21st-Century Housing Developments in North Aiken and Recent Doses of Subsidies for Big Developers.

by Don Moniak

August 19, 2023

Jacob Klarman, the President of the Aiken Association of Realtors, wrote the following in an error ridden and insulting letter to the editor this week. The letter endorsing Mayor Rick Osbon for re-election claimed Mr. Osbon is the “only realtor friendly candidate.” But it was this stereotyping of the “Northside” that was equally noticeable:

“The mayor has helped secure utility service expansion to the Northside of Aiken which has led to three new housing developments. This is an area that no one has made efforts to develop in decades.” (Aiken Standard 8/16/23)

First, the utility service expansion that was approved by Aiken County Council in December 2020 was primarily for an area north of Interstate 20. No new housing developments have occurred in the expansion area; the only commercial development is a 7-11 gas station/convenience store now under construction on the north side of Exit 22.

As for “This is an area where no one has made efforts and “decades,” is Mr. Klarman the realtor unaware of the history of 21st-century housing growth in North Aiken?

North Aiken area housing growth has occurred this century both within city limits and within a few miles of city limits. One new neighborhood, Trolley Run Station, is presently is already more than fifty percent developed than the combined sum of all newly planned and proposed North Aiken housing developments.

In addition to Trolley Run Station, Dupont Landing and Summer Lakes are two other large new neighborhoods initiated a decade before Rick Osbon was first elected City of Aiken Mayor in 2015. Between that period and Mr. Osbon’s election was a short era known as The Great Recession, a period characterized by a decline in new housing starts.

Trolley Run Station.

Trolley Run Station is the most significant of the three developments both in terms of size and future growth. The area is only a half-mile northwesterly of Aiken city limits, just around the corner from the University of South Carolina at Aiken (USCA). It is also only 0.7 miles from one of the three new housing developments in the county that were cited by Mr. Klarman for future “expansion” of city utility services (1).

Development began around 2005, and in 2008 the Market Street Station Apartments were completed. Single family homes and townhouses quickly followed.

Trolley Run Station has since grown into one of the largest new neighborhoods in Aiken County, and its residents have a substantial economic impact on the City of Aiken.

Well over a thousand homes, townhomes, and apartments are now spread across more than 400 acres. Another 150 acres is under development, and ~1,000 acres is planned for development. An additional thousand acres are planned for development.

If all the plans come to fruition, Trolly Run Station will stretch west almost to the Vaucluse community.

Like much of the City of Aiken, Trolley Run is situated in the upper Horse Creek Watershed. The Bridge Creek corridor, categorized as swampland by Aiken County, provides 130-acres of protected green space and bottomland within the development area.

Unlike most of the North Aiken area, Valley Public Service Authority provides Trolley Run Station with drinking water and sewer service.
Perhaps because this largest new neighborhood in the North Aiken area is not serviced by the City of Aiken utilities and is highly unlikely to be annexed into the City in the foreseeable future, the area is not generally viewed as a part of the “Northside.”

But there is no clear demarcation of what is “Northside.” Some City Council members consider the Northside to stretch beyond Interstate 20. The City of Aiken has titled a key component of its sewer expansion near Exit 18 the “Northside Sewer Lift Station.,” even though the project location is north of Interstate 20.

Dupont Landing.

Dupont Landing is an affordable housing neighborhood near Aiken High School and within Aiken city limits. The Second Baptist Church of Aiken was the leader in the development, and some vacant lots and homes remain under ownership of Second Baptist CDC. Occupation of Phase I homes began circa 2010, a full five years prior to Mayor Osbon’s first election victory.

Summer Lakes

Summer Lakes is an upscale neighborhood 2.5 miles north of Aiken city limits. It is one of the more carefully planned new housing developments in the county. The first homes became occupied circa 2005, and the neighborhood now spreads across more than 150 acres.

Because it is on the City of Aiken’s water system, the neighborhood is subject to annexation when or if it ever becomes contiguous to city boundaries.

New Planned Housing Developments and Doses of Corporate Welfare

In addition to the three planned housing developments cited by Mr. Klarman are four more recently approved apartments, duplexes, townhomes, and single family homes in the North Aiken area. The City has reported a total of ~1500 new homes (2) to be built within seven housing developments approved in the past few years. Another large development by Beazley Homes along Wire Road is not a part of that calculation.

Some new developments were already inside City limits, others are recently annexed into the City, and the rest are subject to annexation if or when the city reaches their doorsteps. The developments span from Gregg Highway south of Trolley Run Station to Hwy 19 North.

