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Council approves rezoning and 25-year restrictive covenant for proposed funeral home at 1401 South Finch
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Summary
The Anderson City Council approved Ordinance 26-05 on second reading to rezone 1401 South Finch and five adjacent lots from single-family residential to neighborhood commercial, adopting a restrictive covenant that limits uses on the site for 25 years; the applicant says cremation services will be handled off-site.
Anderson City Council voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance 26-05 on second reading, rezoning 1401 South Finch Street and five associated lots from R-5 single-family residential to NC (neighborhood commercial) and placing a use-restrictive covenant on the parcels to limit future uses.
City staff presented a revised restrictive covenant and legal description, telling council that the primary intended use is a funeral home. "The duration of the use restriction changed from 5 years to 25 years or until such a time that the city modifies or changes its zoning ordinance," said Mr. McKenzie, a city staff member, explaining the principal changes in the draft covenant.
A council member asked whether cremation services would be performed on site; the applicant’s representative, an attorney speaking for the applicant, said cremations would be done off-site and not at the funeral home location in Anderson. Council members also raised traffic and pedestrian-safety concerns for the nearby Hampton, Fan and Cleveland Avenue corridor and asked staff about possible speed-calming measures and crosswalk improvements.
Staff explained that traffic-calming on state-owned roads requires a study and coordination with the South Carolina Department of Transportation and that some measures such as speed humps are often declined by the DOT. The council discussed options including flashing speed signs the city has funded on other state roads.
Council members praised staff and the applicant for working together to reach the covenant terms. A motion to approve the ordinance on second reading carried unanimously; council recorded the approval after a short discussion recognizing the negotiated restrictions and the applicant’s commitment that crematory services will be conducted off-site.
The ordinance was approved on second reading; the restrictive covenant as presented will limit uses on the property for 25 years unless the city later amends its zoning regulations.
