Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Agriculture Roadside Stand topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Edgefield County staff review roadside fruit-stand proposal by David Dobbins
Summary
Planning staff reviewed an application from farmer David Dobbins for a permanent roadside fruit-and-vegetable stand on Towns Road and asked the commission for guidance on drafting conditional-use rules covering lot size, setbacks, buffers and signage.
Planning staff reviewed an application from David Dobbins for a permanent roadside fruit-and-vegetable stand on Towns Road and asked the Edgefield County Planning Commission for guidance on standards for conditional use in residential district (RD) zoning.
The proposal calls for a roadside stand building and a restroom facility, and staff noted the structure and signage would be subject to South Carolina Department of Agriculture certification. A planning staff member told the commission that standard RD setbacks apply: 25 feet in the front and 50 feet on the sides and rear. The property is just outside the county overlay district, staff said, so overlay rules would not apply.
The roadside-stand application matters, staff said, because the new use would be permanent rather than a temporary, accessory sales activity. Commissioner Walsh, who was not present, submitted a written statement read into the record saying, “If the proposal meets or will be amended to the county ordinance conditional requirements for roadside produce stands, my vote would be in favor of the approval.”
David Dobbins, who described operating about 40 acres of the former Mackey’s Dairy, said he intends to both grow produce and source items from other growers. “I hope you all come down and enjoy some fresh produce,” Dobbins told the commission.
Staff asked the commission for direction on draft ordinance details to present at the next meeting. Commissioners and attendees suggested minimum lot sizes between 2.5 and 5 acres for permanent roadside stands, a possible maximum building size of about 500 square feet for a 2.5-acre lot, additional setbacks and planted buffers (heavier buffers on sides and rear), and limits on signage — for example, one permanent sign with a square-foot cap and no blinking or illuminated advertising, with temporary signs allowed only during active sales.
Planning staff said they will draft conditional-use language incorporating the commission’s input and present an illustrative packet at the next meeting for review. No formal vote was taken on Dobbins’s application at this session; staff will continue the administrative review and return language for the commission’s consideration.
