Proposed growth plan nears approval
SUMMERVILLE — Maneuvering over Dorchester County's proposed growth plan moved into the end game Monday with little of the fireworks that marked previous rounds.
Mapping the Future
Read the series by The Post and Courier on tri-county governments' efforts to craft in-depth plans to handle growth.
After two lively public hearings in rural St. George, Monday's action was in Summerville, where residents have been calling for more controls on growth and property-rights advocates have been warning the county not to go too far.
Previous story
Growth plan advances; Groups, council members seek to make changes, published 10/21/08
About a dozen residents spoke at the hearing. Most said they were happy with the latest compromise.
"It puts Dorchester County on the right path," said George McDaniel, a Summerville resident and executive director of Drayton Hall, a historic plantation just outside Dorchester County on S.C. Highway 61.
The proposed comprehensive plan marks wide areas of rural land for low-density development, including the Highway 61 corridor and thousands of acres around Four Hole Swamp west of Summerville.
Summerville Town Councilmen Mike Dawson and Howard Bridgman, both conservationists, said they hope Summerville uses the plan as a model for its own comprehensive plan next year.
Dick Kopfmueller, co-chairman of a coalition that represents almost a dozen neighborhoods along Dorchester Road, also praised the plan but warned that it has no real power unless County Council chooses to follow its recommendations.
The plan contains language designed to make sure growth doesn't get ahead of roads, schools and other services. The plan says developers should pay for the extra services new residents require and that council should consult with the school district before approving development agreements that could bring more children into the schools.
A few residents called for more changes. Joe Cicero, who manages the Kings Inn in Summerville, said the plan threatens efforts to revitalize the town's historic downtown district by putting a proposed train station in a shopping center on U.S. Highway 78.
John Muckenfuss said his family has owned land in the county since before George Washington, and he's concerned that the plan will keep families from being able to build on small tracts of land they inherit.
County Council hopes to give the plan final approval Nov. 17, after one more hearing, Chairman Larry Hargett said. It's likely any proposed amendments would be discussed at that meeting.
