2 weeks Ago
Though many projects have been approved for the city's Northside and its Westside , Aiken continues to grow southward toward New Ellenton and the Savannah River Site. Six businesses have opened or are planning to open in The Junction shopping center: Lowes Foods , Powder Nail Spa, Hollywood Feed , Sports Clips, PriorityPet Urgent Care and Laziza Mediterranian Grill . A seventh business, Quality Automotive Services, is seeking permission from the city to open a Valvoline oil change center on one of the shopping center's outparcels.
A Lulu's Car Wash opened last year diagonally across the Whiskey Road-Powderhouse Road-Stratford Drive intersection from the shopping center. A Holiday Inn Express is located north of Stratford Drive and a senior apartment complex is being built immediately north of that. The Oaks, another senior living facility, opened near the intersection of Whiskey and Chukker Creek roads.
The group that owns The Oaks is planning another senior complex between the shopping center and its current facility. A Parker's Kitchen also plans to build a store north of Chukker Creek Road. The area's location played a large part in McKnight Engler's decision to build the shopping center, Operations Director Brianna Hamby said.
"Looking at all the data...
with the Savannah River Site down south on Whiskey, then...
all the other grocery and other components more toward the north, it was kind of a void that was needed that we saw from an analytical perspective," Hamby added. The Department of Energy-owned Savannah River Site has 13,387 employees as of Sept. 30, 2024 and, as such, is one of the Central Savannah River Area's largest employers and makes a huge economic impact to Aiken County.
Whiskey Road is one of four primary ways to get to or from the site. The others are Atomic Road which leads to North Augusta and Augusta, U.S.
278 and S.C. 125 .
Many of the site's workers live in Aiken and take Whiskey Road to get to work every day, and the new developments are near intersections where site workers exit Whiskey Road. Powderhouse and Banks Mill roads (via Citadel Drive) provide a bypass around Whiskey to downtown, the Northside and beyond. There are also subdivisions on or next to these roads, as well as a subdivision off Chukker Creek Road.
Aiken County's population also continues to grow. The county has added over 10,000 people since 2020 . Not everyone is happy to see the development.
Parker's Kitchen previously sought and was denied permission to build between Lulu's Car Wash and Stratford Drive. Many of the residents of the three Statford Drive subdivisions complained of increased traffic and potential inability for first responders to access the area in an emergency. The Aiken Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Valvoline on April 15.
Aiken City Council could consider that recommendation at their April 28 and May 12 meetings..
