Housing developers have contributed $18 Million in water and sewer lines to the far-flung system of the Laurens County Water and Sewer Commission.
Keeping a close watch on housing and negotiating with developers over installations and impact fees is such a major part of the commission’s operation that the LCWSC board decided at its Oct. 28 meeting to hear from a major player in housing developments throughout Laurens County.
Ryan Homes’ Market Land Manager Dave Hagan and Land Manager Eric Tessmann updated the board about the company’s vision and the housing market of Laurens County. Most development is taking place in Northern Laurens County, although Laurens, Clinton, and Gray Court also are seeing subdivisions coming on-line.
LCWSC wants to be an encourager of “smart growth,” Executive Director Jeff Field said. For a Soups & Scoops event held recently for employees, the commission produced a one-page “Pipeline to 2050” outline of where LCWSC is headed.
Ryan Homes operates in 16 states. Hagan and Tessmann said the current 6% interest rate may be holding back the housing market, but they believe it eventually will settle at 5%. Surprisingly, the average age of home-buyers around here is about 40 years old.*
Laurens County has 613 permits, year-to-date, with an average homebuyer income of $55,517/annual for a family size of 3.03 persons.
Developers are concerned about the impact fees being assessed by cities, and the impact fees currently under consideration by the Laurens County government. The Ryan Homes representatives said every $1,000 in added cost pushes 189 homebuyers out of the market in Laurens County.
Where are all these homebuyers coming from? Many seem to be people here upgrading - in Wrenwood, 50% of the buyers have come from within a 5-mile radius of the subdivision.
In Clinton, Ryan Homes has just signed on to a 92-home subdivision that is going to be built on Hwy 56, just beyond the Clinton Presbyterian Community going out toward I-26, on the Dutton property. It is within close proximity to the under-construction Clinton Recreation Complex.
*For Anderson, Greenville, Laurens and Spartanburg
Related to Development:
LAURENS COUNTY COUNCIL AND PLANNING
COMMISSION ANNOUNCE JOINT WORKSHOP TO
REVIEW REVISIONS TO OPEN SPACE RESIDENTIAL
DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS
LAURENS – The Laurens County Council and the Laurens County Planning Commission will hold a joint workshop to review proposed amendments to the County’s open space residential requirements.
The workshop will be conducted immediately following the November 10, 2025, meeting of Laurens County Council at 105 Bolt Drive, Laurens, South Carolina. This joint session will allow Councilmembers and Planning Commissioners to examine the proposed changes in detail and to ask questions of County staff. The workshop is open to the public; however, public comment will not be accepted during the session.
Citizens and residents are invited to share their comments and feedback regarding the proposed changes at one of the upcoming Laurens County Council or Planning Commission meetings. A schedule of these meetings is provided below:
Date Time Location Meeting
11/18/2025 6 P.M. 100 Hillcrest Square, Laurens
Laurens County Planning Commission
12/8/2025 6 P.M. 105 Bolt Drive, Laurens Laurens
County Council – Public Hearing
1/12/2026 6 P.M. 105 Bolt Drive, Laurens Laurens
County Council – Public Comments
For additional information, please contact the Laurens County Administration Office at 864-984-5484 or visit www.laurenscountysc.gov.
