City of Florence Planning Commission OKs sketch plan for Radio Drive

The City of Florence Planning Commission has approved the sketch plan for a commercial subdivision that developers hope will bring office headquarters to West Radio Drive.

The three-parcel Park West Development is proposed to span a little more than 12 acres of undeveloped land behind the Holiday Inn Express and Swamp Fox Cinemas.

In addition to office space, an apartment complex could be a possibility for the subdivision, Mike Hall, property manager for Byrd Properties, said at Tuesday’s commission meeting.

A proposed road leading to the development could ultimately span from Radio Drive to Woody Jones Boulevard, which runs behind Florence Civic Center, Florence Urban Planning and Development Director Phillip Lookadoo told the commission.

Hall said several hotels have been built along Hospitality Boulevard since he and his associates built that road.

The commission voted 6-1 to approve the sketch plan for the subdivision.

Commissioner Derrick Owens, who voted against approving the plan, said he wasn’t opposed to the proposed design but wanted to see more street trees and pedestrian paths included.

“It’s an opportunity to beautify Florence,” he said.

The commission also formed a subcommittee to work with the city’s planning staff to plan for parking spaces along N.B. Baroody Street near the Florence City-County Complex.

Serving on the subcommittee will be commissioners Owens, Drew Chaplin and Tommy Phillips.

Florence County has proposed diagonal parking spaces along N.B. Baroody Street between Coit and Dargan streets. City planning officials are now working to find the best solution for parking along the 100 block of East N.B. Baroody Street, which lies west of Dargan Street.

An ad hoc committee of the planning commission also aims to meet with Wilson Road residents before its next meeting, Jan. 13.

At that meeting, the commission will hear the committee’s recommendations on a proposed overlay district governing design in Greater Wilson Heights, commission Chairman Glynn Willis said. The commission also will hear feedback from residents of that neighborhood, he said.

Phillips said the ad hoc committee, of which he is chairman, explained to residents that “we wouldn’t be able to give them exactly what they wanted in terms of single-family restrictions.”

The city rewrote the Wilson Road Residential District guidelines, which originally proposed property-use regulations, after receiving a planning attorney’s advice, city attorney Jim Peterson said earlier this year.

In other business, the city planning department hopes to begin developing its new comprehensive plan in March after hiring a consultant by the end of February, Lookadoo said. State law requires comprehensive plans for local governments to have property zoning.