Public Documents Reveal Ties Between Clements, Haley, and the Controversial 700-Bed College Avenue Development

This analysis is based on publicly available filings, meeting minutes, and property records. It reflects my interpretation of those documents and is offered for transparency and public awareness.

Oct 12, 2025

When Clemson University issued a PR statement claiming that President Jim Clements and Trustee Nikki Haley were not involved in the massive 5,200 home Newry development — insisting it wasn’t a United Homes Group project — we decided to dig deeper. What we found in public records was a complex development network surrounding Clemson. Public filings show overlapping corporate entities and addresses that include entities associated with university leadership, and appear alongside projects that have flourished with the university’s growth — including Clemson’s most recent and controversial 700-beds College Avenue development.

In its PR release, the university stated that the East Shore South LLC, the entity listed in property records as holding the Newry site, is a different company from United Homes Group, and therefore President Clements and Trustee Haley had no affiliation.

While it is not technically the same company, Mark Hart — the lead negotiator for the deal — told members of Oconee County Council that Great Southern Homes, a subsidiary of United Homes Group, where President Clements and Trustee Haley serve on the Board of Directors, would be building the 5,200 homes.

Public filings indicate that East Shore South LLC appears to be a special-purpose entity formed to hold the property, sharing the same address as United Homes Group / Great Southern Homes. In a 2024 prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), UHG stated that its development pipeline includes 9,000 lots “owned or controlled by land development affiliates.” That’s the bucket where special-purpose LLCs usually sit. In my opinion, the University’s statement underestimates the public’s ability to connect these records.

Mr. Hart was polite enough while seeking our support, but after we made it clear there would be no special deals and that he must follow the same rules as everyone else, his tone changed. He later sent a letter stating that they did not feel compelled to recognize our ordinances and, if we failed to comply, he threatened lawsuits, political action, and a media campaign.

But Oconee County isn’t the only nearby Clemson community Mr. Hart has been courting — he’s been making the rounds around Clemson looking for councils willing to say yes. We just happened to say no.

Will Clemson also clarify whether any potential overlap or appearance of interest exists between its leadership and the Pendleton “Small Area Master Plan,” where Great Southern Homes is listed as the developer for a new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District — in a town within the university’s development sphere that’s already experiencing massive growth tied to Clemson’s expansion?

As shown in Pendleton Planning Commission minutes (Nov. 14, 2024, and Sept. 11, 2025), Hart represented Great Southern Homes, the homebuilding division of United Homes Group.

So clearly — don’t take our word for it. According to public records, Mark Hart is a representative of Great Southern Homes/United Homes Group — the corporation on whose board President Clements, Trustee Haley, and mega-donor Michael Nieri serve.

In a timeline for the Pendleton TIF District posted on the Pendleton city government website, it lists that the property was purchased by Two Blue Stallions (also known as Great Southern Homes).

Two Blue Stallions — you’re going to want to remember that name.

In the very controversial 700-bed, 260-apartment-unit development along College Avenue in Clemson (pictured above) that City Council just approved on first reading, the Anderson Independent reported on October 10 that the property owners are University Ridge Cottages, LLC, Allen and Sheila R., and Two Blue Stallions.

I’ll say that again: the Anderson Independent published that Two Blue Stallions is listed as one of the property owners for this massive and controversial development now pending final approval from the City of Clemson. According to public records from the City of Pendleton, Two Blue Stallions is Great Southern Homes — a subsidiary of United Homes Group, where Clements and Haley serve as board members. Would the university care to provide a response to this?

Official meeting notes from the October 6, 2025 Clemson City Council meeting also includes documentation of Two Blue Stallions as a property owner for the Planned Development.

Two Blue Stallions owns nearly two dozen properties around Clemson, listed under two addresses: 917 Chapin Road, Chapin, SC — the corporate home of United Homes Group, Inc., the corporation whose board includes Clemson President Jim Clements, Trustee Nikki Haley, and Clemson mega-donor Michael Nieri. United Homes Group is the parent company of Great Southern Homes.

