Housing, industry on the build once again

NEW HOUSES: Demand for affordable housing is fueling a south Anderson subdivision, real estate broker said.

The recession may not officially be over, but Anderson is at least seeing some promise of developments in housing and industrial sectors. Only four new houses have been attempted in Anderson since January 1, 2009, and the next four are currently under construction for the Silver Gate subdivision behind Safeway in Anderson.

The houses are inexpensive - priced at between $183,900 and $199,900 - and therein lies the attraction, broker Tracy Christopherson said.

"That rivals some of the bank-owned properties on the market," she said. "You don't know what's happened to those."

Chris and Crystal Moreno, an Anderson couple living in a nearby apartment complex, agreed, as they perused a brochure touting the amenities of the first framed house.

"You get none of the problems from a previous tenant. There should be nothing wrong with a new house," Crystal Moreno said.

"A lot of people want to get out of their apartments," Chris Moreno added.

The couple have four children and said they have been waiting for the development to get built.

The first houses are expected to be completed in September, Christopherson said.

Meanwhile, a 10-acre industrial park south of Ox Yoke Road on East Street in Anderson represents some of the least expensive plots for local industry that include utilities, according to developer Eric Dunton. The project includes 12 ready-to-build industrial lots with city amenities.

There are no small industrial lots available right now with sewer, water, and gas utilities," said Ron Munk, a real estate agent for the property.

"Redding permit fees are high," said the owner of Dunton Construction, Inc. "Impact fees are pretty much double that in Anderson."

Anderson Planning Director John Stokes concurred that impact fees are less expensive in Anderson, but did not say by how much.

Dunton added that he expects some businesses in Redding to move to his location in Anderson.

One industrial business that is headed to Anderson, Stokes said, is Hudson Mechanical on Industrial Way. The industrial piping and plumbing business is currently located on Clover Road in the Churn Creek bottom area.

The business will expand and improve with the addition of a shop building to pre-fabricate piping for jobs, according to estimator Bob Jones.

However, Jones said he did not expect the business to relocate until some time in 2010.