Orangeburg Planning Commission rejects rezoning; council to review annexation

The City of Orangeburg’s Planning Commission last month unanimously denied a request to rezone property at the corner of Broughton Street and Caw Caw Drive to pave the way for a restaurant parking lot.

The commission also unanimously tabled a request that the city annex about 14 acres of an adjacent, city-owned Broughton Street property that is being considered for the development of the restaurant.

If approved, the annexation of the property would bring the entire parcel under the jurisdiction of city building codes and fire and law enforcement protection.

The commission said it wants Orangeburg City Council to review the annexation matter further before making a final decision.

The planning body took the actions after hearing concerns from several residents who live in a neighborhood close to the proposed restaurant and parking lot. The issue will now go before city council.

Barbara Lyons, whose mother lives on South Circle Drive, said the proposed development would be bad.

“This is a quiet nice neighborhood,” Lyons said. “Having a business on that corner would increase traffic in the neighborhood. Having a business could also cause more crime in the neighborhood.”

“A lot of the older homeowners have been living in this neighborhood since I was a kid,” Lyons continued. “They bought their homes to live in a quiet residential neighborhood, not to have a business move right in next to them.”

Lyons said the neighborhood also has a number of young families with young children. Residents say increased traffic could create a safety hazard for young children playing in the roads.

Lyons was among many residents to speak at the planning commission meeting and about 37 residents also signed a petition opposing plans to rezone 1.5 acres of land at the corner of Broughton Street and Caw Caw Drive to general business from single-family residential.

The property, which is owned by T. Dayle Bolen, is adjacent to the 13.91 acres the city wants to annex for the eventual construction of what developers describe as a “higher-end” or fine dining restaurant.

The city-owned property is near the intersection of Broughton Street and Chestnut Street. The address of the parcel is 3397 Broughton Street.

The property is currently vacant and formerly housed an Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities substation.

Residents who live on Caw Caw Drive, North Circle Drive, West Circle and South Circle Drive expressed concerns about how the proposed restaurant and parking lot project would impact their residential neighborhood.

Caw Caw Drive resident Lula Glover wrote, “to change to a business will be a big disaster for everyone who lives here.”

“There are cars and trucks with loud pipes on them flying through the neighborhood already,” Glover wrote. “We are seniors who have worked hard and just want to enjoy a quiet, peaceful life. I can picture cars lined up on Caw Caw Drive already. No, please let Caw Caw remain a quiet residential area.”

Linda Glover, who lives on South Circle Drive, expressed concerns that the rezoning plans would “decrease our home values” and increase taxes, as well as exacerbate the traffic.

“We already have a lot of traffic and we have a lot of noise already from Broughton Street where we have so much growth just outside of our city with the Walmart and the new Bojangles coming,” Glover said. “While growth is good, it’s not always good for us and it is not always good for our neighborhood.”

“We do not have a lot of crime,” she continued. “We all know each other and we all look out for each other. I am afraid … if we move from an A-1 residential to a B-1 business we may not have that safety that we have right now.”

Glover also expressed concerns that if the property is rezoned for business “some kind of wild thing” could go on the property, like a beer joint or a strip club.

“It will increase another type of people that we don’t want or need in our neighborhood, roaming the streets and causing issues,” Glover said.

Scarlett Toole, who lives on West Circle Drive, said people already drive fast in the neighborhood “like somebody shot them out of an airplane.”

“We don’t need that,” she said.

Following the meeting, developer Stanislav Finelt said they’ve dropped the plans for the parking lot at the corner of Broughton Street and Caw Caw Drive after hearing the opposition.

In other business:

• The commission unanimously approved the annexation of two parcels totaling 1.51 acres belonging to Crepe Myrtle Village at 180 Magnolia Street. The properties are located near the intersection of Magnolia Street and Broughton Street.

Singh said the two parcels are divided with one portion being in the city and another portion being in the county. Bringing the parcels into the city will help to ensure that emergency, law enforcement and fire response would be uniform and reduce confusion.

• The commission unanimously re-elected Guy Best as chairman and Shirlan Moseley-Jenkins as vice chair of the body.