Approval on second reading, scheduled Oct. 9, will complete the rezoning.
The proposed zoning of the 16.33 acres, located in Spartanburg County, to RM-2 would allow for multi-family development on the vacant property owned by John T. Patton. The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted a public hearing on Sept. 17 and approved rezoning, 4-0.
The complex is described as Class A apartments and will be built in phases, two buildings at a time with 28 units per building, according to Brian Dillard of The Patton Company, who made the presentation to the commission last week.
The first building will be located near Hwy. 101. The first phase will include amenities and landscaping and grading, according to Patton, will be completed one unit at a time. Landscaping and fencing will buffer the apartments between the roads and highway.
Glenn Pace, Planning and Zoning Coordinator, stated in his report to council, “According to the traffic impact study submitted, the proposed development would generate an estimated 1,290 weekday trips. However when the existing traffic volume as well as the traffic capacity of the surrounding road network is examined, it appears that the proposed development will have minimal if any traffic impact on the road network.”
The Planning and Zoning Commission report indicated The Patton Company’s first project similar to the proposed Greer complex, was built in Roanoke, Va.
In other action:
RESIDENTIAL REZONING APPROVED: Kimberly Backman’s request, on first reading, for her property at 410 N. Main Street to be rezoned from C2 (commercial) to RM-1 (residential, multi-family) was approved, 7-0. Backman told council the property has been in the family for 60 years and used exclusively for residential. The proposed buyer wants to live in the home and the lender requests residential zoning to be in place to process the loan. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval.
HATFIELD BID ACCEPTED: Awarded Hatfield Builders, Inc., the lone bid received, of $50,740 for concrete renovations to the Greer Fire Department’s Hood Road station. An additional cost of $1,360 will be incurred if the additional two inches will need to be excavated to meet the new 8-inch thick aprons.
Councilman Jay Arrowood (District 1) voiced his concern that Hatfield Builders was the only bid returned from 29 notices mailed from the city’s contact list and nine of them returned as “Not Deliverable” or “Unable to Forward”, and one notice was e-mailed. “It’s hard to believe we only had one bid,” Arrowood said.
LANGUAGE AMENDED: Council approved, 7-0, language to amend two sections of the code of ordinances to mirror that in the City Recreation Association, Inc.
CALMING ON HOLD: A resolution to adopt a traffic calming policy was held over for further discussion and possibly a workshop. There is no money budgeted for calming devices in city neighborhoods thus no immediate action was suggested.
City Engineer Don Hollomon presented a wide-ranging conceptual policy that would require too much work to finalize into a document and adopt a resolution.
City Administrator Ed Driggers suggested council meet to discuss the resolution instead of sending individual concerns to Hollomon, the administrator and copied to council members. “We don’t want to make policy by e-mail,” Driggers cautioned.
Mayor Rick Danner halted the 45-minute discussion suggesting holding over the issue for future discussion. “We need some standards,” Danner said. “There’s no matrix to where or how we would construct these calming devices.”
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: “I don’t need one of those big ones (calming devices). I just need a little one to rattle the cars of speeders.”
Councilman Wayne Griffin (District 2)