Darlington County Planning Commission approves subdivision

DARLINGTON — The Darlington County Planning Commission on Tuesday night approved a 10-lot small private subdivision, called Flynn’s Run II, by developer Howard B. Gainey.

Gainey’s original proposal in 2005 was for a 41-lot public road subdivision. But the public road engineering and construction costs proved to be prohibitive and Gainey decided to downsize to 10 lots where no specific engineering and road standards are required.

The commission also discussed the latest draft of the Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan.

“While the current draft focuses on the existing inventory of land uses,” Planning Commission Director Dough Reimold said, “the future land uses will require a considerable amount of input from PC members, the community and other civic leaders throughout the county. We must analyze the projected growth of the county to determine how to best accommodate that growth.”

Reimold said his staff is working with the Pee Dee Council of Governments on a map to conduct an exercise to assist with making some decisions on how and where certain development activities should be located within the county.

“To this end, this meeting will be a different interaction for you with land use in the county,” he said. “Please be prepared to participate in ‘dot therapy.’ We will provide you with various colored dots representing the different land uses.

“We will have you place these dots on the land use map representing growth in the county over the next 20 to 30 years, asking for your projection where you think it will happen. We can then use this for a springboard to prepare for future land use. It is our goal to prepare a plan that can be useful in the development of Darlington County.”

In other matters, some discussion centered around the county’s association with the Darlington County Water and Sewer Authority.

Reimold said the authority was created in 1971 by an act of the General Assembly. It is governed by a board of directors appointed by the governor.

Reimold told the commission that the water and sewer authority and other special purpose district entities aren’t under any obligation to answer to the local jurisdiction. They operate with autonomy.

“If Darlington County wants to affect change in the way the DCWSA does business in the county,” he said, “it would have to make contact with its delegate members to recommend to the governor to appoint different members to the board of directors that share the vision and direction of the county.”