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Sumter County Council approves rezoning requests, clears transit signage amendment
Summary
Sumter County Council granted approval for two rezoning measures and gave first reading to an ordinance amendment permitting transit-related signage, actions officials say will allow a planned residential lot and make way for improved bus-stop wayfinding.
Sumter County Council on April 12 approved multiple land-use measures and advanced a change to the county sign ordinance meant to accommodate public-transit wayfinding and private marketing panels.
Helen Roodman, Sumter County planning director, told council the primary rezoning, RZ-22-02 at 2675 Warehouse Blvd., would reclassify about 17.25 acres (part of Tax Map #223-00-01-008) from Heavy Industrial to Limited Commercial to permit a proposed single-family residence. Roodman said the owner, Drake Brunson, recorded a subdivision plat in 2021 splitting the parent parcel into a 2.0-acre lot and a 17.25-acre tract and noted that Warehouse Blvd. is a private access drive serving nearby industrial lots. The Planning Commission recommended approval; Councilman Artie Baker moved first reading, Vice Chairman James R. Byrd seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Roodman also presented OA-22-07, an amendment to Article 8, Section I of the Sumter County Zoning & Development Standards Ordinance to expressly allow transit-related signage and private marketing panels on private property, public property and within public rights-of-way. Roodman cited the Santee‑Lynches Region Transit Needs Assessment + Framework (2019) and told council that the Santee‑Wateree Regional Transportation Authority (SWRTA) operates seven fixed routes and has a plan to install up to 178 pole-mounted bus-stop signs in the Sumter metro area beginning in 2022. Roodman said a 2019 survey showed 82.6% of respondents rated visible bus stops as “important” or “very important.” The Planning Commission recommended approval; Councilman Baker moved first reading and Councilman Charles T. Edens seconded; the motion carried unanimously.
Council also approved RZ-22-01, a rezoning of a +/-1.77‑acre parcel at 2175 N. Main St. from Neighborhood Commercial to Agricultural Conservation, granting third reading approval after staff and the Planning Commission recommended the change.
Votes at a glance: • RZ-22-02 (2675 Warehouse Blvd.) — first reading approved (mover: Artie Baker; second: James R. Byrd; outcome: unanimous). • OA-22-07 (Article 8 sign ordinance — transit signage) — first reading approved (mover: Artie Baker; second: Charles T. Edens; outcome: unanimous). • RZ-22-01 (2175 N. Main St.) — third reading approved (mover: Artie Baker; second: Charles T. Edens; outcome: unanimous).
Why it matters: The rezoning of the Warehouse Blvd. parcel would allow the owner to pursue a residential use not permitted under the parcel’s prior Heavy Industrial zoning; the sign ordinance amendment is intended to support SWRTA’s planned stop-marking program and clarify that marketing panels associated with transit stops are allowable under county rules.
Council did not identify additional conditions restricting the LC district uses beyond the ordinance’s standard conditional-use process and noted shared private access arrangements for the Warehouse Blvd. properties.
