Construction begins on 200 new homes in Batesburg-Leesville, start of several developments in the pipeline

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Batesburg-Leesville has a population of just 5,200, and the town’s manager, Jay Hendrix, said it’s been that way for over a decade. However, a new development could bring nearly 700 new neighbors; it’s called the Creekside Ridge Development.

The development will be built behind a shopping center off Highway 23 and geared towards the town’s workforce housing community. Developers have already begun clearing the land for the project, which will accommodate 199 single-family homes. The development is expected to grow the town’s current population by 10 to15% according to Hendrix and pave the way for future development as well.

Town officials have said this will be the first large subdivision in the town in the last 20 years.

“Teachers, police, fire, people that could be working in retail sector, some of these people may have a family member that commutes and another that works in town, so it’s going to be a cross-section, but it’s definitely targeting our workforce, which is the vast majority of the community,” said Hendrix

The population of Batesburg-Leesville has stayed stagnant for over a decade; currently, it’s at 5,200, according to Hendrix. He said residents have been asking for new grocery stores and retail opportunities, but without new homes, that’s not possible.

Because a construction company has not yet been decided on, the look and cost of each home are still to be determined. Some of the parcels will be larger, giving construction crews more flexibility in the types of homes built.

Residents have mixed emotions about the new housing development. Jameeka Graham has lived in the town for just over two years and says developments like this are needed to help support working families. However, she fears the potential traffic impact could make this project and others less appealing to local residents.

“I do believe it will cause more traffic in a small town. Columbia is the closest town that has traffic. I feel like it would become like Lexington, a big old Lexington compared to a small town where everyone is comfortable,” said Graham. “It would be beneficial for everybody if they can come together and help the community out, but it also draws in people from out of town and bigger states. It causes conflict with the in-town people.”

Hendrix told WIS that a traffic study is not needed, but a traffic control plan has been put in place to help with signage.

“The negative we keep hearing is the traffic, the traffic jams in Batesburg-Leesville are not nearly the traffic jams of Lexington and Columbia. You may get stuck at a light for two, maybe three cycles, and that’s horrible around here,” said Hendrix.

With the expansion of Highway 1 in Lexington County and future plans to enhance the county’s industrial park, Hendrix said new developments are needed. There are three others in the pipeline that, according to Hendrix, could bring over 200 additional homes to the area as well. The build-out for those projects, should they be approved by the council, will occur over the next three to five years.

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