Laurens County Council has delayed giving DR Horton Homes permission to perform landscaping on 15 ft of county-owned property at the entrance to Vance Drive and Springdale Road in Clinton, after a question from one council member. Prior to the Memo of Understanding approval-request, DR Horton would have to contact County Public Works every time the grass needs cutting, or sign maintenance needs to be done at one of Clinton’s newest subdivisions. Vance Drive originally was envisioned as a light-industries park; but when that didn’t happen and the land stood vacant, it was transitioned into a residential area. It is a county-owned road, and Council Member Brown Patterson wanted to know when permission was given for subdivision signs and when DR Horton received county permission to cut a drive off Vance Drive. He said according to available information on-line there is no easement across county property for a subdivision street. “I don’t know how they plan on getting into those homes off the county road given that we own property on either side of the county road,” Patterson said in advocating for a delay in the MOU about property maintenance pending more research. He said County Building Codes should be asked if DR Horton received an encroachment permit for a road into the subdivision. Houses there are currently under construction, and Stone Creek subdivision had a grand opening on April 23, according to the Chamber of Commerce. A motion to delay signing the memo passed on a 5-1 vote, with Council Member Arthur Philson Jr. opposed - he said it shouldn’t be a problem since the maintenance is to be done for free - at the council’s April 14 meeting. County staff was tasked with finding out more information and reporting this back to the council. - Photo by Vic MacDonald
