Residents oppose rezoning for proposed Meadowood swim school; committee holds request and directs staff to draft zoning amendment

The Business and Development Services Committee of the Mauldin City Council held a request to rezone a 1.45-acre parcel at the intersection of New Neely Ferry Road and Meadowood Drive and directed staff to draft a text amendment to allow the proposed indoor swim school in the existing OD (office) district.

The proposal before the committee would have rezoned the site from OD to C-2 to allow development of an indoor swim school offering 30-minute, one-on-one lessons. At the committee meeting, staff reported the applicant expects initial operations to run roughly 2–7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturdays, with about five simultaneous one-on-one lessons per 30-minute session at start-up and capacity to grow to about ten such lessons per session.

Staff member David Deerhog, presenting the item, said the proposed swim school “appears to be consistent with the level of intensity of other uses that are typically allowed in the OD District” and told committee members that the use would likely generate fewer peak-hour trips than other uses already allowed in OD, such as banks, day cares and small offices. Deerhog noted the parcel is designated in the comprehensive…