Kershaw County council advances comprehensive plan on second reading amid public corrections and calls for tweaks

Kershaw County Council voted unanimously on Sept. 23 to approve second reading of an updated county comprehensive plan, moving the document closer to final adoption while several residents and commissioners urged additional corrections and clarifications before third reading.

The draft plan, posted earlier than some commenters expected, drew public testimony from residents who said the final draft still contained factual errors and omissions. Linda Knatzer and Diane DeBose asked for corrections to historic references (Knaitzer said the county's polo field is the second‑oldest active facility, not the third) and for more current data than the 2021 statistics used in parts of the draft. Several speakers urged additional language protecting equine uses, tree buffers, solar and wind facility guidelines and clearer zoning language.

Councilman Shoemake, who made the motion for second reading, described the plan as "a living document" and said the county must move forward because the ZLDR rewrite is starting: "We actually have our first ZLDR rewrite committee meeting ... Sept. 30," he said. Council members repeatedly noted that the comprehensive plan provides a policy framework and that detailed regulatory changes will follow through the zoning‑code rewrite process. Councilman Tomlinson explained why 2021 census‑derived data appear in the draft: federal and state data sets used to populate the plan typically reflect 2020 census results published in 2021.

Planning staff told the council the rewrite process began in May 2022, included multiple community meetings and additional workshops in early 2025. The council and planning commission worked through edits after public input, staff said.

Several council members accepted that some textual and graphic corrections could be made before third reading. "If you can get us something to show... it's an easy fix to make on third reading," Shoemake said in response to the historic‑site correction request. Other members emphasized the plan's purpose in guiding, not dictating, future zoning decisions.

The measure passed second reading by unanimous vote and will return for third reading at a later meeting. Council members and staff encouraged residents to continue submitting written comments and promised to post revisions and details of the upcoming ZLDR rewrite process.

Ending: Council members said they will continue to accept specific corrections and refinements before third reading. Staff will post updates and a schedule for the ZLDR rewrite committee, which begins Sept. 30.