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Council to consider rezoning and general development plan for ‘The Hive’/Martintown development; second readings set for next meeting
Summary
City staff previewed two linked second-reading ordinances that would rezone about 25.59 acres and approve a broader planned development general plan covering roughly 201.8 acres on West Martintown Road.
City staff told council members they will bring two related second-reading ordinances next week to combine a standalone commercial parcel into a larger planned development and approve the updated general development plan for the greater Martintown site, sometimes referred to in staff comments as “the Hive.”
The first ordinance (2025-07) would rezone about 25.59 acres owned by Hall Martintown LLC from General Commercial to Planned Development. The second ordinance (2025-08) would approve the general development plan for roughly 201.8 acres on the east side of West Martintown Road between Nobcon Avenue and Interstate 20.
Staff said the rezoning is primarily administrative to unify zoning categories inside the larger planned development and does not change the number of houses, density or the structure of the development. City Administrator Jim Clifford summarized the pair as “really two for one”—two separate ordinance actions required to produce one combined planning outcome.
Council members asked for operational details tied to traffic and intersections near the development. Clifford and staff described planned changes to traffic control at the interstate exit and Nobcon/Martintown intersection: the existing ramp signal will be reconfigured to line up with the development entrance; a new traffic signal triggered by a private Parker apartment project (Flamingos River Falls) will be installed at Nobcon and Martintown; and deceleration lanes and a u-turn lane are being prepared at Nobcon to facilitate safer turns for residents in the nearby Savannah Berney area.
Staff emphasized that the Parker apartments will not be allowed a certificate of occupancy for the second phase until the traffic signal is functional, creating a private-sector driver for timely installation. Clifford said the mast arms for the new signal have been ordered and that he expects the light to be functional in the spring, though timing depends on contractor work and coordination with SCDOT.
The ordinances were described as second readings during the study session; no formal council vote was recorded in the transcript. Staff told the council that questions submitted online and raised by council members had been tracked and would be addressed at the official hearing.
Council members and staff discussed traffic mitigation for adjacent neighborhoods (Savannah Berney) and recommended temporary maneuvering via the Nobcon/Martintown u-turn until broader changes are implemented. Staff said additional roadway bump-outs and deceleration lanes will be constructed to support development access.
No final vote outcome was recorded in the study-session transcript; the ordinances are scheduled for council action next week.
