WHEREAS, In 2013, Richland County Council (the “Council”) directed the Richland County Planning Department (the “Planning Department”) to undertake an update to Richland County’s Comprehensive Plan (the “Comprehensive Plan”), which is the official document used to guide and shape future growth in Richland County, South Carolina; and

WHEREAS, Upon receipt of the Council’s directive, the Planning Department held three rounds of public meetings to receive public input regarding the Comprehensive Plan; and

WHEREAS, Following the public meetings, the Planning Department presented a draft of the Comprehensive Plan to the Council in early 2015; and

WHEREAS, The Comprehensive Plan was formally adopted by the Council on March 17, 2015 and is publicly viewable at https://bit.ly/2XLwYrw; and

WHEREAS, The portion of the Comprehensive Plan pertaining to the Northwest Planning Area is found on pages 54 and 55 of the Comprehensive Plan; and

WHEREAS, The “Future Land Use & Priority Investment Areas” map found on page 55 of the Comprehensive Plan indicates that the entire northwestern corner of Richland County—north of Interstate 26 and west of Freshly Mill Road—is designated for future use either as “Rural” or “Rural (Large Lot)”; and

WHEREAS, Consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, the parcels of property located at the northwestern corner of Broad River Road and Freshly Mill Road—TMS Nos. R01700-04-36, R01700-04-61, and R1700-04-39—collectively comprising approximately 29.8 acres, are presently within the RU (Rural) zoning district; and

WHEREAS, An application has been submitted to the Planning Department requesting that the parcels of property bearing TMS Nos. R01700-04-36 and R01700-04-61 be rezoned into the GC (General Commercial) zoning district (Case No. 19-047MA); and

WHEREAS, An application has been submitted to the Planning Department requesting that the parcel of property bearing TMS No. R01700-04-39 be rezoned into the RM-HD (Residential, Multi-Family, High Density) zoning district (Case No. 19-046MA); and

WHEREAS, Case No. 19-047MA and Case No. 19-046MA (collectively, the “Applications”) are currently, or will soon be, under consideration by the Planning Department, the Richland County Planning Commission (the “Planning Commission”), and the Council; and

WHEREAS, The zoning changes requested by the Applications are inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

NOW THEREFORE, the undersigned hereby express our opposition to the Applications and respectfully request that the Planning Department, the Planning Commission, and the Council reject the Applications and maintain the parcels of property bearing TMS Nos. R01700-04-36, R01700-04-61, and R1700-04-39 within zoning districts that are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.