Florence needs to move quickly on zoning plans

By: Morning News | SCNOW
Published: August 24, 2008

Congratulations to Cary Andrews, chairman of the city of Florence Design Review Board.

At a recent meeting, he raised the issued of how board members could have a voice in improving the aesthetic appeal of South Irby and East Palmetto streets along with other major corridors leading into town.

Florence Urban Planning and Development Director Phillip Lookadoo said at the meeting that possibilities include that design guidelines for the entryway corridors might be channeled through the board or administratively enforced through a city ordinance, according to a story in the Morning News.

“When we start the comprehensive plan process, you guys need to be involved, as I would encourage every citizen of Florence to be involved,” Lookadoo told the board.

We are sure another “public official” has surely raised this issue before in a public setting.

But, unfortunately, it certainly doesn’t stand out.

But it’s an issue that should have been dealt with years ago.

We aren’t sure why it wasn’t, but the city needs to proceed as quickly as possible to getting it done.

And we’d like to see Florence County Council get into the act, as well, because so many places where we have problems are not in the city.

What has to happen now is that first a comprehensive plan has to be developed for the city to then formulate its own zoning regulations.

Currently, the city is operating under Florence County’s zoning ordinance, which it adopted while city and county planning services were consolidated.

Now that the city has returned to its own board, it needs to move forward.

According to the Morning News story, Lookadoo said Florence’s planning department hopes to hire a consultant within the next few months to begin working on a city-specific comprehensive plan.

And then, of course, we need plenty of input from all segments of the community.

That includes property owners, businesses and residents.

The plan has to be reasonable and consider its impact on everyone.

But Florence is way behind in efforts to make our community one we can be proud of living in and to show off to visitors.

We do have the library downtown.

Soon, we will have the new Florence Little Theatre up and running.

And we can’t start construction of the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center soon enough.

Behind the scenes efforts are continuing to get the Florence Museum to a better location so that it can show off its collections better and offer more to school children.

Some eyesores are being removed, but many remain.

A good comprehensive plan and zoning shouldn’t be rushed.

But action is needed and a concerted push by all involved to get it in place.