Berkeley County planning commission delays decision on Eastport 40 industrial PD after residents raise traffic, wetlands and buffer concerns

Planning commissioners on the Berkeley County Planning Commission voted to defer action on a rezoning request from Eastport 40 LLC — a proposal calling itself the Berkeley Commerce Park — after lengthy discussion about buffers, wetlands, traffic and community outreach.

The commission’s formal motion to postpone the item until the next monthly meeting was made by Commissioner Sonnet and seconded by Commissioner Hoover; the motion carried without a recorded roll-call tally. The item was deferred so the applicant can hold an additional community meeting and incorporate more feedback before the commission issues a recommendation to County Council, which has final authority on rezoning.

The developer’s draft park plan would rezone about 53.87 acres along Jedburgh Road from Agricultural Flex 1 (Flex 1) to a Planned Development Industrial Park (PD-IP). Staff said the conceptual layout shows six buildings totaling roughly 444,560 square feet (applicant-provided figure) with allowed uses excluding heavy manufacturing, mining and concrete plants. The PD text proposes a 100-foot minimum buffer adjacent to residentially zoned…