The second address is 90 North Royal Tower Drive, Irmo, SC 29063. A simple Google search of that address leads to the Irmo Chamber of Commerce website, which lists that location as the home of — you guessed it — Great Southern Homes.

The address for University Ridge Cottages, LLC, one of the other property owners associated with the College Avenue student housing project, is also 90 North Royal Tower Drive — the same address connected to Great Southern Homes.

Clemson University’s PR statement doesn’t align with the facts outlined in public filings.

Mark Hart told the Oconee County Council and staff that the developer for the Newry project was Great Southern Homes — a subsidiary of United Homes Group, on whose board President Clements and Trustee Haley serve.
Public records from the Town of Pendleton state that Mark Hart is a representative of Great Southern Homes.
Additional public records from the Town of Pendleton state that the special-purpose company Two Blue Stallions is Great Southern Homes.
According to public records from the City of Clemson and Pickens County, Two Blue Stallions is a property owner for the controversial 700-bed, 260-unit development on College Avenue in Clemson that has just passed first reading by the City of Clemson.

Together, these records outline a complex development network connecting Clemson University’s leadership to multiple projects across the region — a web of corporate and institutional relationships that raise serious questions about influence, accountability, and transparency in public decision-making.

So while Clemson says its leadership has “no financial stake,” the publicly available facts raise serious questions about that claim:

Both Clements and Haley make roughly $350,000 a year for their positions on UHG/Great Southern Homes board
Over half of that comes in stock options
Haley personally owns hundreds of thousands of dollars in company stock

They may not profit directly from the Newry project or any single project, but the more profitable United Homes Group becomes, the more valuable those stock options are.

The Anderson Independent article referenced above states that “a surge in the student population has increased demand for housing,” and that enrollment is now 29,115 students — up 12.8% from 2019. In that same article, Assistant Administrator Nathan Woods stated, “The city of Clemson has seen an increase in students and their parents buying up single-family homes in neighborhoods closest to campus and across town.”

So come on, Clemson.
Stop issuing carefully worded press releases and start being transparent with the people you claim to serve.

In my view, it’s a serious conflict-of-interest concern when the leadership of a rapidly expanding state-funded university serves on the very boards of corporations profiting from that explosive growth.

Transparency shouldn’t be controversial. It’s time for straight answers and accountability.

Here’s what I believe the public deserves — and what Clemson University and its partners should do immediately:

Full Disclosure:
Clemson University should publicly disclose any and all financial, consulting, or development relationships between its leadership, trustees, or affiliates and United Homes Group, Great Southern Homes, East Shore South, Two Blue Stallions, or any related LLCs tied to development in Oconee, Pickens, or Anderson counties.
Recusal from Development Interests:
Any university official or trustee with financial ties to United Homes Group or its subsidiaries — including stock options or board positions — should recuse themselves from any university business that could directly or indirectly benefit those companies.
Local Accountability:
City of Clemson, Oconee County, Anderson County, Pickens County, and the Town of Pendleton officials should release all correspondence, meeting notes, and communications with Mark Hart, East Shore South, Two Blue Stallions, Great Southern Homes, and United Homes Group, including any and all subsidiaries, affiliates, special-purpose entities, and related LLCs. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Clemson University should represent the best of higher education in South Carolina — not the worst of insider politics and corporate backroom deals.

The people of Oconee County and across South Carolina aren’t against growth. We’re against what we see as insider influence, special treatment, and the idea that power and connections should ever outweigh the rule of law.

We will continue to stand for transparency, fairness, and the rule of law — no exceptions, no backroom deals, and no special favors.

Because this isn’t just about one development.

It’s about who really runs our communities — and whether the people still have a say.

With resolve,
Matthew Durham
Chairman, Oconee County Council

United Homes Group and East Shore South share the same corporate address.