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Sumter County Council grants rezoning, advances NAICS code update and approves property sale
Summary
Council granted first reading to a 26.6-acre rezoning to allow mobile-home development, approved a separate third-reading rezoning to general commercial, and gave first reading to an ordinance to convert SIC references to NAICS codes across the county zoning ordinance; the council also approved a $101,000 sale of 14 Law Range.
Sumter County Council took a series of land-use and ordinance actions during its July 11, 2023 meeting, approving rezoning requests and advancing an overhaul of how the county classifies business uses.
Planning Director Helen Roodman presented RZ-23-10, a first-reading request to rezone a +/-26.60-acre portion of TMS# 249-00-06-007 at 1350 S. Pike E. from Residential-6 (R-6) to General Residential (GR). Roodman told council the applicant, WAFA Investments, LLC represented by A. Paul Weissenstein, Jr., intends to establish or expand a mobile-home park. She noted 2.4 acres of the broader 29-acre parcel were already in GR and warned that water and sewer connection will be instrumental to development, likely requiring a tie to the sewer pressure main and one or more lift stations. "The Residential-6 District and the General Residential District are essentially the same, with the primary exception that mobile homes and mobile home parks can only be established in the General Residential District," Roodman said. Council granted first reading on a unanimous motion.
On the zoning amendment front, Roodman presented OA-22-12, an amendment to replace all Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) references in the county ordinance with North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, update exhibits and remove unused zoning designations. Staff described a crosswalk that matched each of the 250+ permitted and conditional uses in the ordinance to appropriate NAICS codes using U.S. Census Bureau tools and said the change was necessary because NAICS is the current standard for business classification and South Carolina law (Act 176) requires jurisdictions to use NAICS for local business licensing. Roodman said the amendment would also combine Exhibits 4 and 5 into a single use table and make non-substantive revisions for consistency and clarity. Council granted first reading unanimously and Planning Commission recommended approval.
Council also approved RZ-23-11 on third reading, rezoning roughly 9.97 acres at 1449 & 1485 Oswego Highway from Agricultural Conservation (AC) to General Commercial (GC). Roodman said there were no changes since earlier readings; Councilman Artie Baker moved for third reading and Councilman Charles T. Edens seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
In other business, County Attorney Johnathan Bryan presented Ordinance #23-989, authorizing sale of property located at 14 Law Range for $101,000 'as is.' Council approved third reading and adoption on a unanimous vote.
Why it matters: The NAICS conversion is a technical but important modernization that aligns zoning and business licensing with statewide and federal classification systems and may streamline permitting and enforcement. The rezoning approvals move specific development proposals forward, and the property sale clears a county asset for transfer.
Next steps: RZ-23-10 was approved on first reading and will return for additional readings; OA-22-12 must complete subsequent readings before adoption; RZ-23-11 and Ordinance #23-989 were adopted immediately.
Votes at a glance: agenda and minutes approvals; RZ-23-10 first reading — unanimous; OA-22-12 first reading — unanimous; RZ-23-11 third reading/adopted — unanimous; Ordinance #23-989 third reading/adopted — unanimous. All recorded motions in the minutes were carried unanimously by the seven council members present.
