Planning commission recommends denial of zoning text amendment to allow private shooting ranges across much of Berkeley County

The Berkeley County Planning Commission on a motion recommended denial of a proposed amendment to §6.4.7 of the county Zoning and Development Standards Ordinance that would create a special‑exception use allowing private firearms and archery ranges in the Agricultural Flex 1 (Flex 1) district. The applicant, Mr. David Clark, president and operator of Cloverfields Sportsman's Club (Clover Fields Bridal Shooting Range), is pursuing the amendment after code enforcement opened a violation for an outdoor firing range on a roughly 6‑acre parcel off Clover Lane.

Commission staff told the panel the proposed change would be generally applicable to any parcel zoned Flex 1 and therefore must be written with clear, enforceable performance standards. Staff said the request “does not conform to the comprehensive plan at this time,” noting many Flex 1 parcels fall in the plan’s rural living designation and that proposed performance standards were not adequate to ensure compatibility with rural residential uses. Staff recommended denial. Staff also pointed commissioners to the existing ordinance text that limits outdoor “shooting range, outdoor” uses to the heavy industrial district and to the county’s process for special exceptions through the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Mr. Clark and other club members told commissioners the range has operated for more than a decade, that members have constructed berms and other sound‑mitigation measures, and that the club maintains liability insurance and range safety procedures. "We've been there for more than 10 years," Clark said during his presentation. He described berm heights and sound‑mitigation work and said membership is capped because of insurance limits.

Opposition from nearby residents was strong and vocal. Several neighbors described persistent noise, proximity to houses and porches, and the quality‑of‑life impact of frequent shooting. "It's extremely noisy and really affects our way of life," said Brian Hannah, who said his property touches the club parcel and offered video recordings into the record. Other neighbors raised safety, liability and buffering concerns and cited a recent USDA tree‑clearing grant on adjacent acreage that they said would reduce natural buffers.

Supporters said the privately run club provides training and family programs and that members have invested in berms and other improvements. "This is an issue of three things: property owner rights for the folks that live out there, Second Amendment rights and Native American rights," said Robert Hayes, treasurer of the Cloverfields club and a former law‑enforcement officer, during public comment.

Commission discussion focused on two central points: whether the proposed use could be written with enforceable performance standards appropriate to the county’s rural living designation, and the scope of impact if Flex 1 were amended (staff noted Flex 1 makes up roughly 80 percent of unincorporated Berkeley County). Commissioners also cited evidence from code enforcement that a notice of violation had been filed and that the department had received written public comment from adjacent landowners.

A motion to approve the text amendment died for lack of a second. A subsequent motion to deny the application was made and seconded; the motion carried, and the commission’s recommendation is denial. The decision is a recommendation only; county council has the final legislative authority. Planning staff said the item will proceed to the land use committee and county council; the next land use committee meeting was announced for March 10.

The applicant may pursue the change through county council if desired. If an ordinance is adopted, the Planning Department reminded the commission and the public that any property owner with Flex 1 zoning would still have to apply for and secure a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals before operating a range.