The anatomy of a development boom

Get into your car and drive for a short distance and you are bound to see homes being built almost everywhere in Aiken County.

It seems as if new homes are springing up like seasonal flowers on almost every vacant lot or tract of land.

Around Aiken, Graniteville, North Augusta and into more rural areas it is hard to deny business is booming for area builders.

Documents obtained by the Aiken Standard from Aiken County, the City of Aiken and City of North Augusta show a total of 11,814 residential units have been approved for construction over the past two years. Add to this the Woodside Plantation Phase IV, which will have between 1,000 to 1,200 homes, and Trolley Run Station, which will add 3,600 homes and the figures just continue to climb with no end in sight.

Unlike past development booms, which largely focused on Aiken's Southside, the current development trend shows homes being built all over Aiken County. North Augusta currently has more residential units approved for construction than anywhere else in the county with 6,377 homes approved.

Patrick Mason, co-founder of the Center For Carolina Living, which surveys visitors to the state, said the Palmetto State's booming tourism industry has drawn a lot of retirees to the area for first impressions of the state.

With the earliest round of the 78 million Baby Boomers just starting to retire, Mason said the state, and Aiken County, will continue to see an influx of retirees until at least 2009.

Mason said research has shown 68 percent of the soon-to-retire crowd that visited North Carolina and South Carolina said they would be willing to settle down in a small town. Topping the list of potential small town locations are Aiken, Newberry and North Augusta, Mason said.

To keep up with the increased demand for housing, over the past two years Aiken County has approved 2,174 residential units for the unincorporated areas of Aiken County, said Aiken County Planning Director Phil England.

As impressive as the County figure sounds, it does not include Trolley Run Station, which will add 3,600 units to the County total. Trolley Run Station, which has had some road construction approved by the County is being joined by Sage Creek, which will add an additional 1,400 homes off Bettis Academy Road. Both projects are being done by FineDeering, a Houston development partnership.

Looking at another area, in recent years the County has witnessed great interest in the establishment of horse farms of almost every description in the area. From polo farms to three day eventers - and just about any other discipline you can name, the County has seen great interest in the establishment of horse farms of every kind.

Although the population density figures are not as impressive as some other developments, the U.S. 302 and S.C. 78 corridors have become hot areas for the development of polo farms.

Aiken Developer Tom Biddle, an officer with the U.S. Polo Association, said equine development in the area, which touches all disciplines, is making an impact in the market, but retirees moving into Woodside Plantation and Cedar Creek are really driving the economy.

"That is why you see the Wal-Marts and everybody else wanting to build here," Biddle said.

Looking at the equine industry alone, Biddle said Aiken County currently has 35 polo fields, with two more polo fields currently under development.

Add to this 25 what Biddle calls "pseudo equine developments" and the horse industry appears to be thriving. "That's amazing," Biddle said of the equine growth.

Biddle estimates the equine industry currently accounts for roughly 10,000 acres of land and generates between $26 million to $27 million for area businesses.

One big area for horse developments in recent years has been Aiken County Council member Scott Singer's district, which covers part of Aiken's Southside and runs through Jackson and New Ellenton.

Singer said the development of smaller horse farms, ranging in size from five to 10 acres, has impacted the makeup of his largely rural district.

"It is not high density development, which I like, because it doesn't put much stress and strain on our infrastructure," Singer said.

For Charles Hilton, manager of the Breezy Hill Water and Sewer Company that serves 4,700 customers, the recent development of Sage Creek on Bettis Academy Road in his area has meant his crews have been very busy.

During the first three months of this year, Breezy Hill has installed 48 new taps onto its water lines, Hilton said while reviewing a report. "I don't know how many we have on the board right now."

For Hilton 48 taps in three months is a brisk development pace - given the fact the utility installed 158 in 2005, 107 in 2004 and 125 in 2003.

If the development in the Breezy Hill service area continues at its current pace, Hilton said he could install 192 taps this year. "That would be the biggest year we ever had," he said.