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Sumter County council defers rezoning for 425 Myrtle Beach Highway after resident opposition
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Summary
Sumter County Council deferred second-reading of a rezoning request for a 37.39-acre parcel at 425 Myrtle Beach Highway after residents raised concerns about traffic, retail access, lot sizes and lack of common spaces; the developer will meet with residents before Jan. 28, 2025.
Sumter County Council unanimously voted on Jan. 14, 2025 to defer action on a rezoning request for a 37.39-acre parcel at 425 Myrtle Beach Highway after neighbors objected to the proposal.
Planning Director Helen Roodman told the council the applicant, JT Stephenson of Peachtree Rock, LLC, through representative Tony Newman, seeks to rezone the site from Light Industrial-Warehouse (LI-W) to Residential-6 (R-6) to build a 111-unit single-family neighborhood. Roodman said development density would depend on access to public sewer and that the developer is pursuing City of Sumter sewer access at the developer’s expense without annexation.
During the public hearing three residents—Eugene Baten, Sandra Ruff and John Davis—spoke in opposition, citing concerns about retail access, an increase in traffic, a potential rise in crime, small lot sizes and a lack of common spaces or a neighborhood park. Councilwoman Vivian Fleming McGhaney said the plan should include a park or community center rather than using all lots for housing.
Several council members pressed Tony Newman for more detail about density, lot sizes, traffic mitigation and community amenities. Councilman Charles T. Edens said he would oppose the rezoning if it relied on a single Wellington Road access point; Planning Director Roodman explained that fire code requires two access points for subdivisions over 30 lots but only one access could be on Myrtle Beach Highway in the current layout.
Councilwoman McGhaney moved to defer second reading so the developer could meet with Sherwood Forest residents who spoke in opposition; Councilman Carlton B. Washington seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. Councilwoman Tasha Gardner-Greene volunteered to organize the meeting between the developer and concerned residents before the next Council meeting on Jan. 28, 2025.
The planning packet notes the property is heavily wooded and that, if rezoned and developed, the Planning Commission would work with the developer to preserve mature trees and buffering. The deferral pauses any formal action while staff, the developer and neighborhood residents seek to resolve outstanding concerns.