A development planned near Greer High School is on schedule to break ground in the new year.
Brookside Farms is a planned neighborhood located on previous farmland off Gap Creek and North Howell roads that will consist of approximately 670 residential units, according to Blackstream Development, which is partnering with builder DR Horton on the project.
The development received final approval back in July from Greer City Council, and now developers say work will begin in earnest sometime in the first quarter of 2021. With construction taking place in multiple phases over the course of approximately five to seven years, the project was originally billed as a 750-unit development spanning roughly 238 acres, although the number of units has been adapted to better fit the space as the project plans were clarified.
Ford Elliott and Josh Howard of Blackstream, who are handling the project’s development, said they wanted to meet the need of Greer’s steady growth.
“We’re excited especially with all the positive attributes of the area, between Greer’s growth with downtown to the manufacturing sector that’s been thriving, so we thought these houses were needed,” Elliott said.
View site data | Statement of intent
A central aspect of Brookside Farms is the approximately 10-acre lake around which the homes will be built, with walking trails and open spaces.
“I think a lot of developers wouldn’t have saved that lake,” Howard said. “What we’re doing is really centering the whole community around the idea of being outdoors, and especially with COVID ongoing, it’s never been more relevant to be engaged with nature.”
So far, Blackstream has yet to finalize an exact timeline for when residents will be able to move into the new homes or when leasing or purchasing options will be available.
“It’s hard to say at the moment when homes will be ready to be purchased, but once we begin and break ground in the first quarter of next year, we’ll start to get a clearer picture on that,” Elliott said.
As for concerns over increased traffic in the area, Elliott said he was pleasantly surprised by the response from the community.
“If you would have asked me three months ago, I would’ve said we probably were going to get some opposition,” he said. “But that’s really not been an issue at all. Our biggest goal when we do a development is to make the community happy and do something nice for that area.”
