Hartsville Planning Commission tables rezoning properties

HARTSVILLE - The Hartsville Planning Commission tabled a motion to rezone M-1 properties along Railroad Avenue and the 300 block of South Fourth and Fifth Streets between Laurens and Davis during Tuesday’s regular monthly meeting. The commission-initiated request came up at the May meeting, but a vote was delayed to give commissioners a chance to develop recommendations.

“As I stated at the May meeting, there was one warehouse that is a vacant lot now. I’d like to see that zoned, so business could locate there and not have another warehouse come there,” Commissioner Teresa Mack said.

The M-1 designation includes all the permitted uses in the B-2 and B-3 zoning districts plus warehousing, wholesale activities, laboratories, farm equipment sales and service, storage and lumber yards, industrial uses and mobile home sales.

Vice Chair Bobby McGee said B-1 or B-2 designation would allow that to happen. Both are adjacent to those properties.

On the Fifth Street side of the block, the area is B-3, and facing the Fourth Street side of the block is P-1. Properties on Davis south of that block are designated B-3 and B-2.

Both B-2 and B-3 have the same permitted uses. The only difference between those two designations is the signage. B-2 allows 12 square feet of signage while B-3 allows 30.

“Which one do we want to progress?” McGee asked.

The other area in question faces Railroad Avenue and consists of three parcels, including Gardner’s Fertilizer and Feed. P-1 designated properties surround the area with B-1 facing it across the street. P-1 does not allow retail sales as a permitted use as it includes service-oriented businesses such as medical, radio, interior decorating, seamstresses, real estate and insurance among other things.

“It makes sense for the B-1 business district to expand,” Hartsville Downtown Development Association Executive Director Lenora Lefew. “The frontage of that parcel is facing B-1. Whatever faces the street is included, so that would be a logical progression.”

If the property was rezoned P-1, Gardner’s couldn’t be rebuilt if it was destroyed by a natural disaster. As a B-1 zoned property, the business would have to comply with the Design Review Board and its rules on landscaping and signage.

“Around Railroad Avenue, that’s a very valuable block from a planning standpoint because of the proximity to the Governor’s School and the Vista,” Interim City Manager and former Planning Commission Chairman Vern Myers said. “We tended to look at that as an extension of B-1.”

Long term, he said, the commission had wanted to see Railroad Avenue as an education corridor.

“I’d like to consider this with a real eye to the future of what this city could look like in next 10 or 20 years,” McGee said. “I’d love to have representatives from these properties come in, hear their thoughts and dreams before making a decision on either one of these properties.”

The other commissioners agreed to delay a vote to gather more information and to invite owners and other interested properties to the July mtg.

In other business, the commission unanimously approved rezoning nearly 20 pieces of property from P-1 (professional) and M-1 (industrial) to CA (campus), a request made by the property owner, Coker College. The adjacent land supported the decision since the surrounding parcels are zoned CA.

The commission postponed a decision on subdividing the property at the corner of Fifth Street and East Carolina Avenue to receive more staff and legal advice on the matter. The developer wants to separate the 0.81 acre corner lot for someone to open a restaurant or other business and has presented the request to the commission previously.

The commission also postponed naming of the entrance road to Hartsville Garden Apartments off Fourth Street until July. The apartments have a temporary Fourth Street address, but, since the buildings don’t face that street, it would be appropriate to have the addresses list the side street instead.

Planning and zoning staff suggested commissioners drive through the property to see it for themselves. The developer, EMS and Darlington County Planning Director Doug Reimold have all been asked for suggestions as well.