Growth

The city of Greer is considering adding an impact fee to new developments within its limits due to the city’s continued growth.Greer City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with a study on the potential new fee. “We felt like we were at the point in time where because of our continued growth through the years, that this was our opportunity to go ahead and let some of the new growth, pay for and pave the way for itself,” Mayor Rick Danner said.Danner said, on average, the city is seeing more than 1,000 homes being started over the past several years. “It just doesn’t seem to make sense to our council at this point in time that those folks that have been living in Greer and have been here a while, carry the whole load of water themselves,” Danner said.He said the fee could be collected once a new permit is pulled from the city. Rates are not yet final, but Danner said single-family, multifamily and commercial developments would have different rates.”This is a statement by our council to say that we are investing in smart growth,” Danner said. “We want to be cognizant of the fact that, you know, there is a cost to growth, and this is the way that we want to address it.”Affordable housing, schools and volunteer fire departments are some of the exceptions to the proposed fee. “Greenville area had the climate that I wanted,” said Robert Wiley, who recently moved to the area. “It was less expensive, and I could afford to live here.”Danner said the money collected from the fee could go to support services such as police, fire and recreation. “Anything that can help Greer, being a part of Greer for the last seven years with Barista Alley, I think we’ve seen a lot of changes,” Barista Alley Manager Charlie Carter said. Danner added the proposal is not expected to affect the city’s growth, but it could affect the price of construction. “There is a cost to the person that is developing the project or the homes, and so indirectly, I’m going to assume that they would pass that along in some regard to do the cost of a home,” Danner said.The city’s planning commission is expected to take up the matter next month for a public hearing before it heads back to council for another vote.