North Augusta council annexes 67.45 acres on Hammond Pond Road amid tree, traffic and infrastructure concerns

The North Augusta City Council voted to annex about 67.45 acres on Hammond Pond Road on second reading on Nov. 17, approving an ordinance that will bring the property into the city and apply R‑14 zoning. The measure passed 4–2 after public comment and an extended council discussion about trees, traffic and infrastructure capacity.

Mayor Brittney S. Williams opened the discussion by noting that the annexation question is limited to whether the city should accept the property; she said detailed development plans, traffic studies and environmental controls would be reviewed later by the planning department and then the planning commission. "At that point is when the developer would have to present what's called a major site plan," Williams said, adding that "the planning commission is the body that will approve the major site plan. It is not going to be the council."

The developer’s representative, Will Caicos, said the proposed lots will be wider and larger than nearby subdivisions, with 75‑foot lots (about 15,000 square feet) and roughly 22 acres—more than 30 percent—reserved as green space. "We're doing 75 foot wide lots, which would make…