Planning commission forwards 13.6‑acre Highway 25 West PUD to county with request for traffic study

The Hartsville–Triestale County Planning Commission voted to forward a rezoning and annexation request for 13.6 acres on Highway 25 West with a favorable recommendation and a request that the county commission consider requiring a traffic study before final approval.

Why it matters: The application would rezone the parcel from TR‑2 to TR PUD and annex it into the Urban Service District to allow a single‑story, 80‑unit townhome development. Commissioners pressed the developer and staff about water and road capacity; the commission asked the county to review traffic impacts before the project receives final approval.

Jared Claiborne, a professional engineer with Midtown Engineering, told the commission the site resubmittal includes the revisions requested at the prior meeting and that will‑serve letters from the Marshall Trails Water and Sewer Utility District and Tri County Electric were submitted. “We made all the revisions that we were requested to do,” Claiborne said, noting the utility letters address the proposed density.

Commissioner David, who moved the recommendation, said residents had repeatedly asked why the county keeps approving subdivisions while the system is said to be nearing capacity. Heather, a water‑and‑sewer department official, responded that capacity varies by road and that modeling and the will‑serve letter indicate the utility can meet the proposed demand for this site. Heather said the per‑house peak estimate used in the district’s modeling is what the will‑serve letters reflect.

Traffic safety was a central concern. Commissioner Niles warned that 80 homes could create heavy queuing onto Sulphur College Road at morning peak times. Claiborne and the planning consultant explained that, because this is a planned‑unit development, the preliminary master plan is part of the rezoning record; detailed road design and any required turn lanes would be addressed later and could be informed by a private traffic study. The commission discussed options for how and when the county commission might require an assessment, with staff noting the county legislative body can impose conditions at its readings.

After discussion, the commission voted to send the rezoning and preliminary master plan forward with a favorable recommendation and a request that the county commission consider requiring a traffic study before final approval. The planning commission’s recommendation passed at the meeting level (the chair recorded the motion as carrying unanimously). The transcript records the planning‑commission vote as unanimous; individual member votes were not listed in the record.

Next steps: The county legislative body will consider the rezoning and may decide whether to require a traffic study and, if so, what type (traffic assessment or full traffic‑impact study). The county commission’s determinations, including any conditions, will be made during its legislative review.