This Week in Landrum…..
This Week in Landrum
From the City Administrator’s Office • Tuesday, August 4, 2026
A Note from the Administrator
The through-line in this letter over the past several months has been a straightforward one: transparency and process improvements. Publishing agendas a full week in advance. Standing up consistent code enforcement. Updating the business license process. Building out the planning and zoning inventory. Bringing on a professional IT partner. Formally posting the City Administrator position. Committing publicly to timely audits and independent third-party review. Each of those pieces of work has been oriented toward the same underlying goal: making sure that what the city does, why we do it, and how we do it are visible, understandable, and defensible to the people we serve. This week that thread carries directly into the harder-than-average world of land use, and three specific examples are worth naming.
First, Cardinal Point RV Park. This property has been under discussion for some time, and staff has been actively working with Spartanburg County to determine whether annexation of the property into the City of Landrum is still the appropriate path forward. That is not a foregone conclusion in either direction. Asking the question openly and jointly with the County, rather than making assumptions in isolation, is itself a transparency and process improvement worth naming. The right answer for the City, for the property owner, and for the surrounding neighbors depends on facts that need to be gathered together, not sorted out after the fact.
Second, staff met this week with the developers of several projects currently sited in the County that may eventually be annexed into the city. The purpose was to better understand the scope of each project, the current stage of County approvals, and the design assumptions each is operating under, hopefully before those decisions become permanent. Getting eyes on those projects early, before annexation and before construction, gives the city a meaningful voice in outcomes that will affect Landrum residents for decades, regardless of whose jurisdictional map they happen to sit on the day the shovel breaks ground.
Third, staff met this past week with the parties involved in the Frolich Property purchase to finalize the language of the conservation easement that will govern how the property is protected over time. Conservation easements are the workhorse legal tool for keeping green space green permanently, even after ownership changes. Getting the language right takes patience and attention. That is exactly what this week’s meetings were about.
Underneath all three of those updates is a bigger and often less-appreciated reality of South Carolina land use. When land is developed inside the City of Landrum, the City sets the rules: zoning, setbacks, buffers, road standards, stormwater, tree ordinances, signage, all of it. When that same land is developed just outside our city line, in Spartanburg County, the City has very little legal control or influence over any of those standards. Whatever the County ordinance allows, the County ordinance allows. Our northern neighbors in North Carolina have historically had what is called extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, which allows a municipality to extend its zoning and land-use regulations for a defined distance beyond its municipal boundary. South Carolina municipalities do not have that authority. Once you cross the city line here, you cross into a different rulebook.
That reality is a big part of why structured, forward-looking land use planning inside the city matters so much, and why proactive coordination with the County on projects near our border matters just as much. We cannot control what the County approves. We can be at the table early, we can make Landrum’s voice heard, and we can make sure that the parts of our future we do control (our ordinances, our comprehensive plan, our annexation criteria, our conservation easements) are written thoughtfully enough to work well with whatever grows up around us. That is the plain case for structured planning.
Several calendar reminders in that same spirit of transparency. The next Council work session and Business Meeting are next Tuesday, August 11. The full agenda packets are being published today, one week in advance, consistent with our publication standard, so that every resident and business owner has time to review, prepare, and engage. The next Coffee with the City is tomorrow at Third Space Coffee & Bakery. Please stop by, bring your questions, and let us know what you are seeing in your neighborhood and your part of town. The next public meeting for the Rail to Trail project will be at the Landrum Farmer’s Market on August 18 from 5pm – 7pm.
As I have noted the past several weeks, we are inside an intentional transition, and Deputy City Administrator April Williams will be sharing, and then taking over, authorship of this letter in the coming weeks. As a reminder, I am serving in this interim role part-time while continuing my law practice in Tryon and instructing at a North Carolina fire academy from time to time. I am generally in the office at City Hall on weekday mornings.
A Note from the Deputy City Administrator
As always, JJ is able to put into words the most important parts of the work we do in the city. Land Use is one of the most contentious aspects of local government. No one wants to be told what they can and cannot do with their property, but folks are always verbal about what someone else should do with theirs. Planning laws date back to ancient Rome. Those laws, even back then, are designed to promote the safety of the public. There is a very thin line between the regulations put in place and one’s rights to their property. That is one of the most important reasons that our transparent and consistent processes are vital. That is why JJ has been working so hard to standardize things for everyone. We have now moved all of our public meetings to Tuesday evenings. We have the dates for the regular scheduled meetings for City Council, Planning Commission and BZA set for the rest of the year. We have created clear and realistic deadlines for each of those bodies. This makes it easy for the public to know when the meetings are held, but it also helps staff know the deadlines and we are able to prepare agendas and packets by the self-imposed publishing deadlines. Land Use is sometimes difficult to follow, even for those of us who have been doing it for a while, so we welcome questions or comments. Please feel free to email us or come by city hall for a chat. We would love to hear from you.
