Nearly a dozen people spoke out against the rapid pace of residential growth in Camden and Kershaw County during Kershaw County Council’s April 9 meeting. Some talked about the Camden Training Center (CTC), for which a request to annex and rezone the land for the purpose of a more than 350-lot residential development was withdrawn from the city of Camden. Others, however, came to speak about another large residential proposal, this one on a piece of property out in the county bordered by U.S. 1 North, Malvern Hills Road and Beverly Hills Road across from the airport at Woodward Field.
Cindy Titus, who lives near the proposed development, said the number of proposed homes that the developer will be allowed to build per acre would “make a big, negative impact” on her community.
“I’ve heard at this time that the plans are two homes per half-acre,” Titus said. “The type of housing that would be built is more of a starter-home size, which would potentially decrease the value of our homes as (ours) are much bigger in size and higher priced in valuation.
Titus brought up many of the same issues that opponents to the CTC proposal did regarding potential negative impacts on schools, traffic, sewer, and emergency services.
“In order for the development to work with our current sewer system, a pump house would be required to be installed on or near the area in order to handle the outflow of sewage … and the cost would be passed to the taxpayers,” Titus said.
She suggested such costs should be incurred by new homeowners or the builder.
“I would better support a new community that would only allow one home per acre with a minimum of 3,000 square feet with a septic system installed so no additional taxes or fees would be billed out to the county taxpayers,” she said.
Titus asked that any entrances for the proposed development be on U.S. 1 and not Malvern Hills or Beverly Hills roads. She also suggested that certain items, such as buffers, landscaping, and fencing should be required standards when building new communities in the county.
Another area resident, Jessica Hanak Coulter, said she and another neighbor have been area residents for 10 years and 50 years, respectively, and have always “cherished the small, rural feel” of their neighborhood.
“The peace, tranquility and surrounding wildlife are integral to our way of life,” Coulter said. “However, new developments are threatening to disrupt this harmony.”
Coulter said she and her neighbor are not against development, “per se,” but that it should happen responsibly. She said it was “crucial” for the county to mandate whatever is developed to maintain the maximum open space and buffers required in an effort to contribute to residents’ mental and physical health, support the local ecosystem’s biodiversity, and help with climate change mitigation. Like Titus, Coulter also asked for all traffic to enter from and exit onto U.S. 1.
“This will ensure that while our town grows, with time, it also retains its unique charm, which has been home for so many of us for all these years,” she said.
Coulter said the property, at 579 U.S. 1 North, is currently zoned for general development, which she said includes a statement for the “highest and best use” of the land without negatively impacting surrounding land users or resources. She asked what studies have been conducted regarding the development’s impact and if they have not, when will they be conducted prior to approval of the developer’s plans.
Coulter also brought up the possibility of impact fees.
Later in the meeting, council voted, 5-2, with District 1 Councilman Russell Brazell and Vice Chair/District 4 Councilman Jimmy Jones against, to authorize County Administrator Danny Templar to move forward on developing an impact fee ordinance. The impact fees, if instituted, on any new construction — residential or commercial — with exceptions stemming from circumstances such as natural disasters or fires, would include fees to help supplement the county’s solid waste operations.
Brazell objected to any impact fees because he felt they would actually encourage growth while negatively impacting small property owners who wish to build new homes or businesses on their land. He and District 5 Councilman Brant Tomlinson ended up in a heated argument about the potential fees, leading Chairwoman Katie Guinn to intervene and remind them that the night’s vote was only to authorize County Administrator Danny Templar to put an ordinance together for later consideration, not the ordinance itself.
Back during public comments, Coulter submitted a packet that included a petition with the signatures of 400 community members — so far, she pointed out — in opposition to the Malvern Hills development, as well as copies of letters to county staff.
“This is evidence that the community is expressing our need to be considered (about) whether any development will impact our land uses and environmental resources,” she said.
Current Kershaw County Airport Commission Secretary Scott Chambers indicated opposition to the development and said that a presentation could be made to the planning and zoning commission and/or council at a later time as to the potential impacts to the airport.
The first person to speak on April 9 also spoke about a large residential project, but not the one in the Malvern Hills area. Maranda Servoss said an Elgin-based custom home builder is planning to build a subdivision on Holland Road in the Cassatt area. Servoss said she has spoken to state and local archaeologists because Native American and other artifacts have been found on the property. She said she has spoken to Catawba Nation representatives and that they have indicated the area was part of their ancestral homestead.
