A promise to mom, a century-old farm: How these families kept developers at bay

GREENVILLE, S.C. (InvestigateTV) - Home ownership has been the bedrock of the American dream, mainly driven by single homeowners. But corporate buyers are changing that landscape, according to The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Center for Geospatial Solutions. In a 2025 report, the group wrote that “this trend is reducing the housing stock available to individual homebuyers.”In order to buck that trend as well as preserve the environment, there’s a non-profit in South Carolina working with homeowners who wish to protect their properties from development long after they’re gone.Two Upstate South Carolina families have placed more than 250 acres under conservation easements through Upstate Forever, permanently restricting development on land that has been in their families for generations.The announcement is part of a broader milestone for the organization, which now protects more than 40,000 acres across a 10-county area.A conservation easementUnder a conservation easement, la