proposed solutions actually be able to “solve” the perceived problems.
To date, the County has conducted two “Community Meetings” on land use issues. The vast majority of the concerns expressed by the participants in these meetings are not zoning related and would not even be fixed if zoning were enacted.
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