Jessica Ross: We are Saturated With R-3 Zoning. None of Your Constituents Want It.
BLYTHEWOOD – With no discussion among council members, the Richland County Council quickly approved the first reading at Tuesday night’s public hearing for the rezoning of 133 more acres for high-density residential development in the 29016 ZIP code. Council voted 7-1 in favor of the development despite pleas from constituents who appeared at the hearing urging them to vote against the rezoning request.
The property is located near the intersection of Highway 321 and Blythewood Road.
On Oct. 5, the Richland County Planning Commission recommended that County Council approve applicant Luke Bouknight’s request to rezone the 133 acres from Agricultural (AG) zoning to Residential (R-3) zoning. According to county planning staff, the rezoning recently became compliant with the county’s adoption of the rewritten 2025 Comprehensive Plan.
Prior to that, three other AG-zoned properties in the general area came before the Planning Commission and County Council three times and were deemed noncompliant each time. Twice the planning commission recommended denial of R-3 rezoning for nearby properties; however, council voted to approve R-3 in all three non-compliant cases.
“I’m asking you tonight to vote ‘no’ on rezoning this land to R-3,” said Blythewood resident Jessica Ross. “Your constituents have made their voices heard. Residents have repeatedly expressed serious and valid concerns about more proposed high-density developments.
“The Blythewood Town Council recently united in opposition to this and sent a letter to [you] expressing those concerns. When the people are joined by their own town council members, that should carry a lot of weight,” Ross said.
“We are saturated with R-3 zoning. We don’t need any more options. You’ve got to consider the future,” she said. “We are at capacity. The pipeline is overloaded. Think about what that means for traffic flow, emergency access, and the daily lives of our residents. It’s very clear none of your constituents wants this.”
Blythewood Town Councilwoman Trish Hovis also called on council to listen to their constituents.
“Has any of you researched the number of foreclosures, properties going into auction, or the number of housing vacancies in the 29016 zip code?” she asked. “I think that information could really help us understand the housing market before more high-density development is approved.”
Keith Belton, who lives on Blythewood Road, along other residents, raised concerns about inadequate infrastructure, deteriorating roads and overcrowding as well as increasingly poor emergency response times, school capacity and the concentration of growth in one area.
County staff wrote in their comprehensive overview of the rezoning request that the property is compliant with the new Comprehensive Plan because it “is located in proximity to public water and sewer service and a Mixed-Use Activity Center.”
However, there is no Mixed-Use Activity Center existing in proximity to the site, only a service station at the intersection of Blythewood Road and Highway 321 and a circle on a map in the Comprehensive Plan where a Mixed-Use Activity Center might exist sometime in the future.
After the public hearing closed, Councilwoman Gretchen Cooper took issue with the speakers’ assertion that no constituents support the development. Without mentioning any specific support for the development, Cooper said she hears from residents through calls, texts, emails and town hall meetings,
Cooper thanked Bouknight for clarifying the proposal and said it made sense to her She then called on council members to approve the rezoning.
Council voted 9-1 to approve the first of three votes that will be taken on the rezoning request. The next meeting will be held in November, but the public will not be allowed to speak.