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Edgefield County, South Carolina

April 15, 2005


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Property owners say they were left out of process in zoning change request

Edgefielddaily.com
web posted April 15, 2005
Staff reporting
Pictured below is the property on Martintown Road
Edgefield Daily.com photo
Merriwether residents are not happy about the vote by the Edgefield County Planning Commission Thursday night, April 14, for a zoning change request from residential to commercial of the property owned by developer Jay Lacy at the corner of Murrah Road and Martintown Road. The first comment we heard on the matter was, “Oh, that’s just great. He (Lacy) wanted zoning, now he wants it just for us, not him”, said one woman we encountered at a local store who asked that we not use her name.

That seemed to be the general consensus of over a dozen residents we spoke with. All were adamant in saying that the planning commission should not have agreed to the change and most were upset that they were unaware that such a drastic change was given, and more so without notifying the residents it was even under consideration. “Everywhere else around here if they want to change zoning or even consider thinking about it they put up signs telling people. They did this without a word from anyone,” said another resident. “It smells if you ask me, “ he said. 

Property owners who border Mr. Lacy’s project were less happy with the news. Mr. Ronald Smith, who owns bordering property on Murrah Road, said he did not know Mr. Lacy had resurrected his plans for commercial development. When asked if he supported the change in zoning he gave a definitive, “Hell no!”  Mr. Smith said he would be attending the council meetings on the matter because, “they need to hear what we have to say.”

The owner of property bordering the project on the other side had similar reactions. She asked her name not be used but stated she was against Mr. Lacy getting the zoning change. She stated that during the last request two years ago they (she and her husband) were not allowed to voice their opinions due to an agreement they had. However, she says that isn’t the case now and she wants to voice her opinion to the county council. 

Her reaction to the change passed on by the planning commission was, “If they are going to rezone this property then they need to rezone everything, everywhere, the whole zoning thing! I’m against it,” she said.

One other effected neighbor stated he would not comment but that council would hear what he had to say. Some said Mr. Lacy was being underhanded in the way he does things and they do not trust his intentions or his goals. 

The vote by the planning commission to allow the measure to proceed does not grant the zoning change. From here the measure is to be introduced to the county council at their next regular meeting, May 3, 2005.

County council can move the measure forward by scheduling a public hearing on the matter. At that time there must be a 15 day notice posted in the local media announcing the public hearing with date and time. After holding the pubic hearing council may then bring the issue up as an agenda item at the next meeting where it can find several fates. It can, as it did in April of 2002, die for a lack of a motion for a vote or it can receive a motion and not a second and also die. If a motion and a second are received it moves for a full vote of council which can either pass or reject the measure. 

If rejected Mr. Lacy cannot seek to reintroduce the measure for at least one year.

Related article:
Planning commission OK's zoning change for developer in Merriwether
Related opinion
The Wizard
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