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Goose Creek council approves annexation for planned mixed-use development off Berkeley Farms Road
Summary
On Oct. 8 the council adopted a second-reading ordinance to annex parcels off Berkeley Farms Road into Goose Creek for a mixed-use planned development. The developer said two of three Planning Commission affordability conditions are in the proposed plan; one proposed increase would make the deal unviable and a nearby tenant urged the council for help.
On Oct. 8 the Goose Creek City Council voted to annex a group of parcels off Berkeley Farms Road into the city, approving the second and final reading of the ordinance and adding amendments that clarify municipal service responsibilities and authorize the mayor to execute agreements. The annexation motion, moved by a council member and seconded, carried on a voice vote.
Andrew Todd Burke, a landscape architect working on the project, described the proposal as a mixed-use planned development that aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan and includes both commercial and residential components. Burke told council that the Planning Commission recommended three conditions focused on affordable housing; two of those conditions are reflected in the developer’s planned development document, but he said a Planning Commission suggestion to increase affordable units from 10% to 20% would “not work for our client” and would render the project financially unviable. "We came to an agreement at the end of our second council workshop," Burke said, adding that the PD text includes the affordability language his client can accept.
At the public hearing, renter and long-term resident Brett Lashney told the council he lives in a modular home on one of the affected parcels and said he has received limited information about how annexation will affect his tenancy and costs. Lashney urged the council for assistance and said he had nowhere to move if the site were redeveloped. "I'm just asking for whatever's gonna happen. Please just have mercy on me," he said.
Mayor Gregory Habib noted the city will review its responsibilities and what it owns in the affected areas and pledged staff follow-up. The ordinance’s adopted amendments add whereas language acknowledging annexation authority under South Carolina law, affirm the City of Goose Creek as the municipal service provider for the parcels, and authorize negotiation and execution of agreements needed to implement services.
