COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Olympia neighborhood, south of Downtown Columbia, is full of historic charm. But as development and growth creeps in, there is a fear Olympia will lose what makes it so special.
That fear led Richland County Councilwoman Allison Terracio to propose a moratorium on construction, demolition and major rehab projects in Olympia, until the county can put new guidelines in place.
“Because we have the new land development code in place, that does allow for neighborhood character overlays. It’s a great time for the parts of Olympia that are in unincorporated Richland County to have that same protection," Terracio said.
A character overlay is a zoning tool designed to control the size and scope of construction projects, including design guidelines to ensure future projects maintain a neighborhood’s character.
Councilwoman Cheryl English also supports a moratorium until the guidelines can be worked out.
“I think sometimes in a rush to develop, we forget the historical value of communities. And it’s good to always keep that, and to always know what’s important to specific communities,” English explained.
Neighbors like Heyward Hickman said they like the idea.
“My first reaction is, I think that’s a good thing. We’ve had some construction lately that does not fit in with the historic nature of the neighborhood, and I know their ultimate goal is to preserve that. It’s definitely not to stop (advancement) and to stop construction or to stop progress,” Hickman said.
Should the full moratorium pass, Councilwoman Terracio said it would only be in effect as long as needed for the county to develop their character overlay guidelines.