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Residents urge Laurens County to make growth pay for roads, schools and emergency services
Summary
Residents and community members told the Laurens County council to require developers to pay for new infrastructure, create a transparent infrastructure preservation trust, and enforce rural lot minimums. Councilors said the planning commission will study impact fees and a moratorium is in place while rules are reviewed.
An unidentified resident urged the Laurens County council to shift the burden of growth from current taxpayers to developers, asking that every new home, subdivision and business “help fund the roads, schools, water, sewer, fire, EMS, and parks that growth requires.”
The speaker proposed placing all development fees into a single, publicly auditable infrastructure and historic-preservation trust overseen by a citizen board so that “there’s no shifting dollars around, no pet projects, no special favors,” and argued for rural minimum lot sizes and clustered development to protect open space.
The remarks came amid multiple public comments about rapid subdivision approvals and strained local services along corridors including I-385 and I-26. Ashley Riff, who addressed the council during public comment, thanked the council for passing a temporary moratorium and said the pause is needed so the planning commission can “right some wrongs and take some loopholes in the ordinance.”
Several residents and speakers pressed the council to track developer commitments. One attendee asked whether the county verifies job and investment promises tied to incentive agreements; councilors said such agreements contain performance conditions and “callbacks” and that the planning commission will hire a consultant to model impact fees.
Hannah, a local residential builder who spoke at the meeting, said she supports contributions from developers but cautioned that impact fees are often passed through to homebuyers. “It’s not the builder that pays the fees — it’s the homeowner,” she said, urging the county to design mitigation that does not unduly increase housing costs.
Council members said the planning commission has been asked to study impact fees and will engage outside expertise to estimate per-home impacts, then return recommendations to the commission and council. A councilor said the information will be made available to the public when developed.
Next steps: the county is studying impact fees and is operating under a temporary moratorium on certain approvals while the planning commission reviews ordinance language. The council encouraged residents to submit concerns and contact staff for follow-up.
