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Commission approves county’s East Montclair Way extension; residents press stormwater concerns
Summary
The Planning Commission approved a sketch plan allowing Florence County to extend East Montclair Way to Freedom Boulevard. County officials said the project is in DOT’s encroachment review and would be funded from county capital project sales tax; nearby residents urged the county to address known stormwater problems before construction.
The Florence City Planning Commission voted to approve a sketch plan for Florence County’s proposal to extend East Montclair Way approximately 650 feet to connect to Freedom Boulevard.
City staff said the county project would widen the right‑of‑way from 50 feet in the neighborhood to 75 feet approaching Freedom Boulevard, provide two 12‑foot travel lanes with a dedicated left‑turn lane and a 12‑foot inbound lane from Freedom Boulevard, and set a post‑construction speed limit of 30 miles per hour. “The street will have sidewalks on both sides. It will have ADA ramps,” staff said. The county will maintain the road and must secure an encroachment permit from the South Carolina Department of Transportation for the connection to Freedom Boulevard.
At public comment, Perry Heckman and another resident raised repeated concerns about existing stormwater runoff that drains behind several properties near Lowe’s and Food Lion and said they fear worsening drainage if the road is built without a known mitigation plan. One resident described an ongoing drainage ditch problem and said prior contacts with county, city and store managers did not solve local flooding.
Kevin Yoakam, Florence County administrator, told the commission the county has discussed the project with DOT for months and that DOT has indicated support for the encroachment‑review process. “This is an exciting project that the county has been talking about for over a year,” Yoakam said, and he told residents the county will follow engineering and stormwater review at subsequent stages and offered to provide contact information for follow‑up. Yoakam also said the project would be funded from county capital project sales tax dollars and that DOT would determine whether a traffic signal will be required in the future.
After staff and county comments, the commission approved the sketch plan on a voice vote. The chair said one person was allowed to speak for and one against during the limited public comment portion; the county and staff reiterated that detailed stormwater and engineering design would be part of later development‑plan review and any DOT encroachment decision.
