Spot for would-be chicken plant in Aiken County could become subdivision

AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) — Aiken County’s would-be chicken plant site is now set for a new subdivision.

The property at East Frontage Road and Columbia Highway was meant for a chicken plant by House of Raeford. But it hit two major huddles: not enough sewer capacity and pushback from neighbors. “There was concern about the water rate and sewer rate discounts that were being proposed, and some of the ancillary concerns regarding a chicken plant processing plant period,” said Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh.

Now, a subdivision named Creighton Meadows could be built there, featuring 284 homes in two phases. It will include amenities like pickleball courts, a dog park, trails, and 20% greenspace. “The zoning was in place for the subdivision, so they decided to move forward with that,” said Aiken County Council Vice-Chairman Andrew Siders. Now, the subdivision houses will be in the $250,000 range, which is the sweet spot for many, many people.”

The development must follow city landscaping rules, keep buffers, and have two entrances with landscaped medians. Plus, a traffic study will be needed. “Our traffic on-call traffic engineer will review it and see if it complies. If the recommendations comply with our ordinance and then act accordingly,” added Bedenbaugh.

Last month, the Aiken City Council approved water and sewer services for the subdivision. There were some concerns about the proximity to the Shaw Industries plant and potential noise. “I think a lot of folks may end up working for Shaw,” shared Siders. “There’s some industry in that area and folks that work there sometimes wanna live close, so that, that’ll work out for ’em, I believe.”

Right now, it’s all in the planning stages. County leaders plan to revisit this in the next couple of months.

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