Residents urge denial as Greenville County Planning Commission reopens Owens Glen approval

The Greenville County Planning Commission voted to reconsider its 2024 preliminary approval of Owens Glen after County Council asked the commission to take another look.

At the start of the discussion the chair said counsel recommended the commission consider reconsideration; commissioners moved and seconded a motion to reopen the prior approval. Staff had described Owens Glen (PP2024109) as a rural-conservation preliminary plan proposing 288 lots on 121.41 acres, with access from North Flat Rock Road and Owens Road and conditions recommended for floodplain confirmation, left-turn lanes and traffic improvements to be installed after 40 lots are recorded.

Amy McCord, who said she spoke for “a large group of Greenville County residents,” told the commission the crux of the community’s objection was density and safety. “The 2024 plan approved 2.38 homes per acre in an area designated rural by both the Greenville County comprehensive plan and the Piedmont area plans,” she said, arguing that the plan conflicted with local policy and that Flat Rock Road’s narrow width and lack of shoulders made the area unsafe for the additional traffic the subdivision would generate. McCord said nearly 1,000 residents had signed a petition opposing the development and urged commissioners to withdraw or deny the plan.

Other neighbors echoed concerns over loss of rural character and impacts to existing homesteads. Kathy Waglodalski said she owns 15.7 acres adjacent to the site and that approval would leave her property surrounded on three sides by the subdivision.

The developer’s representative, Al Seeball of Four Star, told the commission he would not offer comment before the board because an appeal had been filed in circuit court; he said his silence should not be interpreted as agreement or waiver of rights.

Commissioners debated whether the pending appeal affected their ability to act; staff noted the appeal had been filed but not served. Members also discussed statutory standards. The enabling statute cited repeatedly in the meeting was described in the record as the South Carolina enabling provision for county regulation of land development (transcript reference to section 6‑29‑11‑20), which commissioners invoked when weighing public safety, transportation access and plan consistency.

The transcript documents commission motions and voice voting during the reconsideration and subsequent denial discussion; the record shows commissioners used the authority provided by law to reopen and evaluate the existing approval. The commission’s further action on the Owens Glen preliminary plan (final disposition) is tied to the reconsideration process reflected in tonight’s record and, where applicable, may be affected by the separate court appeal.

What happens next: the commission’s reconsideration keeps the Owens Glen matter active on the commission’s docket; pending legal processes and any subsequent motions or written orders will determine whether the prior 2024 approval remains in effect or is withdrawn or denied.