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Possible Ridgeville rezoning raises questions
By Jessica Johnson
Contributing Writer
At a recent planning meeting in Dorchester County, Harvey Brown shared his disdain for a plan that calls for the construction of 2,700 homes and a commercial area around Ridgeville.
Brown, who had 20 seconds in front of the Dorchester County Council’s Planning, Development and Building Committee meeting Sept. 18, quoted environmental advocate Edward Abbey: “Growth for growth’s sake is the ideology of the cancer cell.”
And although the committee held off on a rezoning plan that was requested by Carolina Land Investors of Charleston and Throwerwood LLC, council members did move forward on discussions about sewer improvements and road construction that would one day enable the development of that property and others in the county.
Council member Mike Murphree, who is also the chairman of the public works, property and utilities committee, said council members are trying to lay the framework for growth in the county. The council, he said, needs to add more homes and subdivisions because of bond issues that have growth factored into repayment.
He called it a vicious cycle; the only way out would be to build infrastructure such as sewer systems to bring industry into the county.
“We need to position ourselves with more and more industry, so once we pay off the debt service, we’ve established ourselves with enough industry and jobs to offset long-term needs,” Murphree said.
Census figures show that more than 60% of Dorchester County residents work outside the county. For every dollar of property tax collected on residential property, each household takes back about $1.60 in services. Industrial and commercial entities take about 30 to 65 cents of services for every property tax dollar they pay, Murphree said.
“We want to plan industrial areas to generate a revenue stream that will help us in the long run,” he said.
Calls come into the Dorchester County Economic Development Department from industries inquiring about space along the Interstate 95 corridor in the county, but the conversation often ends when company officials learn that a sewer system is not available.
The county is still playing with the numbers and scenarios but said it could cost $81 million in improvements to bring sewer to the I-95 corridor and complete other promised sewer projects such as providing sewer to the Poplar Grove development, near U.S. Highway 17 and Davison Road. The council committees expect to further explore options at the Oct. 2 joint meeting in St. George.
The council has already decided to move forward with an application to the State Infrastructure Bank to help fund a U.S. Highway 27 bypass around Ridgeville and the Orangeburg loop and to help pay for the projects proposed with the passage of a Dorchester County sales tax for road improvements.
The Highway 27 bypass would avoid having a major roadway go through Ridgeville as U.S. Highway 17A does in Summerville. It may one day alleviate traffic from Carolina Land Investors’ development planned. The firm has requested the rezoning of almost 1,000 acres outside Ridgeville, off Highway 27 and U.S. Highway 78.
About 978 acres would be zoned for single-family homes and 98 acres would be set aside for general commercial use. Currently, the property is zoned absence of control. Developers hope to plat the land for nearly 2,700 homes.
However, the zoning request was held in committee during the Sept. 18 meeting.
Chris Murphy, the planning, development and building committee chairman, said he wanted a development agreement before deciding whether he would allow the rezoning.
“There are a lot of questions I have to have answered,” Murphy said.
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