After multiple questions from residents, county commissioners Monday sent two rezoning requests back to the planning board for more work, and ordered the county staff to begin work on repealing the planned unit development ordinance.
County commissioners said there were too many unanswered questions about the Sarvis and Coleman tracts, after two fiery public hearings and public comments about the proposals. The Sarvis tract would bring more than 1,000 homes to Peacock Road near Tabor City, while the Coleman tract in Dothan would add another 190 homes near the state line.
During the board comments at the end of the meeting, Commissioner Ricky Bullard called for the vote to return the proposals to the planning board. Commissioner Scott Floyd seconded both measures, which were unanimously approved.
Bullard also asked that County Manager Eddie Madden and county staff begin work on a complete rewrite of the county’s subdivision and planned unit development ordnance. The rest of the board concurred.
“That could take a couple of months,” Madden warned.
“We have to start somewhere,” Bullard said. “It is clear the people do not want this type of development in Columbus County.”
Multiple residents and landowners near both planned unit developments (PUDs) spoke out against the projects.
Adrian Gibbons, who lives adjacent to the Coleman tract, said that she has lived in her home for more than 40 years, and seen explosive growth in the area. She said three car crashes have ended up in her yard, and she no longer allows her children to play in her yard. Although the Department of Transportation has improved ditches at Cottonwood and the planned property, the state ditches on her property have not been maintained by the state or county. Water from the improved areas flows onto her land, she said.
“They cleaned it at the beginning of Dothan Road and 904 intersection, and at cottonwood,” she said. They did not clear it near my house.” A commissioner asked how the area flooded during hurricanes, and she said it did not flood as badly as it does now. She said she is on county water since her well dried up, but she cannot afford $10,000 to tap into the county sewer system.
Jennifer Foley spoke out against both proposals. Her family owns farmland adjacent to both proposed developments. One of the farms will eventually be surrounded by 2,500 homes, she said. A ditch from her family land through the farm into South Carolina is not maintained by the state or county, she said, and the new subdivision will overwhelm that ditch with runoff.
“We have had to clean that ditch out five or six times due to the beavers,” she said. “That water runs off if I do my job as a landowner.” Horry County cleans the ditch on the other side.
“We might let the beavers take over. I don’t care,” she said. “We don’t have to clean out our side. We can just let it grow up. It doesn’t matter to us. This is all nice and dandy if we do our job.”
She said her family wants to be “good neighbors,” but wanted to know who would pay her family to clean out the ditch that will be more of benefit to the developments than to her farm.
During the public hearing on the Sarvis tract, Developer Jeff Malpass said the project will provide access to an historic cemetery on the property, and fence the burying ground in to keep it safe. He also said the development will have regulation width streets, curb and guttering, storm drains and retention ponds designed to slow the flow of stormwater.
Commissioners joined residents in questioning plans to put four homes per acre on the property.
“Where are people going to park?” Commissioner Chris Smith asked.
“There’s not an acre in this county that drains well enough to hold four homes,” Commissioner Giles “Buddy” Byrd said.
A major concern was access to and care for the Stephens Cemetery. Malpass said the cemetery would be protected, and that visitors would be able to use the roads through the development to access the property.
James Stephens said he is not against the project, but that he hopes local workers will be hired when possible. Stephens said his father showed him the graves of several generations of his family on the property, and that his father and two siblings are buried there.
Warren Housand, who lives beside the proposed project, said he is against the project. The community cannot support the anticipated growth, he said.
“I’ve never had to think of using a one man boat in my yard, but I am now,” he said. “I haven’t bene able to mow my yard for five weeks because of the rain. Whenever I try, it bogs down.
“I understand FEMA and all has done studies, and about the raised areas and all, but we live here. We know how the water works… Four houses on an acre is wild to me. We live on four acres, with just my mama’s house and my own, and we flood now.”
“Yes, we had flooding problems before, but it’s even worse now. I don’t see how this is going to make things better.”
Regarding the cemetery, Housand said he appreciated that the developer wants to protect the graveyard, but he was concerned things might change.
