Planning board recommends second reading for three rezoning requests along Highway 78 and Orangeburg Road

Dorchester County planning staff on March 3 recommended—and the Planning & Development Board unanimously recommended second reading for—three separate rezoning requests affecting about 22.22 acres in the Ridgeville and Somerville corridors.

The requests are: rezoning request No. 926 (Jake Penry) to rezone 13.84 acres on Highway 78 near Ridgeville (TMS 098-00-00-090) from Agricultural Residential (AR) to Commercial Light Industrial (CLI); rezoning request No. 927 (George Tupper III) to rezone 6.26 acres on 754 Orangeburg Road near Somerville (TMS 144-00-00-03-178) from Single‑Family Residential District R‑2 to Neighborhood Commercial (CN); and rezoning request No. 928 (Janet Lieber) to rezone 2.12 acres on Highway 78 near Ridgeville (TMS 098-00-00-240) from AR to CLI.

Planning staff said the Highway 78 parcels sit in an employment/mixed‑use corridor and that the CLI designation is consistent with the county comprehensive plan’s future‑land‑use map and the industrial and commercial pattern already developing in the area. Staff also told the board that applicants provided conceptual site plans and that the projects must still clear technical review for stormwater and transportation before final approvals. The Planning Commission reviewed each case in December and also recommended approval.

At the Orangeburg Road hearing, resident Tommy Fagan urged caution, saying Orangeburg Road is already congested and asking the county not to approve CN rezoning now because CN could permit multifamily uses; he asked the board to consider limiting multifamily so the corridor is not further burdened. Planning staff replied that the existing daycare on one parcel would come into compliance under CN and that portions of the site are in a riparian corridor unlikely to be developed.

Public comment for the Lieber parcel included a representative, Jake Serrano, who said he and owner Roddy Matthews had submitted a conceptual access plan to S.C. Department of Transportation that DOT approved. For the Penry and Lieber properties staff noted access and stormwater requirements will still be subject to technical review.

Each of the three requests received unanimous votes from the Planning & Development Board; the board’s action was a recommendation for second reading before County Council. No ordinance numbers were referenced at the hearing; the actions were recorded as recommendations for second reading on each rezoning application.

Why it matters: the rezones will change allowable uses on parcels along two key corridors—Highway 78 and Orangeburg Road—potentially shifting land from residential/agricultural uses to commercial or light‑industrial uses and bringing some existing businesses into zoning compliance.

Votes at a glance: - Rezoning request No. 926 (Jake Penry), 13.84 acres, AR → CLI: Planning & Development Board recommended second reading; vote: unanimous. - Rezoning request No. 927 (George Tupper III), 6.26 acres, R‑2 → CN (Orangeburg Road): Planning & Development Board recommended second reading; vote: unanimous. Public comment raised concern that CN could permit multifamily development. - Rezoning request No. 928 (Janet Lieber), 2.12 acres, AR → CLI: Planning & Development Board recommended second reading; vote: unanimous.

Next steps: Each rezoning will proceed to County Council for second‑reading consideration and remains subject to technical reviews (stormwater, access, transportation) before final approvals.