COLUMBIA, S.C. — Work sessions have begun for Richland County rezoning. The planning commission discussed amending the land code and potential zone changes for certain areas in the county at a special called meeting on Wednesday.
The planning commission presented the new baseline map the county administrators will be working on as they work to amend the land development code.
However, residents like Mark Hershberger, who used to work as a real estate lawyer, says the meeting was too confusing to follow.
"Most citizens... by education or temperament are not able to deal with the intricate language, the procedural nuances and all this stuff," Hershberger explained.
Hershberger says he and his wife have lived in a quiet neighborhood in Lower Richland for four decades. They say they want less noise and more nature.
"I had a deer in my front yard yesterday morning," Hershberger recalled. "My house sits across from a wooded area. I've lived there for 41 years, and I've always known that it might be developed. The new code says multi-family homes like duplex, triplex, and quads, and I'm concerned about the impact that will have on the quality of life we've continued to enjoy."
The planning commission did not take any action or make any changes this evening but says their main focus at the next meeting will be discussing manufactured homes and where they fall in the rezoning code.
Another Lower Richland resident, Jennifer Mancke says she wants the same group that protested a new sewer system in Hopkins back in 2014, to join her in the fight against rezoning.
“We knew development was coming and we knew the infrastructure wasn’t ready for that," Mancke explained. "I want to put a call out to all of the people involved in keeping the sewer out of Lower Richland. Thinking back to when we came to the county council back then, very proudly on the wall it said ‘Uniquely rural, Uniquely urban” and they’ve taken that away.”
The planning commission did not take any action or make any changes on Wednesday, but says they want to focus discussions on manufactured homes and where they fall in the rezoning code at the next meeting.
The next planning commission will be June 6 at 3 p.m. in the Richland County Administration Building. This meeting will allow for public comments.