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Business permits rebound in January; city pursuing remediation at two long-neglected properties
Summary
Business and Development Services reported 78 new residential permits in January — including 39 in Chestnut Ridge — and several new commercial permits. Building officials said two properties (123 Carlton Drive and 210 East Butler) are in poor condition; the city is communicating with absentee owners to secure remediation or pursue next steps.
City Business and Development Services reported on a rebound in residential permitting and new commercial activity, and building officials described active code-enforcement efforts at two properties that have deteriorated.
Business & Development Services staff told a committee the department issued 78 new permits for homes in January 2025 — the highest monthly total in 2024 — and that Chestnut Ridge developers (identified by staff as leading with 39 new permits) accounted for a substantial portion of the month’s activity. Staff also noted three January commercial building permits, including Crunch Fitness in a former supermarket shell, LifeMD renovations in Brookfield Park and Mauldin Urgent Care upfitting a shell at the former Salvation Army site. Business-license renewals were underway; the department said 26 businesses had already renewed for 2025. Staff also reported inspection pass rates increased for January to roughly 73%.
During the same meeting, Building Official Steven Woods described two problem properties under active attention: 123 Carlton Drive, a house condemned after an electrical fire more than a decade ago and largely abandoned by the owner, and 210 East Butler, a rental property repeatedly broken into and currently unsecured. Woods said the owner of 123 Carlton had been difficult to contact but that code-enforcement staff located a relative and are arranging a meeting; he said the house was “way beyond repair” and expected conversations about next steps. On 210 East Butler, Woods said the owner has declined to take action unless offered a large purchase price; staff said they have sent letters and requested the owner board or demolish the structure.
Staff said both owners live out of town (one in Easley, the other in Ware Place) and that city codes officers and the building official are pursuing remediation through outreach and, if necessary, enforcement. Committee members asked about the specific hazards and whether owners were local; Woods answered that the Carlton property had been condemned, that the meter had been pulled after the fire and that Hurricane impacts had worsened the condition.
The permit and business-license updates were presented as part of an annual and monthly report; staff emphasized ongoing residential and commercial growth in the city and that commercial permitting and license issuance were at record levels in 2024.