Collectively, these housing starts occupy an area only two-thirds the size of Trolley Run Station development completed to date, and Trolley Run continues to grow westward towards Vaucluse.

In the past two years, Mayor Rick Osbon and Aiken City Council also approved substantial financial subsidies for two major developers responsible for three new, large subdivisions. A major regional housing construction corporation called Great Southern Homes has two subdivisions in site preparation stage. Augusta-Aiken area’s Beazley Homes has the other development.

As reported in “Dust Storm in an Incentive Zone,” Aiken City Council approved subsidizing Great Southern Homes’ Portrait Hills subdivision The subsidy is up to $112,000 for permit fees, business license tax fees, and water and sewer service tap fees. The company’s Palomino Oaks development off York Street was approved for up to $247,000 for the same costs. Thus, a major corporation is approved to receive taxpayer subsidies of up to $359,000.

North of Aiken, and just east of Summer Lakes, is a planned Beazley Homes subdivision. On February 27th of this year, Aiken City Council approved a subsidy of up to $674,322 for Beazley to construct a new drinking water line to their property along Wire Road 2.5 miles north of city limits.

Summary

The Aiken Association of Realtors controversial endorsement for a third term for Mayor Rick Osbon put forth a stereotype of Northern Aiken area growth. Mr. Klarman’s loyalty to Mayor Osbon—though admirable to some but certainly not all area realtors— is based on a false, or at best hyperbolized, premise.

The Aiken Association of Realtors has to be fully aware of the past and present real estate market in the North Aiken area, as their members have sold real estate in Trolley Run and Summer Lakes. The association should also recognize that existing housing growth in the North Aiken area involves large taxpayer-funded financial subsidies for major regional developers.

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Footnotes:

(1) The areas cited already were in the city’s water and sewer district zone. With the exception of the Beazley Homes subdivision, the new housing starts do not involve is an expansion, but are only utility hookups. Information regarding the 2020 water and sewer district boundaries was reported in A Shrub Grows In Aiken and repeated here:

“The other interesting aspect of the equation is that in December 2020, Aiken County Council held the ‘Third Reading of an Ordinance Approving The Request Of The City Of Aiken To Expand Its Service Area Or District For Water And Sanitary Sewer Services To Include Certain Unincorporated Areas Located Generally North Of Interstate 20 Along U.S. Highway 1 And S.C. Highway 19; Between Wire Road (S-49) And Interstate 20; And West Of S.C. Highway 19 Near Interstate 20 As Are More Specifically Shown On The Attached Map.’”

In a letter to County Administrator Clay Killian, City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh wrote, in part: 

“We have received multiple inquiries from various entities over the last 18 months about water and sewer service availability for possible residential and commercial development in this proposed new area.” 

The map shows a substantial expansion of the boundaries of the city’s water district, extending north of Exits 22 and 19 (below), which Aiken County Council approved by a unanimous vote after making amendments to protect existing, closer volunteer fire districts. 

(2) Planned Northern Aiken housing developments approved for annexation and/or utility services between 2020 to 2024 are :

• University Park Townhomes, A 53-acre gated community with on both sides of Lincoln Avenue north of University Parkway. 
• Aiken Village, a 50-acre rental community on the edge of Aiken city limits, along Rutland Avenue, and across from Aiken High School. (This was cancelled in favor of Rutland Place, which will contain both townhomes and single family homes, as well as 7 acres of commercial development.
• Highland Bluffs, a 37-acre development with 226 housing units along Vaucluse Road. It is 0.7 miles from city limits and Trolley Run Station.
• River’s Crossing, a 67-acre development with ~200 homes on Hwy 19 North and south of Shiloh Heights Road.
• Parker in Aiken, a 30-acre Parker in Aiken apartment complex with 326 units along Gregg Highway near USCA.  Approval for this plan included reducing the amount of open space in favor of more parking.
• Portrait Hills, a 40-acre subdivision with 150 homes on Hwy 19 North behind the historic Northside Barber Shop.
• Palomino Oaks, a 43-acre duplex development with 316 housing units on York Street across from Crosland Park. The plan is for duplexes. 
• Mayfield Drive subdivision, a 250 home development at York Street and
  
  Below is a map showing roughly the location of housing developments in the North Aiken area where construction began pre-2010 and the location of approved subdivisions where only site preparation or no action at all has been undertaken.