To the Editor:

Trying to manage growth after the building and development is complete is like closing the barn door after the horses are gone!

This flawed logic doesn’t address the root cause of this issue: “Who left the barn door open in the first place?” Our Greenville County Government, specifically a majority of our elected County Council Members and appointed Planning Commissioners, have willfully opened the door to development without considering the negative impact this unplanned sprawl has on our the existing residents of District 26. 

Growth is inevitable and the need for new housing and planned development is necessary. As taxpayers, we have paid for a 10 year Comprehensive Plan to manage this growth to benefit residents and those who are moving to our community. 

Unfortunately our County Council and Staff leadership are pushing Economic Development for all of Greenville County ahead of managed growth in our area by offering big businesses and developers tax incentives, rezoning lower density properties to accommodate higher density populations and commercial businesses, adding new zoning classifications that are confusing to citizens to circumvent existing zoning restrictions, and amending ordinances designed to protect rural and unzoned property owners. All of this at the urgent prompting of Real Estate Interest support groups.

This creates profitable growth opportunities for developers, builders, and businesses, at the expense of the residents. Projected tax revenues from new residents to pay for the improvements to the infrastructure and public safety fall considerably short of what is needed, leaving existing residents to subsidize the growth through increased taxes. More importantly, we must live with the Traffic, Crime, Inferior Road Conditions, and Overcrowded Schools for years to come, not to mention the damage to our Natural and Historic Resources we will never reclaim. 

What makes matters worse, many of our County Council Members and Staff have little knowledge of rural or village life. For example they don’t know how to classify Barns or Horses when they are trying to amend the regulations and will not ask the public for help!

Let’s stick to the Comprehensive Plan and manage growth efficiently and financially so both existing and new residents can share in the benefits with businesses and developers who profit from our community.

Tom Stitt - Southern Greenville County Resident■