Town of Central annexes 690 acres, residents voice concerns

CENTRAL, S.C. (WSPA) — The town of Central annexed 690 acres into the town limits.

Town Council voted to annex several properties during its meeting Monday. Mayor Andrew Beckner said the annexation will change the town “pretty dramatically.”

“Annexation is a hot-button issue,” Beckner said. “I realize that. I’m not always for annexation, but when it aligns with our comprehensive plan, when we think it’s in the best interest of the town, and when it gives us a seat at the table for how these properties are going to be developed, I think that’s important.”

Hundreds of acres that were annexed will remain agricultural because the property owners currently do not have plans to develop the land, according to Mayor Beckner.

“The vast majority of the areas that we annexed have no development plans whatsoever,” Beckner said. “Could that change in 15 to 20 years? Sure, but for now, the ones that we annexed have no plans.”

Other properties that were annexed will be developed into single-family homes. Several people spoke during Monday’s meeting about their concerns.

“I like Central,” one resident said. “I want it to grow a little bit, but I don’t want it to become a big rush of people.”

“I’m just very concerned about what’s going up there, the safety of my family and my dogs,” another resident said.

“I think my biggest concern is for the taxes and impact fees,” Laura Hinty said.

Central borders the city of Clemson. Some are worried annexation will open the door to student housing being built in Central.

“As we’re moving forward with development, we’re going to see student housing push more and more out into other, different cities and areas just to accommodate the university,” Kelsey Crooks said.

“Thinking about our kids and if we get a lot of college students here or a lot of people who aren’t going to be considerate of our kids, they [kids] don’t have a voice,” a resident said. “We’re the only ones who can kind of speak up for them.”

As Central grows, Mayor Beckner said it is important that town leaders ensure that development aligns with their comprehensive plan.

“The area is growing,” Beckner said. “There’s only so many places people can go. When private property owners who own their property would like to develop it and create something that’s not there, I think it can work as long as we have some level of ownership on the project.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.