05/21/2026
PACE Aiken appreciates the work of Planning Commission members, Planning Director Joel Duke, Planning Department Staff, and County Council in bringing this comprehensive plan to fruition. We look forward to working together toward responsible and sustainable growth.
Link and full text of Aiken Standard article on passage of the Comprehensive Plan are included here.
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https://www.postandcourier.com/aikenstandard/news/local-government/aiken-couny-comprehensive-plan/article_49f443f2-0c57-4802-b76e-64c7cd7159af.html
𝗔𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟰 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
By Dede Biles [email protected]
AIKEN — Aiken County Council completed its work on the 2024-2034 Comprehensive Plan on May 19 by unanimously approving the third and final reading of an ordinance that made the set of guidelines official.
All nine members of the panel were present for the meeting at the Aiken County Government Center.
“I think there are some good recommendations in there and we’ll be taking a [further] look at them as we go forward,” said County Council Chairman Gary Bunker.
The purpose of the plan is to provide strategies and identify priorities for growth, land development and the protection of natural resources.
One of its stated goals is to balance the desire for growth with the preservation of natural resources.
“It’s a damn good plan,” said Aiken Land Conservancy Executive Director Peter Kleinhenz. “If used correctly, I really think it could be as popular among the business community as it is among the most ardent environmentalists in Aiken County because it’s got components of both. As the plan says, it’s seeking balance, and I think the more Aiken County works to find that balance, the more successful it will be.”
With the assistance of the County Planning and Develop Department’s staff, the County Planning Commission created the draft for Comprehensive Plan and then submitted it to County Council.
Asking the public for input was part of the process and there were revisions along the way based on suggestions from local residents.
Included in the Comprehensive Plan is a growth priorities map that outlines the county’s broad land development policy. It designates some parts of Aiken County as Rural Preservation Regions and also shows the areas that are the most suitable for further development.
Other areas and overlays also are identified.
“If you had asked me two years ago if I thought we would have a plan like the one we have now and it would have passed unanimously, I would have told you, 'You’re crazy,’” Kleinhenz said. “I don’t think the community at large and everybody associated with the plan recognized just how significant it could be for galvanizing people. But by getting community input like they (the county) did, it galvanized people and got them really excited about the conversation about growth and conservation. I think that was the amazing thing.”
The County Planning and Development Department’s staff conducted a number of Comprehensive Plan public information sessions and people also had the opportunity to submit their suggestions online.
With the finalization of the Comprehensive Plan, “we’re across the finish line and we’ve set the foundation, but we’re not across the finish line to make Aiken County as good as it can be,” Kleinhenz said. “And who can argue with that? You want that. I want that.”
Kleinhenz expressed hope that county staff and officials going forward would be “informed as much as possible by the plan they worked on” when making decisions.
The Planning Commission originally wanted to finish the Comprehensive Plan draft by the end of 2024, Chief County Development Officer Joel Duke told the Aiken Standard last fall, but he said “unexpected delays such as Hurricane Helene occurred.”
