Pelion Town Council has annexed property to add a development that could bring big growth to the small hamlet.

At its regular June 26 meeting, council approved the measure that is making way for Forts Ridge, a residential company set to be built by McGuinn Hybrid Homes at 241 Forts Pond Rd. The development is set to bring 144 new single-family homes to the town of roughly 600 people.

This development will be McGuinn’s fourth in the county, joining two in Lexington and one in Gaston, according to the company’s website.

Nate Gibson, chief executive officer for McGuinn, told the Chronicle construction on the development will begin in late-December or early-January, with the first homes most likely going on sale in early-February. He added that the homes won’t be ready to live in for a few months following the start of construction.

While there are no current amenities planned for the development, Gibson said there is a lot of green space. 

Mayor Frank Shumpert told the Chronicle that the development, with its host of new homes to attract new families, will help increase the town's tax base.

He added that the town currently has about 200 homes, which makes it hard to maintain the tax base. Having more people in the town will help it provide essential services, the mayor reasoned.

“I guess for the longest time we felt like we were the last part of Lexington County to be developed but now that we have water and sewer here and even natural gas has been run this way,” Shumpert said. “Growth is coming and we’ll have more of it.”

“The truth about growth is some people like growth some people don’t,” he added, mentioning the controversy Lexington saw with the Smallwood Cove lakefront resort project, which recently fell apart amid public backlash.

Shumpert told the Chronicle that more families and more people means more growth in the town.

“Quite honestly, growth is a part of life, we can't keep things the way they are,” he said. “We need to embrace the change and try to help develop it the best way we can.”

McGuinn’s Gibson said the Pelion location allows for more affordable homes and has good “drivability,” adding that as you move closer toward central Lexington County affordability becomes more of a challenge.

He added that McGuinn has had lots of success with its Gaston neighborhood, located just around the corner from Pelion.

“Our goal has always been to create community and a great community includes your teachers, your firefighters, your Michelin workers, your Amazon workers,” Gibson said. “All those families are really important for us to serve and that's who we want to serve.”