Traffic Dooms Affordable Apartment Plan

GEORGETOWN, SC - Plans for a low-income housing development were rejected Tuesday night, when the Georgetown Planning Commission turned down a developer's requests to approve the Pin Oaks Apartments. Georgetown planning commissioners agreed Tuesday that the streets leading into Pin Oaks Apartments cannot support the amount of traffic the proposed development would generate. The Church Street extension, which would lead into the apartment complex, is not wide enough to meet city regulations, said Commissioner Bob Sizemore.

The road is less than 20 feet wide, and city regulations say it should be more than 24 feet wide, he said. David Christmas, project director for Connelly Developers, said after the meeting he did not know the company's next steps will be. Other concerns were expressed during a public comment section of the Planning Commission meeting.

The city has been unable to provide information on how the property became zoned for multifamily housing, said attorney Bob Moran, who represents some citizens opposing the development. The official zoning map for the city does show the property could be used for multifamily housing, said Planning Commission Chairman Don Glewwe. He said it is not up to the commission to decide how the zoning change was made.

Bill Grant, a professional engineer from Andrews, said the traffic study provided by Connelly Developers is inadequate. "There are a lot of issues on the transportation side that needs to be considered before it is released for construction," he said. Gloria Alston, who lives near the proposed development, said the area lacks streets and sidewalks. "It's really a pretty bad situation," she said. "Right now, people are driving across my yard. If you're adding more units and more people, then we're going to have a real problem."

Resident Rene King also requested that commissioners deny the developer's request. "We believe the location and the density of this development would adversely affect the entire community of Georgetown," he said. "This project would be located in an area with limited access. Even now, the road is already congested and dangerous. There are no sidewalks, and there are large open ditches. It is a dangerous situation."

A judge recently agreed with the Georgetown County Board of Zoning Appeals, which said the development consisted of apartments, not townhomes, and should go through the Planning Commission for approval. Connelly has sued the city over the previous decisions to first issue building permits for the project, then say the permits were unlawful.