Commission backs rezoning of Palmetto Parkway‑adjacent site to Industry General; design overlay removal proposed

The Rock Hill Planning Commission voted to recommend that City Council rezone approximately 215.19 acres including right‑of‑way at 2394 Eaton Terrace from Master Plan Commercial to Industry General (IG) and to remove a Design Overlay District designation from a 4.92‑acre parcel at 280 Mount Gallant Road.

Staff said the city owns the larger site, which is adjacent to the Palmetto Parkway interchange and I‑77, and envisions industrial and commercial development there in the future. Staff recommended IG zoning to make the site more marketable to higher‑paying industrial users and to allow the city to combine and reconfigure parcels without complications caused by having an overlay on only part of a parcel.

Lisa Brown, director of the city’s Economic and Urban Development department, told the commission the rezoning follows the Palmetto Sites process administered by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, a certification program that compiles due‑diligence information to help market sites to prospective employers. “It allows sites to go through a process and do all the due diligence on sites that are valuable upfront,” Brown said, and staff cited the recently completed interchange and planned roadway improvements—including a future three‑lane section and shared‑use paths—as factors that support industrial development.

Commissioners asked whether the city would retain ownership or use deed restrictions or a property‑owners association to control design if parcels are sold; staff said the city has multiple tools—including deed restrictions, property‑owners associations, or targeted parcel rezoning—to preserve design objectives if desired. Commissioners raised that removing the Design Overlay District for the city‑owned parcel could set a precedent for other property owners seeking similar relief; one commissioner said that if the city no longer needs the overlay for its parcel, property owners in the district may request relief as well.

No members of the public signed up to speak for or against the rezoning. After motion, second and brief discussion the commission voted to forward the recommendation to City Council. The commission indicated the item will go to City Council in April for final action.