Resident urges 100-foot riparian buffer for Kiwi River frontage amid proposed Lake Hartwell development

Karl Dieter, a resident who spoke during the public-comment portion of the Oconee County Planning Commission meeting, urged commissioners to recommend that the county require a 100-foot riparian buffer along the Kiwi River/Lake Hartwell frontage.

"I'm asking the planning commission to propose to the county the implementation of a 100-foot riparian buffer zone" between the Army Corps of Engineers property line and the proposed development, Dieter said. He said the buffer would protect riparian habitat, enhance water quality and preserve scenic views along an approximately 6.5-mile section he described as largely unspoiled.

Dieter said the project (identified in his remarks as Greenhouse Development LLC) is proposed for the corridor between Route 130 and the Kiwi River, extending from the Little River to about three-quarters of a mile south of Holder's Landing. In his comments he said the developers have discussed preserving trees and green space and have proposed a marina; Dieter raised concern about traffic and recreational impacts from a development he said could include about 1,900 homes with roughly 111 lakefront lots.

He referenced studies and policies from nearby counties and Clemson University and submitted a written white paper and a Pickens County benefits list for the record. "I would like to submit for the record ... a white paper that I wrote up," he told commissioners.

The remarks were received during public comment; commissioners did not take action on a buffer requirement at the meeting and referred development-specific policy questions to staff and future ordinance revisions.

What happens next: Commissioners and staff will continue legal and drafting work on Chapter 38; any formal buffer requirement or regulation would require ordinance language and future votes before becoming binding.