Council thumbs-down impact fees

Oconee County Council is of the mind that the county planning commission should not study and recommend impact fees to be paid by those who develop properties.  The five councilmen were unanimous in their vote, after hearing a home builder describe the disadvantages.  Although he voted with his colleagues, District Three’s Paul Cain made clear that while he opposes impact fees, he sees the need for more planning especially as parts of eastern Oconee County continue to develop commercially with businesses and housing complexes that have been pushed east by overcrowded conditions in the university municipality Clemson.  Cain attended part of Monday’s Joint Regional Sewer Authority meeting where commissioners considered a Texas developer’s plans to build large student housing complexes on 123, the Seneca-Clemson corridor.  Overall, Cain believes the increase in student housing in that part of Oconee is good for the county.