Clinton Seeks Public Input on Draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan

Clinton Seeks Public Input on Draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan

The City of Clinton is asking residents, business owners and community stakeholders to review its draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan and submit comments before the document moves toward adoption.

The plan is posted on the city’s website, cityofclintonsc.com, under the Comprehensive Plan link in the Quick Links section of the homepage. Comments may be submitted to Planning Director Phil Lindler at [email protected].

City officials announced the review opportunity in a July 24 post on the City of Clinton’s Facebook page, describing the plan as a guide for future growth, development, transportation, housing, parks, economic development and the overall vision for the community.

The draft is the city’s primary policy document for land use, community development and public investment over the next 20 years. Its authority comes from the South Carolina Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994, which requires local governments that administer zoning and land development regulations to maintain an adopted comprehensive plan. The document runs to 11 chapters covering population, natural resources, cultural resources, housing, economic development, transportation, community facilities, resiliency, priority investment and land use.

A Candid Look at Population

The 2020 census recorded 7,633 residents, a 10.1% decline from 2010 and a drop of more than 22% since 1990, an average loss of roughly 75 residents a year over three decades. Without what the plan calls proactive measures, including annexation, job creation and housing development, projections put the city’s 2040 population between 4,815 and 6,523 residents.

At the same time, Clinton has the highest share of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher of any municipality in Laurens County at 28%, and a median age of 37.5, younger than the county median of 40.7. The city’s median household income of $34,882 trails the county figure, and 26.1% of residents were living below the poverty line in 2020.

Aging Housing Stock and New Rooftops

The median year of construction for a Clinton home is 1966, nearly two decades older than the Laurens County median of 1983, and more than half of the city’s homes were built before 1970. Single-family detached homes make up about 68% of housing units. Of the 193 residential construction permits issued between 2018 and 2024, all but one were for single-family homes, with most of that activity clustered in the western part of the city in the Copeland Estates and Hampton Woods developments.

The city’s housing vacancy rate stands at 23%, and roughly 41% of renters and 23% of homeowners are considered cost burdened. Home prices peaked in 2022 and have since declined about 25%.

Against that backdrop, the plan identifies significant growth ahead. Twelve residential developments approved between 2020 and 2025 account for 1,747 units. The land use element estimates that approved and planned development could bring 4,500 to 5,500 additional residents and roughly 1,700 housing units, which would be the city’s largest residential expansion in decades.

Nearly Half the City Is Vacant Land

The land use inventory found that vacant land is Clinton’s single largest land use category at 2,950 acres, or 48.1% of the city’s total area, concentrated along the northern, eastern and western edges. Public and institutional uses, including Presbyterian College, Thornwell and the Whitten Center, account for another 25.5%. Residential uses make up about 19%, with multifamily housing at only 1.5%. Commercial uses account for 3.7%, industrial 2% and parks and open space 2.1%.

The Future Land Use Map

The Future Land Use Map, contained in the land use element, sets the city’s long-term vision for how property should develop and is intended to guide rezonings, annexation decisions, infrastructure investments and development approvals. The map shifts the balance considerably from current conditions. Educational campus areas account for the largest share at 21.1%, followed by low density residential at 16.1%, manufacturing and innovation at 15.5% and high density residential at 15.5%. Mixed use development accounts for 11.1%.

The plan also includes a compatibility matrix pairing each future land use category with the zoning districts consistent with it, a tool intended to help the Planning Commission and City Council evaluate rezoning requests.

Recommended Zoning Changes

The document recommends several changes to the zoning ordinance, which the plan says has operated under the same framework since at least 2010. Among them are allowing accessory dwelling units in all residential districts subject to design and placement standards, developing a use matrix that clearly identifies permitted, conditional and prohibited uses in each district, consolidating the city’s three industrial zoning categories by eliminating the I-2 district, evaluating nonconforming uses across the city and considering amortization strategies for manufactured home parks where maintenance problems persist. The plan also calls for an annual review of the zoning ordinance and a comprehensive reformatting at least every 10 years.

Annexation and Growth at the City’s Edge

Annexation runs through the document as a recurring theme. The plan warns that without a proactive annexation strategy, the city risks becoming geographically constrained, with development just outside the municipal limits regulated solely by Laurens County and potentially inconsistent with city standards.

It recommends prioritizing so-called doughnut hole properties fully surrounded by city limits, properties within the city’s utility service area and parcels contiguous to the boundary. It also suggests establishing a formal process allowing the Clinton Planning Commission to review and comment on major development proposals in adjacent unincorporated areas, and says the city may consider pursuing extraterritorial jurisdiction for planning matters under state law, which would require approval by both City Council and County Council.

Economy and Workforce

The plan credits Clinton’s position along Interstate 26 and its proximity to Greenville, Spartanburg and Columbia, along with institutional anchors including Presbyterian College, USC Union, Piedmont Technical College and the Whitten Center. The city generates nearly $422 million in annual sales, a significant share of Laurens County’s commercial activity.

Labor force participation, however, stood at 54.1% in 2023, below the state figure of more than 61%, and the employment to population ratio was 51.5% compared with nearly 58% statewide. Unemployment fell to 4.9% in 2023, well below the city’s 10 year average of 9.7%. The plan notes that many residents commute out of the county for higher paying professional work, and it points to former textile mill sites as both an environmental challenge and a redevelopment opportunity.

Roads, Rail and Trails

Traffic volumes citywide have risen more than 13% over the past decade. The city maintains 16.5 miles of municipal streets and works through the Upper Savannah Council of Governments, the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the Laurens County Transportation Committee on road priorities. The plan notes sidewalk connectivity gaps along major corridors and raises the possibility of linking Clinton to regional trail systems, including a potential extension of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Utilities, Parks and Public Facilities

The city’s water treatment plant, built in 1958, is permitted for 6 million gallons per day and has recently averaged about 1.27 million, leaving substantial capacity for growth. The system serves roughly 8,938 people, drawing from the Enoree River with the Duncan Creek Reservoir as a backup source. Clinton provides 17.1 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, above national benchmarks, and the 109-acre Clinton Recreation Complex is described as the city’s largest recreational investment.

Hazards and Resiliency

The resiliency element identifies severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, windstorms, flooding, winter weather and extreme heat as the most common local hazards, with Clinton averaging 57 thunderstorm and lightning events a year. It cites two 2024 events, an Aug. 27 fire on Musgrove Street that destroyed four downtown buildings and Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27, which left much of the city without power for three days. The plan also flags the North Broad Street rail crossing, which lacks safety gates, as the city’s most dangerous rail intersection.

Budget and Capital Investment

The priority investment element notes that Clinton does not have an adopted five-year capital improvements plan, tracking capital needs through the annual budget instead. The fiscal 2025 budget totals more than $35 million across the general and utility funds, with police and fire accounting for nearly 59% of general fund spending.

Planned fiscal 2026 investments include a $2 million recreation center, $1.5 million in electrical system upgrades, Public Safety Building renovations and street paving. Development impact fees for recreation, fire and police, implemented in 2024, generated $247,000 in their first year. The plan also identifies a potential need for a fire substation in the northern part of the city.

What Happens Next

Under state law, the Planning Commission is responsible for reviewing the plan and recommending adoption to City Council. A public hearing must be held after proper public notice before adoption, and final adoption occurs by ordinance approved by council. Once adopted, the plan must be reviewed at least every five years and comprehensively updated at least every 10 years.

“Your ideas matter,” city officials wrote in the announcement. “Together, we can help shape the future of Clinton for generations to come.”

Figures cited above are drawn from the draft plan posted on the city website.