By By Seth Taylor

Copyright postandcourier

ANDERSON COUNTY — When Tommy Dunn was first elected to the Anderson County Council, he referred to the county as a “well-kept secret” despite its proximity to Greenville and its position on Interstate 85 halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte.

“Well,” Dunn said, “it ain’t a secret no more.”

As the Upstate’s population has ballooned, so has Anderson County’s. In the past five years, the population has grown almost as much as it did in the entire preceding decade, according to officials.

Numerous residents have attended recent county council and planning commission meetings to raise the alarm, warning that resources are stretched and the county’s character is in danger.

Now, officials have responded with a 90-day moratorium to pause most new housing developments in unincorporated areas, joining other Upstate counties and local governments across South Carolina that are taking extra measures to deal with runaway growth.

Anderson County Council members unanimously approved the measure Sept. 2 and Sept. 16. It must still be passed a third time before the 90-day clock begins, but it has already gone into effect.

“We like Anderson as it is,” said Dunn, the county council chair. “We understand we need growth, but we want a little bit of control of the growth, and we don’t want to be inundated and lose what makes Anderson County special.”

Governments across South Carolina have implemented similar moratoriums as they try to get a handle on development.

Mount Pleasant implemented a 180-day moratorium on apartments that turned into a seven-year ban, only expiring in 2024. North Augusta started a two and a half year moratorium on new apartments at the beginning of the year.