What Happened This Week
Staff met with Spartanburg County regarding the Cardinal Point RV Park to determine whether annexation into the City of Landrum is still the appropriate path forward. Open, joint fact-gathering with the County before a decision, rather than assumptions in isolation.
Staff met with the developers of several County projects that may be annexed into the City in the future, to better understand project scope, current County approvals, and design assumptions before those decisions become permanent.
Staff met with the parties involved in the Frolich Property purchase to finalize conservation easement language, which will govern how the property is protected over time.
Publishing the full August 11 Council work session and Business Meeting agenda packets today, one week in advance, consistent with our publication standard.
Continued preparation of the data center moratorium ordinance for first reading at the August 11 Council meeting, together with the companion review of zoning and comprehensive plan provisions.
Continued Fiscal Year 2025-2026 close-out activities, with our third-party independent audit scheduled to begin in October.
Continued recruitment for the permanent City Administrator; applications continue to be received and processed on a rolling basis.
Continued rollout planning for the International Property Maintenance Code enforcement program.
Continued planning and zoning inventory and assessment, in coordination with Deputy City Administrator April Williams and the City Attorney.
Continued on-boarding of our new IT provider, Acumen.
Continued implementation planning for the new municipal court system, which must be in place by December 31, 2026.
Continued one-on-one outreach with business owners working through this year’s business licensing process, and continued progress on collecting overdue business licenses.
Continued staff coordination on the Saluda Grade Trail.
What We’re Working on Now
Final preparation for the August 11 Council work session and Business Meeting, including the anticipated first reading of the data center moratorium ordinance. Full packets are on the City’s website.
Continued coordination with Spartanburg County on Cardinal Point RV Park and other cross-jurisdictional projects near the City’s border.
Finalizing Frolich Property conservation easement language and next steps toward closing.
Finalizing Fiscal Year 2025-2026 close-out and preparing internal materials for the October engagement with our third-party independent auditors.
Active recruitment and screening for the permanent City Administrator, with preparation for Council review of candidates in the weeks ahead.
Ongoing commitment to timely annual audits, transparent financial reporting, and full compliance with South Carolina municipal reporting requirements.
Continued stand-up of the International Property Maintenance Code enforcement program.
Continued planning and zoning inventory and assessment.
Continued implementation planning for the new municipal court system.
Continued on-boarding of our new IT provider, Acumen.
Continued internal work on next steps from the Classification and Compensation Study Report.
Ongoing maintenance and improvement discussions with Spartanburg County Parks and Recreation District.
Continued coordination with School District One staff, architects, and engineers on the proposed site plans for the new school.
Continued engagement with the South Carolina Main Street Program.
Standing by to assist the Northside (Simmons St.) Park property owners as they work to clear title through the probate courts.
Continued evaluation of existing and needed ordinance updates and additions with the City Attorney.
Continued internal improvements to workflows and processes, including the one-week-in-advance agenda publication standard.
Looking Ahead
Tomorrow: Coffee with the City at Third Space Coffee & Bakery at 9 a.m. Stop by, say hello, and bring your questions.
Tuesday, August 11: Council work session (5:00 p.m.) and Business Meeting (6:00 p.m.). Anticipated first reading of the data center moratorium ordinance. Full agenda packets posted today on the city’s website.
Saluda Grade Rail to Trail Public Meeting August 18, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Landrum Farmer’s Market Pavillion.
Planning Commission Meeting, Tuesday, August 18, work session at 5:30 p.m. Regular meeting at 6 p.m.
Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting, Tuesday, August 25, work session at 5:30 p.m. Regular meeting at 6 p.m.
October: engagement with our third-party independent auditors begins for the FY 2025-2026 audit.
Continued follow-up engagement on the Saluda Grade Trail. More information at saludagradetrail.org.
Every Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Landrum Farmers Market. Come out, hydrate, and enjoy the season!
Landrum Rail & History Museum located at 211 North Trade Avenue is open each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Questions or concerns? Reach us at 864.457.3000 or requests@cityoflandrumsc.com. We always want to hear from you.
Respectfully,
J.J. Sauve, Interim City Administrator
April Williams, Deputy City Administrator
Tricia Taber, Communications Director