COLUMBIA – Richland County Council will hold a public hearing and first reading (vote) Tues., Oct. 27, for a request to rezone 133.75 acres at the intersection of Blythewood Road and Hwy 321 from Agriculture (AG) to Residential (R3).
On Oct. 5, the Richland County Planning Commission recommended that county council approve applicant Luke Boatright’s request to rezone the 133.75-acre property.
Based on a gross density calculation, 802 homes are allowed to be built on this site, not factoring in infrastructure and open space according to the county’s planning staff.
Developers are allowed to build as many as six homes per acre in R3 zoning. The planning commission recommended county council approve the rezoning, even though county officials told The Voice that it is not yet known how many homes are proposed on the property.
County staff wrote in its 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 existing Mixed-Use Activity Center near the site. only a service station at the intersection of Blythewood Road and Hwy 321 and a circle on a map in the Comprehensive Plan where a Mixed-Use Activity Center might exist sometime in the future.
The public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in county council chambers will be the only time the public will be allowed to address council regarding the rezoning. Those who wish to speak for or against the rezoning must arrive a few minutes early to sign up to speak. Council will then take two more votes after the Oct. 27 vote.
The county council chambers are located in the Richland County government building at 2020 Hampton Street in Columbia.