City staff recommend annexing 67.45 acres on Hammond Pond Road into North Augusta; second reading ahead
November 11, 2025 | North Augusta, Aiken County, South Carolina
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City Administrator Jim Clifford briefed the North Augusta City Council at a Nov. 10 study session on Ordinance 2025‑28, a second‑reading annexation petition to bring approximately 67.45 acres owned by William F. Hannan on Hammond Pond Road into the city as R14 (large‑lot single‑family) development.
Clifford told the council the parcel is encircled by existing city property and that incorporating it into the city is beneficial from a public‑safety and service coverage perspective: "From a public safety perspective, it makes sense to have this within the city limits," he said. He stated staff expects the development (large‑lot, single‑family R14) would not require immediate changes to city infrastructure.
Councilmembers pressed staff on consequences if the property remains in the county. Clifford said developers could still connect to city infrastructure if given a service letter, but the county would be responsible for first response and the city would not receive tax revenue from the property if it stayed unannexed; he also said Aiken County code is less stringent than city code. On fire coverage, Clifford said "They would get serviced by North Augusta, and then they'd have to pay the fire fee," and that no volunteer department covers that portion of North Augusta.
Council questioned whether ingress/egress would connect to Chanticleer or Savage Barony; staff said the development would have a single entrance on Hammond Pond Road and that connections into neighboring subdivisions are not guaranteed in the current ordinance and remain to be addressed later in the development plan. Planning staff noted that the city code calls for interconnections between subdivisions and that future development phases could provide secondary connections to assist public safety.
Next steps: This item was presented as a second reading and remains scheduled for council consideration. No final vote or motion was recorded during the study session.
Provenance: ordinance text and presentation SEG 015–044; council Q&A and follow-up SEG 045–128.
Clifford told the council the parcel is encircled by existing city property and that incorporating it into the city is beneficial from a public‑safety and service coverage perspective: "From a public safety perspective, it makes sense to have this within the city limits," he said. He stated staff expects the development (large‑lot, single‑family R14) would not require immediate changes to city infrastructure.
Councilmembers pressed staff on consequences if the property remains in the county. Clifford said developers could still connect to city infrastructure if given a service letter, but the county would be responsible for first response and the city would not receive tax revenue from the property if it stayed unannexed; he also said Aiken County code is less stringent than city code. On fire coverage, Clifford said "They would get serviced by North Augusta, and then they'd have to pay the fire fee," and that no volunteer department covers that portion of North Augusta.
Council questioned whether ingress/egress would connect to Chanticleer or Savage Barony; staff said the development would have a single entrance on Hammond Pond Road and that connections into neighboring subdivisions are not guaranteed in the current ordinance and remain to be addressed later in the development plan. Planning staff noted that the city code calls for interconnections between subdivisions and that future development phases could provide secondary connections to assist public safety.
Next steps: This item was presented as a second reading and remains scheduled for council consideration. No final vote or motion was recorded during the study session.
Provenance: ordinance text and presentation SEG 015–044; council Q&A and follow-up SEG 045–128.
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