Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lexington County holds public hearing on zoning change for proposed riverfront campground
Summary
At the Feb. 10 Lexington County Council meeting, the council held a public hearing on a zoning map amendment (Ordinance M25-02) for a proposed campground along the river. One in-person speaker, Mark Smyers of the Irma O'Chapin Recreation Commission, described the plan and clarified that while primitive group tent sites are not being pursued, tents on regular sites would be allowed.
Lexington County Council opened a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed zoning map amendment to permit a riverfront campground (identified in packet materials as Ordinance number 25 20, application M25-02).
Mark Smyers, executive director of the Irma O'Chapin Recreation Commission, was the only person to speak in favor in person. Smyers said the project is intended to avoid primitive group tent areas that have drawn conflict at other campgrounds, but emphasized that "tents are going to be allowed" on standard rental sites: "You can rent a typical site and put a tent on it." He said the commission has researched operations and is not trying to recruit group-party camping.
Council staff reported two electronic communications were received on the matter—one in favor and one opposed—and no one signed up to speak in opposition at the hearing. The transcript does not record a final council vote on the zoning amendment; the council recessed for the hearing and reconvened to hear the public comment before returning to other agenda items.
Why it matters: A zoning classification change from R-1 (low-density residential) to R-D (predictive development, per packet notation) would alter allowable land uses along the riverfront, potentially enabling commercial campground operations where only low-density residential uses were previously permitted. The council did not record a final decision in the provided transcript, leaving the amendment’s status unresolved in this meeting record.
What’s next: The council took public comment and noted electronic submissions; the transcript shows the council intended to proceed with further agenda business after the hearing. Any formal action on Ordinance M25-02 is not recorded in the provided segment of the meeting.
