On a 4-2 vote, the Clinton Planning Commission has agreed to recommend to the city council the annexation of 102 acres of vacant land on Hwy 308 into the city limits.
The PC took the action Tuesday night. The zoning designation is proposed as RS2 (the original request was for R3, high-density residential) to accommodate a subdivision where the median home prices are expected to be $375,000 to $500,000.
Executive Construction, out of Columbia, will be acquiring the property from Crown Land Development, LLC. The property is at 1220 Hwy 308 (the highway that connects Clinton to I-385) and it is across the highway from Elvis Pressley Dr.
Adjacent property owner Josh Tallen again expressed his concerns about trespassing onto his land and the safety concerns of his land used for active hunting. He said a subdivision there, at that price point, will take 20 years to build out.
Beverly Wilkes, with Gray Engineering, said the developers expect that build-out to take 6 years, based on Clinton’s location in a growth corridor. She said safety concerns could be addressed with signage, and perhaps not putting walking trails on the backside of the property, but she said the developers will not install a fence (using a natural buffer and a creek, instead).
Wilkes submitted preliminary plans for the development to the City Planning Department.
Commissioners agreed that the proposal fits the outline of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, for land adjacent to the city limits.
The Clinton City Council has final say on all matters related to annexation and zoning.
The PC substantially changed a request for multi-family zoning and annexation of property on Mississippi Drive, a small road near Hwy 72 and Clinton Elementary School. Developers asked for R3 (multi-family) zoning, because the property is adjacent to an existing apartments complex), but commissioners felt that Mississippi Drive is too narrow for a way into and out of the property.
Part of this property “backs up to” NHC Healthcare, located on the Jacobs Highway.
The only person to speak at a public hearing was Nick Nichols, who owns an auto-service business adjacent to the affected property. He said multi-family zoning would be dangerous because of traffic congestion with his business and others, Young World Day Care, Smallwood Apts., and Clinton Elementary School in the area.
The PC rejected the R3 zoning because that area of the city, and the county-area adjoining the city limits, is envisioned for R1 (low-density residential) in the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
The Commission also authorized a house at 500 East Carolina Ave. to come into the City’s historic district overlay, so it could possibly become a Bed-and-Breakfast and/or events venue. The house is across the street from First Presbyterian Church.
Also, through bonded final approval, the PC moved forward 67 lots proposed on 27 acres of the Shell Creek subdivision, on Hwy 76 across from Whitten Center.
