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Planning commission denies rezoning for 49‑unit townhome project on Old Summerville Road
Summary
Commissioners denied a proposed rezoning of approximately 4.6 acres from R2 to Office Institutional for a 49‑unit townhome development after substantial public opposition and concerns about traffic, access and neighborhood impacts.
Berkeley County Planning Commission on Aug. 26 denied an applicant’s request to rezone roughly 4.6 acres at Old Summerville Road and Varner Street from manufactured residential (R2) to Office Institutional (OI) to permit a 49-unit attached-townhouse development.
Planning staff recommended approval, saying the site lies within a growth-corridor future land-use designation and that OI would serve as a transitional zone between general commercial parcels along nearby arterials and lower-density residential areas. Staff noted the OI district supports multifamily uses at a density of up to 10 units per acre and found the rezoning consistent with the comprehensive plan’s growth-corridor guidance. The applicant said the project would yield 49 attached units (twenty-foot wide footprints, two stories, roughly 1,400 to 1,600 square feet finished) and that the development would be deed-restricted to attached housing and include buffer planting.
More than a dozen residents attended and expressed strong opposition, citing traffic congestion on Highway 17A and Old Somerville Road, limited neighborhood access, school-capacity concerns and the scale of the project adjacent to an existing 30-house neighborhood of largely senior residents. Joanne Reinhart, who said she lives on Barner Street in the nearby neighborhood, said the parcels proposed for rezoning have been residential for decades and that the only vehicular access to the neighborhood runs behind the proposed site. "We absolutely do not need this growth in our neighborhood," Reinhart said. Petition materials introduced at the hearing showed more than 60 signatures opposing the rezoning; commissioners counted 19 people in the room who raised hands to indicate opposition.
The applicant’s team said the development would reduce existing driveway cuts by consolidating access and would connect to water and sewer with a lift station to serve the project. Applicant representatives also said the site sits near other higher-density projects and commercial uses and proposed a 15-foot Type A buffer along the property edge with canopy and understory plantings.
After public comment, Commissioner Blackwell moved to deny the rezoning and Commissioner Gore seconded. The motion to deny carried on a majority vote. Commissioners cited the intensity of public opposition, circulation and access concerns and neighborhood context in their decision. The planning commission’s decision is a recommendation to county council; applicants may pursue appeals or revised proposals and are encouraged to follow the application through county council and to coordinate with local council members and staff on potential alternatives.
