Edgefield planners recommend approval for proposed Racer gas station at Edgefield Road and Betts Academy Extension

The Edgefield County Planning Commission on Dec. 12 recommended approval of a preliminary plan for a gas station and convenience store proposed for the corner of Edgefield Road and Betts Academy Extension.

The recommendation came after planning staff and attendees discussed site layout, stormwater handling and access. Commission members voted by a hand vote to approve the planning committee’s recommendation; no roll-call tally was stated during the meeting.

Planning staff said the parcels (listed in meeting materials with parcel numbers) are in GC zoning, which the staff memo says allows retail uses including gas service stations and liquor stores. The site plan shown to the commission indicates two side entrances and a single entrance on Edgefield Road. Staff described a revised stormwater plan that replaced a deep retention pond with a shallower, mowable detention area screened by shrubs along the roadway.

“My name is Hardeep Singh, and I’m one of the business owners that’s gonna be building a station here,” Hardeep Singh said. “We intend to build a gas station that will also be serving food along with it. … Hopefully employ at least 15, 20 local members to help us run the facility.”

An engineer with Cranston, Lance Chewy, told the commission he could not confirm at the time whether the store would include full food-service equipment requiring a grease trap. “I don’t believe there’ll be any food service at this location,” Chewy said, reflecting the uncertainty in the engineering review; the applicant later described plans for retail food sales.

Commissioners and members of the public also asked about traffic and whether the nearby signal or median would need changes. A staff speaker said any required turn lanes or other pavement changes would be addressed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation as part of the permitting process. “If they need to put in a turn lane or whatever, that would be something that they would address with DOT and then DOT would require that from them,” the staff member said.

Other details discussed included proposed hours of operation, branding and fueling options. The applicant said the proposed hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and that the operation would be independent initially but could negotiate franchise branding or supplier agreements in the future. The applicant also said the site design may include a larger fueling lane to accommodate trucks if space allows.

After commissioners said the packet met the criteria for preliminary approval, a motion to recommend approval was made and seconded; the motion passed by hand vote. The commission did not provide a roll-call vote or numerical tally in the meeting record. The item will proceed to the commission’s regular meeting process as the county’s permitting and DOT reviews continue.

Documents and staff memos cited in the meeting list the applicant as H&S Sale Company LLC and reference the project in meeting materials as the RACER gas station (project name in the packet: RACER Gas Station).