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Anderson City Council approves PDD annexation for Beltline Connector; 7-1 vote after public comment
Summary
The council voted 7-1 to annex and zone 22 acres near the East West Parkway to a Planned Development District (PDD). The approved PDD allows an 8-acre phase with up to 80 multifamily units, requires a 100-foot green setback and tree-preservation measures, and leaves development of roughly 14 acres to a future public process.
Anderson City Council on first reading approved annexing and zoning about 22 acres along the East West Parkway to a Planned Development District (PDD), with the council voting 7-1 and Mayor Pro Tem Newton opposed.
Planning staff presented the PDD proposal and the applicant’s concept for the northern 22-acre parcel along the Beltline Connector. Planning staff said the PDD document follows the city’s comprehensive-plan guidance for the area, designated in the plan as “mixed residential conservation design.” The PDD splits the parcel into two phases: phase 1 covers about 8 acres and allows up to 80 multifamily units (roughly 10 units per acre); phase 2 covers about 14 acres with no specific development plan at this time and must come back to the planning commission and council for further review.
Planning staff said the PDD requires a 100-foot green setback from the East West Parkway frontage, a minimum of 25 percent open space for phase 1, building setbacks of 25 feet from property lines (100 feet from the parkway), landscaping and tree-preservation measures consistent with the city code, sidewalks and pedestrian connectivity, and a single designated access point from the East West Parkway.
Lee Watson, a resident who identified herself as living outside the city but near the connector, spoke during public comment opposing development along the connector. "We don't need it to be Greenville," Watson said, urging council members to protect the area’s small-town character and resist denser development.
The developer and city staff described design features intended to limit visibility of the buildings from the parkway and to preserve tree cover. The developer’s representative said the topography would largely screen the buildings and noted plans to donate a portion of the greenway to the city and explore a public wildlife-viewing area in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Councilmembers asked about the scope and procedural protections for phase 2. Planning staff said that any change to the phase-2 restrictions in the PDD would require the full public process: referral to the planning commission, a public hearing, and two readings of an ordinance before council. That process, staff said, is the city’s safeguard against unanticipated uses.
The planning commission unanimously recommended approval at its April 15 meeting. After discussion, the council approved the annexation and PDD on a 7-1 vote; Mayor Pro Tem Newton recorded the lone opposition.
Staff and the applicant said additional details for phase 2 will be subject to future public review and a PDD revision when a specific development plan is filed.