Servoss asked the county to look into having the developer stop the project at least long enough to be archaeologically assessed. She said the developer has cleared off about 90% of the land, which is located on the south side of Holland Road between Henry Davis Road and where Holland Road meets Providence Road not far from U.S. 1 North.
“Some of the wildlife has been displaced, including the red-headed woodpecker, which is an endangered species,” Servoss said.
She said she has heard the developer wants to build a number of $500,000 homes first, but then sell off the remaining acreage as individual 5-acre lots. She told council the land backs up to a wetland and is very close to Big Pine Tree Creek.
“Please help me; this is something near and dear to my heart and I live right there on Holland Road and I don’t want to be next to a subdivision,” Servoss said. “I’ve lived there for 25 years and I don’t be run off because of a subdivision, either.”
As a possible attempt to deal with such issues, the Kershaw County Planning Commission is calling a special meeting to be held in Kershaw County Council chambers today at 5:30 p.m. to consider an amendment to the county’s zoning and land development regulations that would increase the minimum lot sizes for all residential housing use types (and therefore in all residential zones) from 15,000 square feet to no less than 21,780 feet, or .5 acre. The amendment would also change the method of calculating minimum lot sizes for single-family detached home and multi-family/apartment uses to require the .5-acre minimum and an additional 7,500 square feet of size for each dwelling unit after the first. Any planning commission vote would be to recommend, or not recommend, these amendments for consideration as an ordinance by council.
Early in the April 9 meeting, and shortly after a special recognition of veterans and Guinn’s recent promotion within the S.C. National Guard (see separate story), council voted for the third time to remove consideration of a resolution opposing a project to widen U.S. 521 between I-20 and the Kershaw County/Sumter County line.
District 2 Councilman Sammie Tucker Jr. made the motion, which was seconded by Tomlinson. Jones asked for it to be brought back for consideration yet again at council’s May 14 meeting, to which Tucker agreed. There was no explanation as to why the motion needed to be delayed yet again.
In other business, council:
• recognized the North Central High School weightlifting team on its winning the 2024 AA state championship;
• heard a report on a recent pharmaceutical and illicit drug summit;
• unanimously approved second reading of an ordinance adding two at-large positions on the Kershaw County Clean Community Commission;
• unanimously approved second reading of an ordinance rezoning a property on Mill Creek Trace from R-15 to RD-2;
• unanimously approved second reading of an ordinance rezoning a property on Smyrna Road in Elgin from MRD-1 to RD-2;
• following a very lengthy discussion that included photographs from County Administrator Danny Templar and input from a roadway design consultant for the county, council voted 4-3, with Guinn, Jones and District 1 Councilman Russell Brazell voting against, to approve second reading of an amendment to the county’s zoning and land development regulations referring to a new set of road design standards adopted by the S.C. Department of Transportation that increase require asphalt thicknesses to maintain a road’s 20-year lifespan;
• unanimously approved a resolution updating the county’s policy on when new employees can begin accruing annual leave; and
• on identical 5-2 votes, with Brazell and Jones voting against each time, approved resolutions instituting an employee telecommuting policy and a compressed work schedule policy.
Following these items, council entered the first of two executive sessions to discuss negotiations regarding the proposed purchase of some property. In an unusual move following the executive session, Tomlinson made a motion for Templar to enter into negotiations for the proposed purchase, and even to enter into a contract to make the purchase, but on the condition that the contract include a clause stating it is not legally binding until ratified by a majority of council. Tomlinson’s motion did not include any information about the property or its current owner, its location or the intended purpose for the property.
Guinn stated for the record that Tomlinson’s motion was purposefully vague because “we don’t want to necessarily let any other potential entities involved, to let them know what we’re doing.”
After that executive session, council:
• unanimously voted to have the Wateree River Boat Landing project sent out for bid with the access and parking lot being paved with asphalt;
• learned from Templar that the county’s parks and recreation commission rescheduled its monthly meeting until the following day (April 10) and, therefore, would bring recommendations concerning the Woodward Park project to council’s next meeting on April 23, during which Templar also expects to have cost opinions for improvements to parks in Bethune and Westville;
• also hear from Templar that the county wastewater treatment plant expansion project is on schedule with completion scheduled for June 1, 2026; and
• entered executive session a second time to receive a legal briefing on an economic development matter, with no vote after returning to open session.
