The Darlington County Planning Commission voted to set vested rights for two site developments during its regularly scheduled commission meeting Tuesday.
One of the site developments is a Copeland Turkey Farm set to be built on a 15-acre site near Lamar. The other is a storage facility for Bethea Baptist Retirement, which will be built on a 145-acre piece of land south of the city of Darlington.
By setting vested rights for the two site developments, both developers have two years to build, according to the permits they’ve received, regardless of any regulation changes, said planning director Doug Reimond.
The vested rights dates begin two years from the day the site developments were approved. That date is May 29 for the Copeland Turkey Farm and June 5 for Bethea Baptist Retirement.
The Copeland Turkey Farm will house 156,000 birds a year, according to the commission.
The turkeys will be confined to barns for about five weeks until they grow to 3¼ pounds.
The Bethea Baptist Retirement building, which is being built on Home Avenue, will store maintenance equipment for the retirement facility.
The storage site won’t receive an address or a new access street; instead, a dirt path that is already there will be used, according to the commission.
Reimold said both site developments already are under way.
Also on the agenda at Tuesday night’s planning commission meeting was the announcement of Ben Williamson’s departure as a commission member.
Williamson, whose second three-year term is at its end, received a surprise plaque at the meeting.
Reimold said Williamson’s contributions to the planning commission and Darlington will continue to be felt after he is gone.
“He’s going to be sorely missed,” Reimold said. “He’s always very well-informed. If there’s a correction to be done to the minutes, he’ll have it.
“He’s very detailed, and not having his eye to review all the items that we will have is going to be missed.”
Reimold said Williamson’s involvement in developing conservation easements in places where land is now permanently protected was significant.
Reimold called Williamson “an expert at natural landscape and habitat.”
Charles Brooks, senior planner for the planning commission, called Williamson “very smart.”
“He’s always very well-read on the issues that relate to this county,” Brooks said.
Williamson’s replacement, Grady Culbertson, will begin his appointment July 1.
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