COLUMBIA, S.C. — Residents are getting their first glimpse into what Richland County Council members might focus on in the near future, including attempts to reduce the financial burden that growth places on taxpayers.
Thursday evening, several Richland County council members were in attendance at the county’s administration building for the Development and Services Committee meeting. Those council members discussed several topics covering growth, development and road repairs.
Impact fees for development were once again on the minds of committee members.
The fees are one-time charges developers would pay to help the county pay for new infrastructure projects that are needed because of new development.
Councilwoman Chakisse Newton said the fees would allow those costs to be shared.
"Impact fees give municipalities and counties the opportunity to share the cost of the impact of development. When a development comes in, it impacts the roads, it impacts schools, it impacts EMS. Right now, the county, or the citizens have to bear all the costs of that. And we are simply exploring if that’s something we could do in Richland County and if so, what types of fees we’d be able to have, and how it would benefit our citizens and the taxpayers,” Newton said.
The committee also directed staff to look into how the county could assume ownership and maintenance responsibilities for subdivision roads.
Councilman Jason Branham discussed the challenge the county faces.
“Unfortunately, for different reasons and different circumstances, certain developers failed to (transfer) deed title of the roads over to the county. So, the county is actually legally unable to maintain those roads. So we want to step up and be a little bit more aggressive to explore what other legal avenues we have, to be able to obtain title to those properties, so that we can provide the assistance that the residents are looking for,” Branham explained.
Another issue discussed during the meeting involved proposed actions to protect the Olympia neighborhood’s charm and unique look.
Councilwoman Allison Terracio explained why the protections are needed.
“Olympia (has a) pretty small square mileage, but it does have a great history here in the City of Columbia and in Richland County. And the homes over there have a very specific kind of character. We want to preserve some of that architecture and some of that history there. So that’s what the neighbors are looking for,” Terracio said.
The county is considering issuing a moratorium on demolition and new construction until a new overlay map can be instituted for the area. The overlay map would control things like architectural styles and setbacks.
County staff will continue to research each of these topics and prepare to bring their findings to the full county council, who will ultimately decide whether any of the items discussed Thursday would lead to new county ordinances.