Florence County planners halt West Sumter Street permits

FLORENCE — Florence County Council has approved a moratorium of as long as one year on all building permits within the West Sumter Street community.

Residents are concerned about the direction of development in their area, which is unzoned and has a great deal of rental properties, councilman Al Bradley said after Thursday’s council meeting.

Bradley, who represents the area, made the motion to approve the resolution for the moratorium, which would affect about 180 lots, county Planning Director Bill Hoge told council.

Council also introduced an ordinance to establish new residential zoning districts of R-3A and R-5A, which would allow no manufactured housing in order to meet the West Sumter Street community’s needs. R-3A would be for single-family residences, and R-5A would allow multi-family residences.

When the zoning districts are approved, the community and areas of Johnsonville will be designated with the R-3A zoning, according to county documents.

Within the coming 12 months, the county planning commission also will provide council with a recommendation on the issue.

Council on Thursday also denied second reading of Dorothy Martin Tate’s request to rezone 21 parcels in Tara Village, off Howe Springs Road south of Florence, from a single-family residential district to multi-family residential.

Before the vote, Kendall Hiller told council the duplexes that Tate hoped to build wouldn’t be out of keeping with other homes in the area, which he said has 189 rental and investment properties.

In other business, council approved third and final reading of amendments that offer more leeway with the accessory uses businesses can place in front of their buildings, such as an ATM at a bank or vacuum at a car wash.

Council approved $200,000 of county infrastructure and utility funds to the Housing Authority of Florence pending the authority’s approval for $10 million in Housing and Urban Development grants. The authority is working to build a 162-unit mixed-income development called Rosewood Village off Oakland Avenue in Florence.

Council also approved $20,000 of county infrastructure funds to help Lake City with roof repair, painting and other renovations to the Greater Lake City Chamber of Commerce office in the city’s historical railroad depot. A private company is handling renovations to the other section of the depot, council Chairman K.G. “Rusty” Smith said.

Council also approved $21,000 in county utility funds to help Olanta buy and install a sand filter as well as pumps for a sewage lift station.

Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone told council the law enforcement center in Effingham has installed a siren system that will be tested once a month and can be heard two to three miles away.

Council denied a request from Progress Energy for a permanent easement across a Florence City-County Complex parking lot behind the old post office on South Irby Street. The company was seeking the easement for an underground power cable serving downtown.

County Administrator Richard Starks said the agreement would essentially be a transfer of property rights, however, because Progress Energy would move the cable only once at a site on county property approved by the company.

Council also voted to accept South Carolina Department of Transportation allocations of $278,600 for Florence County road projects. The money will be used as follows:

• $150,000 for paving at the new Johnsonville, Timmonsville and Olanta branch libraries

• $78,600 for drainage pipe at Johnsonville High School

• $30,000 for resurfacing of Johnson Avenue and Stewart Road

• $20,000 for resurfacing of Devon Road

In other business, South Lynches Fire Department Chief Sam Brockington told council how dispatchers, first responders, paramedics and hospital employees worked together to save a 1-year-old boy from choking.

“The measure of your success and our success is 14-month-old Shane Cox,” he said.

Councilman Ken Ard recognized Pamplico car dealership Service Motor Co., which has been in business since 1922 and is one of 3,600 GM dealers remaining in the nation.

“I had no idea that we would continue to be in business, so we must be doing something right,” Service Motor Co. Vice President Carol H. Calcutt said.