Archived story
As originally published
A proposed 34-lot single-family subdivision off Saluda Drive appears to have been stopped at Demorest City Council’s April 7 meeting: Habersham News reported that council denied McCain Investment Properties’ request to rezone about 10.74 acres from agricultural use to R-2 residential. The official minutes excerpt confirms council heard the developer’s case that night, but it does not record a motion, vote or denial, leaving the reported outcome without confirmation in that city record.
The rezoning was a threshold land-use decision, not permission to begin building homes. A change from agricultural zoning to the requested residential classification would have opened a path for the subdivision proposal, while the applicant told council that engineering and hydrological studies would still be needed before development could proceed. For nearby residents, the dispute centers on whether new housing can be added without worsening runoff, traffic and pressure on neighborhood roads or changing the area’s character.
The matter reached council as part of an April 7 agenda that included a work session at 6 p.m. and a regular meeting with public hearings at 7 p.m. at the Demorest Municipal Conference Center. Before the hearing, Habersham News described McCain Investment Properties’ request as a rezoning for a 34-lot detached-home subdivision. At the meeting, according to the minutes excerpt, the applicant presented the potential residential development and acknowledged that further site work and studies would be required. Habersham News later reported that council denied the rezoning after hearing public opposition.
McCain Investment Properties, represented at the hearing by attorney Matthew Benson, argued that the project fit the city’s comprehensive plan and satisfied zoning criteria, Habersham News reported. The developer also cited proposed stormwater controls and rental restrictions and characterized the rezoning as an initial step before later review. Residents who spoke at the hearing took the opposite view, raising concerns about stormwater runoff, steep terrain, erosion, traffic and access through existing neighborhood roads. Some urged council to retain agricultural land and preserve prior zoning decisions; former Mayor Rick Austin and Jim Butterworth were among those identified by the outlet as opposing the request.
No construction, permit approval, completed engineering review or hydrological review is established. The proposed subdivision remains just that in the confirmed city record: a potential development discussed at a public hearing. Habersham News reported a denial, which would prevent this application from moving ahead under the requested zoning if confirmed by a later official action record. But the April 7 minutes excerpt itself establishes neither approval nor denial, and it does not say whether the applicant plans to modify, renew or abandon the request.
The next concrete public step is the appearance of a later council record documenting what followed the April 7 hearing and, if council acted, the terms of that action. Until then, the unresolved questions are whether the reported denial will be formally confirmed, whether McCain Investment Properties will submit a revised request, and what studies or conditions could be required for any future proposal on the Saluda Drive tract.