Residents press for protections for Jonesville and Gullah Geechee community; callers urge wetlands buffers, hotel conversions and more transparency

Public comment at the March 26 task force meeting brought community voices that stressed neighborhood preservation, environmental protections and cultural equity.

Multiple Jonesville residents urged the task force to adopt RSF-3 zoning to limit future high-density development, citing traffic, infrastructure limits and loss of tree cover. "We are a working class family-oriented residential neighborhood," one resident said, adding that high-density projects would burden roads and local taxpayers.

Several speakers asked the task force to move proposed hotel-to-workforce-housing conversion provisions out of the "future considerations" column and into active amendments so conversions can proceed under clear code provisions. One attorney and housing advocate said he had drafted framework language and asked staff to prioritize conversion provisions in the remaining amendments to increase workforce housing supply.

Environmental advocates urged stronger wetland delineation, elimination of the "average buffer" calculation and better mapping of wetland lines, noting inconsistent maps and risk to rookeries and nesting birds. A community representative urged the task force to consider the long-term impacts of LMO changes on the Gullah Geechee community’s land and cultural survival, calling for equitable opportunities rather than displacement.

The public comment session also included a heated allegation about town contracts and FOIA practices from one speaker; the accusation was not resolved during the meeting and was presented as the speaker’s claim.

Staff noted the next meeting is April 13 and invited commenters to submit detailed material; the task force did not take immediate policy action during public comment.