Council postpones Food Lion rezoning pending traffic study, approves multiple other zoning changes

Berkeley County Council postponed a rezoning application for a proposed Food Lion supermarket after planning staff and several council members said the item should wait for a traffic-impact study. At the same meeting the council approved multiple other rezoning requests and enacted several bills on combined second and third readings.

Planning staff said the applicant, Reliance Development LLC on behalf of James Roy Fiddle Jr., sought to rezone roughly 4.7 acres on Black Tom Road to General Commercial (GC) to construct a Food Lion. "Staff recommended approval with the added recommendation that the findings of a traffic study be in hand prior to third reading," a planning staff member told council.

Council members said they were not comfortable advancing the rezoning to second and third readings before seeing traffic-study results. Councilman Owens moved to postpone the measure until the traffic-impact analysis (TIA) is complete; Councilman Davis seconded the motion. Planning staff told the council that typical TIAs range from about eight to 12 weeks and that the county has also commissioned a corridor study of Black Tom Road expected in two to three months.

"It would be more transparent to have that information before third reading," a council member said, and the motion to postpone carried by voice vote.

Council approved several other land-use items after discussion: - Bill 25-25: Rezoning to General Commercial for outdoor storage (boats and RVs) on a Moncks Corner-area parcel (applicant Jeffrey and Joanna Witke). Staff and the planning commission recommended approval; the motion to approve carried. - Bill 25-26 and 25-27: Similar rezoning requests for outdoor storage and expansions, each approved; staff noted some parcels fall within the airport land-use compatibility zone and will need to meet FAA-related development requirements at site plan review. - Bill 25-28: Rezoned a mixed-use parcel to single-family residential R-1 in County Council District 8; council approved the ordinance. - Bill 25-29: Amendment related to special-exception permitting; council approved.

Council also combined and approved multiple second- and third-reading items in groups during the meeting; the record shows combined approvals for several bills (second-reading group including bills 25-15, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20 and 25-21; third-reading group including bills 25-08, 25-09, 25-10, 25-11 and 25-12).

Planning staff and council discussed cross-access and connectivity expectations for commercial parcels and the role of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) for special exceptions. Staff reminded council that approval of a GC rezoning does not guarantee a special exception for outdoor storage; an applicant must obtain a special exception from the BZA and meet prescribed conditions before developing outdoor storage as a primary use.

Council members asked staff to withhold further readings on the Food Lion rezoning until the TIA is submitted and reviewed. Several rezoning approvals included conditions to verify site-plan compliance with airport-compatibility and other development standards during later permitting stages.

The meeting record contains a mixture of motions and combined votes; roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript for most items, which were passed by voice vote.