Where are all the new houses going to be for them to live in?  

Pick a location with ready access to all three Interstate highways:  I-85, I-385, and I-185.  And preferably, pick a location with easy access via local roads, like US-276, US-25, and Mauldin Road.

Pick a location where your kids will be going to the best schools.  

Pick a location with affordable housing prices.  

Pick a location within a city, where response times for police and fire are measured in just a few minutes.  Pick a city with low crime.  Pick a city with good trash collection.  Pick a city with low taxes.

Pick a city with a casual, small-town, family-friendly flavor.  Pick a city with ready access to plenty of shopping.  And preferably, a place that also enjoys good support for the arts and for sports.

All of those qualities can be found in one single town:  Mauldin.  

And that puts Mauldin squarely in the middle of that part of Greenville County which is attracting the most newcomers.

Where will all those houses go?

Three Golf Courses have been sold for Deveopment

Part of the answer rests on the fact that golf is not as popular a sport with younger folks as it has been with the Baby-Boomers.  The first golf course to close was on the Donaldson Airport.  

Not all that long afterwards, Bonnie Brae Golf Course at the junction of Fork Shoals Road and Ashmore-Bridge Road closed, and the land was sold to developers.  Several hundred homes will replace golf tees, fairways, putting greens, and a club-house.

In the last few months, it has been announced that the Shriners Legacy Pines golf course has been sold to developers as well. 

The land on the west side of Mauldin has become too valuable to remain affordable for use as a golf course.  According to pro-golfer Tommy Biershenk, the course’s owner, Legacy Pines will close in late September or October.  

People who like Biershenk’s golf courses, however, will be happy to know that the Rock Golf Course on Highway 11 above Pickens is being upgraded, with new greens and more.  A second project will be the District Park family entertainment center at 221 Kay Drive in Easley.  It will feature Trackman for golfers, the first in the Upstate.

Ultimately, the Bonnie Brae area will include more than 2200 homes, plus grocery stores, a gas station, etc., to support the new homeowners.

What type of homes will they be?  Mauldin’s Mayor Terry Merritt says most young, first-time homeowners want a small, HOA-maintained yard, rather than the traditional quarter-acre lot size that was the norm for the Baby Boomer generation.  Another group buying new homes, he says, is the “empty nesters” and new grandparents who want to downsize to smaller homes with minimal maintenance as well.

One concern is the State and County has not kept up with road widening in the face of all this development.

In-city environment?  Mauldin has that, too.

Do you like the in-city feel, of being able to walk to your workplace, or to go shopping, or for entertainment?  

On the east side of Mauldin, Bridgeway Station is being built as an attractive, self-contained urban village.  It will have all the comforts which attract prospective city residents, including residences, offices, shopping, dining, lodging, and entertainment.

Bridgeway Station is located along I-385 near the Bridges Road exit.  Just north of Bridges Road, Mauldin’s distinctive new walking bridge crosses over I-385, with the bridge’s east end terminating in Bridgeway Station.  The paths leading to the bridge will ultimately become part of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.  Linking Travelers Rest, Greenville, Mauldin, Simpsonville, and Fountain Inn for hikers and for bicyclists, the trail will be a major attraction for those living in Bridgeway Station.

Economic development is not just occurring on the east and west fringes of Mauldin, however.  Maverick Station, on the northeast corner of Mauldin’s central intersection of Main Street and Butler Road, is already complete.  It includes two popular restaurants, Bohemian Grill and Sully’s Steamers.  

The Maverick Yards development project for Mauldin’s city center is also underway.  Maverick Yards lies just north of Maverick Station, on Jenkins Court.  Construction has begun on the town homes, food court, and entertainment complex which will be the main components. Located close to Mauldin’s Cultural Center, with its musicals, plays, outdoor concerts, and more, and Mauldin’s Sports Center, Maverick Yards is sure to be just the right combination to attract its portion of those 30,000 people moving into Greenville County each year.  

Mayor Merritt says, “I am excited to be a part of the team that is moving Mauldin forward.  The residential growth that is coming satisfies the requirements that people want.  It’s a great, safe community.”

No matter how you look at it, Mauldin is the center of growth for Greenville County and the Upstate, and the city is making every effort to provide the kind of housing and attractions to support that growth for years to come.

Editors note:

The plan is to close the golf course at Legacy Pines on September 16 with a farewell golf tournament and a cook out. The event will include a band sponsored by Cristina Ortiz of State Farm Insurance, Mauldin and Williamston. The new owners have agreed to allow the Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce to hold their Annual Oyster Roast at the club on October 12.■