Summerville Town Council gave second and final reading Thursday to annex 11 parcels off of Same Lane, Cone Lane, Lazy Acres Loop, Orangeburg Road and Claussen Street. A developer is looking to turn the mostly-vacant land, approximately 76 acres, into townhouses, single family homes and one acre of commercial property.
According to the town’s agenda packet, Crescent Homes applied for a 75 percent annexation and planned development approval on the west side of Orangeburg Road, south of Central Avenue.
The parcels were formerly zoned multi-family residential manufacturing housing in Dorchester County and are being zoned planned unit development, B-2 neighborhood business centers and R-5 mixed residential upon annexation into the town.
Council members were conflicted in passing second and final reading Thursday night. Councilman Bob Jackson said there are some future possibilities for annexation that could be gained from this, particularly along Central Avenue and Orangeburg Road.
Councilwoman Christine Czarnik said she had some issues with the development coming in as a PUD, saying only 5 percent of the developable area is being set aside for open space.
“What I see is just a regular, residential subdivision coming in as a PUD to get density that they can’t get under current zoning,” she said.
Czarnik noted whether the parcels are annexed into the town or not, there would be no difference in who delivers water or sewer, but if it does come into the town, the town becomes responsible for police and fire, stormwater management and public works.
“The numbers that we’ve been given show that annexation of this project would cost the town $337,000 per year but generate only $181,500 per year in revenue, so that’s a net loss to this town of $155,000 per year,” she said.
Councilman Bill McIntosh said the developer has tried to address these concerns including having a commercial component along Orangeburg.
“We’d love to have more commercial in it but they just don’t have that much frontage on Orangeburg,” McIntosh said. “But I think that does do two things: it makes it more of a true PUD, and it also hopefully shifts the balance that Councilwoman Czarnik described by bringing in more revenues.”
Jackson added that if the developer does not purchase the property, it is already zoned for apartments in the county, “which would have a great more effect” on traffic and density in the area, he said. Czarnik, however, said the county would not allow 60-75 percent impervious surface, “which is what this PUD allows.”
Councilman Aaron Brown said an ongoing problem in the town has been "doughnut holes” from which the town receives no tax base and yet receive the fire and police protection from the town.
“This property is going to affect the town whether it stays in the county or whether it’s annexed,” he said. “I think an advantage to the town, while it’s not a perfect situation, is that the town does get some tax dollars from the services that we’re going to be rendering and at the same time the town has more control as to what happens by tweaking the PUD and make sure the…developer leaves the highest standard that we can exact onto the PUD.”
Mayor Wiley Johnson said he is concerned about the density and about the cost to the town. He said if there were more commercial along Orangeburg Road that might make it “somewhat more agreeable, but just the sheer density of it is a problem for me.” Johnson also noted that this is an area the town is servicing through automatic aid with the fire department.
He also said stormwater and flooding issues concerned town staff.
Councilwoman Kima Garten-Schmidt touched on other aspects of the project that she likes; she said the developer plans to work on the infrastructure of Orangeburg Road and provide a walkway to Knightsville Elementary for students.
“From what I hear…this project is more like a five, six, seven-year project, over time there’s going to be other areas that are going to come into town, and I think this is the time that we bring it into town now before later on, it does become one of those doughnut holes and the neighborhood’s built and they don’t want to come into town,” she said.
The motion carried 5 to 2; Czarnik and Johnson voted against.
Michelle and Bobby Trappier, some of the current property owners, spoke in support of the annexation during public comments earlier in the meeting.
