Local Leaders Push Back On Clemson’s Development Denials

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

by JENN WOOD

***

The growing dispute over Clemson University’s alleged political ties to developments in Oconee County escalated this week after county officials formally requested a South Carolina Senate oversight review – and a university transparency inquiry. In doing so, these local leaders cited conflicting public statements, questionable ownership filings, and wastewater requests linking Clemson-connected developers to a massive housing project near Newry Mill.

In a letter (.pdf) dated October 17, 2025, the Oconee County council urged S.C. Senate president Thomas C. Alexander to refer the matter to the appropriate committee for an independent investigation into what council members described as “documented inconsistencies” involving United Homes Group (UHG), its subsidiaries, and a newly formed incorporation called East Shore South LLC.

At the center of the controversy is a proposed 5,200-unit mixed-use development along Old Clemson Highway, spanning more than 600 acres across two parcels. Those properties are owned by East Shore South LLC, a company incorporated just one month before its $12.2 million land purchase from West Clemson LLC in April 2024. East Shore South uses the same business address as UHG, a publicly traded homebuilding conglomerate chaired by Clemson mega-donor Michael Nieri.

***

Adding to the intrigue, Clemson president James P. Clements and former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley (one of Clemson’s seven unconstitutional lifetime trustees) both sit on UHG’s board.

Those aren’t the only connections worth tracking. Public filings show Mark Hart — a longtime representative of  Great Southern Homes (the Columbia-based company which merged into UHG) — submitted a wastewater modeling request (.pdf) to the Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority (OJRSA) for the “Newry Area Mixed-Use Development (Clemson West)” in January 2024, listing United Homes Group as the company of record and committing to pay assessment fees for the 174,375-gallon-per-day project.

Hart is a former chief operating officer for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers – and was president of GT Real Estate Holdings, the company behind Panthers’ owner David Tepper’s abandoned bid to bring the team’s headquarters and practice facility to the Palmetto State.

That filing came just eight months after East Shore South acquired the land.

The documents alone tell part of the story — but to understand the weight of Oconee County’s recent request for investigative transparency, it’s worth revisiting how Clemson’s leadership and its politically connected allies became central figures in the region’s development boom.

***

RELATED | TIGER BY THE TAIL

***

POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCE

The escalating dispute over the Newry development is rooted in broader concerns about Clemson University’s growing role in shaping regional development — and the political and business relationships which have helped drive it. Over the past several years, questions have mounted about how the university’s land holdings, infrastructure projects, and redevelopment partnerships have intersected with private ventures tied to influential donors and political allies.

Among those at the intersection of these concerns are Clements and Haley – both of whom have longstanding relationships with developer Nieri, who serves as chairman of United Homes Group (UHG) and founder of Great Southern Homes. Nieri, a philanthropist and Republican donor, has served as a bridge between the university’s expansion efforts and a series of real estate ventures stretching across the Upstate. Haley has also maintained close political and personal ties to many of the same developers and business interests now surfacing in public records tied to the Newry project.

The controversy first took shape earlier this year when Oconee County Council chairman Matthew Durham publicly questioned whether Clemson University – or its affiliates – were quietly backing the massive planned development near Newry. That inquiry prompted sharp responses from both Clemson and UHG, each issuing statements denying involvement and accusing county officials of misrepresenting the facts.

But as newly released correspondence, sewer filings, and property records show, the corporate paper trail tells a more complicated story—one that has now triggered formal requests for state legislative oversight and university disclosure.

***

UHG DENIES INVOLVEMENT

Despite the documented filings, UHG issued a letter of denial on October 14, 2025 insisting neither the company nor its subsidiary, Great Southern Homes, was involved in the Newry project. The letter (.pdf) – addressed to Oconee County administrator Amanda Brock – claimed Hart “is not an employee of UHG or GSH” and had “no authorization to speak on behalf of either company.

The statement went on to assert that East Shore South and Two Blue Stallions LLC, another company linked to Clemson development deals, are private companies belonging to Nieri, whose “private interests… are separate from UHG.”

However, this explanation raised further questions. In official records, Two Blue Stallions LLC appears repeatedly in connection with public redevelopment efforts in the Town of Pendleton and the City of Clemson (.pdf), where the company was listed as the co-owner of parcels involved in a 700-bed student housing development along College Avenue.

Meeting minutes (.pdf) from the Pendleton Planning Commission also identify Hart as a representative of Great Southern Homes during discussions about the Village Hills Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District and related redevelopment master plans (.pdf).

***

RELATED | CLEMSON’S DENIALS SPARK DEEPER SCRUTINY

***

COUNCIL’S ESCALATION: FROM LOCAL SCRUTINY TO STATE OVERSIGHT

Oconee County’s October 17, 2025 letter to Senate president Alexander cited these records as grounds for a formal review, emphasizing Clemson and UHG’s public denials “appear inconsistent with multiple public documents showing that representatives of UHG and its subsidiaries were directly engaged in the project.”

The letter also referenced East Shore South’s formation timeline and shared address, as well as Hart’s use of a @unitedhomesgroup.com email when corresponding with county staff.

Three days earlier, the county sent a separate letter (.pdf) to Clemson’s board chairman and its president, requesting full disclosure of communications between university leadership and any individuals or entities tied to UHG, Great Southern Homes, East Shore South, or Two Blue Stallions. The letter, signed by all five council members, asked for clarification of relationships “financial, consulting, or otherwise” and demanded a written response by November 7, 2025.

***

***

“Clemson University’s leadership holds immense influence over regional growth and development patterns across the Upstate,” council members wrote. “The integrity of that influence depends on transparency, accountability, and the public’s trust.”

The documents illustrate a network of interlocking companies and public partnerships spanning Oconee, Anderson, and Pickens counties — each connected by overlapping officers, corporate addresses, or representatives. The Village Hills TIF in Pendleton, for instance, was publicly described as a Great Southern Homes redevelopment, with Two Blue Stallions identified as the property owner in town records dating back to 2020.

Similarly, Clemson city planning documents (.pdf) from 2025 list Two Blue Stallions among the owners tied to a large-scale student housing project at 398 College Avenue, developed by LV Collective of Austin, Texas, on parcels previously associated with Nieri’s companies.

Taken together, these records suggest a coordinated pattern of development involving entities that, while technically separate, share leadership, resources, and strategic overlap with Nieri’s United Homes Group network.

***

NEXT STEPS: CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

The Oconee County Council’s request for a Senate investigation marks a significant escalation in what began as a local zoning dispute but has since become a broader question of institutional integrity and corporate transparency. Whether the Senate takes up the request — or whether Clemson’s trustees respond to the county’s disclosure demand — remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, county officials have pledged to make all supporting documents publicly available, saying they want residents to see “what the paper trail actually shows.”

For now, that trail runs straight from Newry to Pendleton to Clemson, tracing a web of denials, deeds, and development deals that could reshape the conversation about Clemson University’s reach beyond its campus gates.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.