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I attended the Columbus Town Council meeting on April 17 discussing the proposed ECS project. During the course of the discussion, the developer’s attorney made a public comment that stuck with me. In essence, the attorney said that “change is coming; the ECS development is what change looks like; get used to it.”

That comment has me wondering if Polk County is doomed to become another Boiling Springs bedroom community for the Greenville/Spartanburg complex or can we learn from the Columbus experience and chart a different course. A course that allows us to maintain the best parts of our rural character. 

Polk County will likely feel pressure, not only from South Carolina but also from neighboring regions in North Carolina that may have a different need for more intense development. For example, the Route 9 improvements championed by the Foothills Regional Commission primarily benefited adjoining counties. 

It might be time to revisit master plans for Polk County and for our three town centers to make sure we have a consistent view of what we want our part of the world to look like in the future. It might also be time to look for consultants that can represent our vision, unencumbered with regional responsibilities.

 

Jack Kern

Tryon