“I don’t have no say in the cemetery,” he said, “but the cemetery means a lot to me because it’s part of my community…
“But inside that fence – is this going to be a gated community? If so what’s the cutoff time?’ He noted that a similar community in Brunswick County has a cutoff time for visitors, and that has cause problems with locals trying to access the cemetery.
Leonard Stephens said he is concerned that the cemetery will be damaged. A trustee for the cemetery, which is the final resting place for both black and white residents dating as far back as the late 1700s. It is considered one of the oldest graveyards in the county. He said he helped document the cemetery with historian Richard Wright.
“It’s a cemetery where black and white are laid together. The only thing separating them is a ditch.” He said there are original residents of the area, slaves, Confederate soldiers and others buried there.
“My daddy would take me out there and show me where different ones were at,” he said. “My daddy’s daddy, and his daddy, and all those down the line.”
“I know the homeowner’s association can work different things and change things in a matter of time,” he said. Stephens said he maintains the cemetery, mowing the grass and keeping it clean, and is concerned the HOA could decide to prevent access to the property. He said he is a trustee for the cemetery, and hopes that any agreement with the HOA will be in writing.
Kelly Rimes has a horse farm adjacent to the property. She asked that the developer be required to put a fence around the entire tract, and presented signed petitions to the board in support of the idea. She said she was concerned that the 30 foot buffer would not be sufficient to keep people and animals from trespassing on her property, possibly subjecting her to a lawsuit. Rimes said she is below the proposed development, and flooding has increased on her property since the land was timbered and cleared.
After the public hearings, commissioners voted to send the two plans back to the planning board to address some of the concerns raised by residents.
During the commissioner’s comment period, Bullard said he was concerned about runaway growth in the county.
“I’ve got some concerns after hearing some public input tonight about the size of lots, how many houses we are going to allow to be put on a piece of property,” Bullard said. “I think we’re creating ourselves problems by leaving it where you can put hundreds of houses with without water and sewer.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in this room tonight no one in this room tonight that agrees with what could be allowed to go on.” He noted that his family has been here for generations, and he hopes it will continue to do so.
Overbuilding has “already destroyed Brunswick County,” he said. “We want industry, we want growth, but we want the right kind of growth. The citizens and taxpayers should be protected first.
“I think we need to revisit our package size. I think there’s too many….by being diversified, there’s some that will come and some won’t I understand that.”
City Manager Eddie Madden said the county has a traditional subdivision ordinance with a typical lot size rule. He said developers are not interested in areas without access to sewer.
The county has approved 15,000 lots under the planned unit development community ordinance, he said. He noted that PUDs are not mandated, so commissioners can refuse such projects or send them back to the planning board for changes. Madden said the commissioners could require larger lot sizes in future developments.
“I understand the price of land is expensive,” Bullard said, “but do we want quality living or quality?”
Madden said the board could repeal the PUD ordinance, and adhere larger lot sizes for the entire county.
Commission Chair Laverne Coleman noted that Senate Bill 205 would reduce county authority over development rules from the county level and turn them over to the state, negating any local impact on developments while requiring local governments to still provide utilities.
Madden told the board that while the county is not required to approve any PUD project, it cannot change the rules after an application has been made. Madden said the board would need to vote up or down on the current applications before changing the rules. After those votes they could amend the rules, he said.
“You have the Coleman tract and the Sarvis tract, and we’re anticipating seeing one on the Old Lake road project,” Madden said. “It’s clearer legally if you decide on the current applications before you make any changes.”
Byrd asked what the board could do immediately.
“We don’t need to sit on the list and let it get longer and longer,” Byrd said. We need to do whatever we need to do to stop the flow.
Madden said the board could repeal the PUD ordinance, then change the minimum lot size.
“Can we start it tonight? Byrd said. Madden said the board could start the process, which will require public hearings as well as staff work before a final vote.
“We need to start it as soon as we can,” Bullard said. “The people have made it clear.”
Madden asked if the board was directing staff to begin work on repealing the ordinance. The board voted to officially instruct staff to do so.
“We’ll get started,” Madden said.
A date has not been set for the public hearing on the Old Lake Road development. That project would bring 4,500 homes to a parcel near East Columbus High School. While it has been approved by the planning board, that plan has not yet come before the commissioners.
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