Amendment would add backyard pool space in Reserve at Ebenezer

FLORENCE — The City of Florence Planning Commission has recommended approval of an amendment that would help some west Florence residents squeeze swimming pools into their backyards.

The planned development amendment for the Reserve at Ebenezer would let pools sit four feet, rather than 10 feet, from a rear property line in an area where the smallest yards span 15 feet behind a home, developer Ross Thames said Tuesday.

Swimming pools must sit at least 5 feet from the side property lines, a guideline that would remain the same, Thames said.

In a planned development, planners work with developers essentially to “write (their) own zoning ordinance” to achieve certain aesthetic qualities or design flexibility, said Phillip Lookadoo, Florence’s urban planning and development director.

City planners recommended approving the amendment because 6-foot-tall fences would be required for privacy and safety, Lookadoo said. The developers have installed rear-property fences, and neighborhood covenants require side fences, Thames said.

Commissioner Derrick Owens said he had a conflict of interest in the matter and recused himself from the vote.

Florence City Council will hold first reading of the amendment at its Nov. 10 meeting.

In other business, an ad hoc committee of three planning commissioners will meet Thursday with residents and a developer to discuss a draft of regulations for the Wilson Road Residential Overlay District.

Residents are adamant about prohibiting multifamily housing in the area, which some developers say would prevent them from developing property as they’d like.

If the overlay were approved, restrictions would govern building design guidelines in the proposed north Florence district.

The city rewrote the Wilson Road guidelines, which previously proposed property-use regulations, after receiving legal advice from planning attorney Frances Cantwell of Charleston, said city attorney Jim Peterson last month.

The guidelines would apply to the redevelopment, construction, renovation or restoration of buildings within the district. Such projects would have to go before the city’s Design Review Board for approval.
Wilson Heights resident John Miller said although he won’t be involved in Thursday’s meeting, he’s happy to see it taking place.

“It shows cooperation from both sides,” he said.

Commissioners Dorothy Hines, Mildred Welch and Tommy Phillips will attend the meeting with six residents and developer Debbie Eaddy, who plans to build a 29-lot subdivision in the area.

Also Tuesday, the commission recommended approving single-family residential zoning for two homes awaiting annexation into the city. The currently unzoned properties are at 2483 W. Andover Road and 2699 Trotter Road.

City council will hold first reading of the zoning and annexation requests Nov. 10.