Cayce council rezones Dunbar Road parcel to RS-4 after neighborhood objections

CAYCE, S.C. — Cayce City Council on Dec. 7 approved Second Reading of Ordinance 2021-18 to rezone 1407 Dunbar Road (TMS#005766-03-006) to RS-4, a single-family residential classification, after residents urged the council to reject the developer’s RG-2 proposal for higher-density duplex units.

Council Member Hunter Sox moved to amend the zoning map to RS-4; Mayor Pro Tem James Jenkins seconded. Council discussed compatibility with the neighborhood’s existing housing stock and the city’s infill development standards, which require foundations, siding and porches to match surrounding homes. The motion passed on a roll call vote with all council members voting yes.

“Council recognized the community’s willingness to come together and meet in the middle to meet housing needs,” Council Member Sox said before the vote, praising staff work on infill guidelines.

Residents who spoke during the public-comment portion told council they feared increased traffic, loss of green space and a rise in rental ownership if the property were developed as duplex townhomes. Martin Alexander, who said he has lived near the Dunbar Road parcel for 36 years, told council he and many neighbors preferred the land be purchased from Lexington School District Two and turned into a park.

“Less than two years ago a builder sold five single-family homes on Poplar Street for $160,000 to $180,000,” Alexander said, arguing single-family homes could be viable. He also said he was told Great Southern Homes intended to build 54 two-story duplex units and that no traffic study had been done yet.

Josh Rabon, engineering consultant for Great Southern Homes, said the developer intends to comply with the city’s infill guidelines and that a traffic study will be conducted when the developer seeks SCDOT encroachment permits. “Great Southern Homes wants to invest in the community and partner with the city,” Rabon said.

City Manager Tracy Hegler and staff emphasized that infill standards adopted nearly two years earlier require new development to be compatible with neighborhood character — for example, elevated foundations rather than slab-on-grade where surrounding houses are raised, and non-vinyl siding such as hardy plank or brick if predominant nearby homes use those materials.

Mayor Elise Partin said she would prefer more green space but noted the school district was not offering to develop the parcel as a park and that the infill rules provide safeguards to maintain long-term neighborhood character. The council’s RS-4 approval sets the zoning parameters for future development; specific site plans and building permits would be subject to the city’s development-review process.

Vote: Ordinance 2021-18 (rezoning 1407 Dunbar Road to RS-4) — Mover: Hunter Sox; Second: James E. Jenkins; Vote: Elise Partin — yes; James E. Jenkins — yes; Phil Carter — yes; Tim James — yes; Hunter Sox — yes. Outcome: approved.