Editorial

Managing Editor



At the recent State of the City address sponsored by the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Larry Bagwell that sometimes not doing the right thing quickly is no better than doing the wrong thing. Such was the case with the proposed shopping center development at the former site of Saco Lowell.

The developer of the project had sought a fee-in-lieu-taxes arrangement with Pickens County to help pay for the infrastructure and road work necessary for such a large shopping center. It should be noted that many of these changes involved traffic problems that would have to be addressed eventually, with or without a shopping center on the site.

County officials turned away the developer, hoping instead to lure state or federal tax dollars to pay for the project. The volatility of these funds left the project in limbo. One week money seemed to be committed to the project, then the next week funds were withdrawn due to budget shortfalls. No commitment seemed firm.

Again, waiting to do the right thing is often no better than doing the wrong thing.

So instead of sitting back and hoping things worked out, Easley officials boldly decided to step forward and take action. The city sought to create a TIF district to fund the infrastructure needed for the project, similar to the way a TIF district has helped fund much of the revitalization downtown.

City officials had hoped the county would follow suit, helping the project become a reality quicker. When Pickens County Council voted against the creation of the TIF district, the city bravely moved forward alone.

The TIF proposal seemed to be the best of all worlds. County officials worried that a fee-in-lieu-of-taxes deal - previously used only to attract large manufacturing companies - would open the door for more commercial developers to seek financial support from the county.

However there has been a precedent for using a TIF district to fund commercial development. And Easley city officials, realizing the places within city limits that could house a large manufacturer are limited, feel that commercial development is the city's best chance of bringing in revenue that will, in the long run, reduce the residential tax burden on its residents.

Because of the city's bold action, the commercial project planned for the former Platt Saco Lowell site is a reality, and a date has been set for the ground-breaking.

We applaud city officials for their courage and their actions to look out for the long-term economic prosperity of Easley.