Shelley V. Channell

The public hearing for the Traffic Commission covered several key areas. For the Seventeen Acres location, discussions centered on traffic studies for Sumter Avenue and Hawthorne Lane, sight-distance evaluations at intersections, and speed data which showed a percentage of drivers exceeding the 30 MPH limit. A resident requested tabling a decision to allow the neighborhood to reach a consensus, which the Commission agreed to. For Finley Road, traffic study results indicated a significant percentage of drivers exceeded the 35 MPH limit; staff discussed coordination with SCDOT and the functional classification as a Minor Arterial, which precludes traditional traffic calming. The Commission recommended coordinating with the Police Department for two new traffic studies utilizing a speed trailer to simulate radar speed sign conditions. Regarding Oakland Avenue / Eden Terrace, concerns focused on dangerous U-turns due to narrow road width, despite an existing "No Left Turn" sign. SCDOT presented options including adding "No U-Turn" signage while removing the existing "No Left Turn" sign, or keeping the left-turn restriction and adding "No U-Turn" signage, alongside installing "Yield to Pedestrian" signage. The Commission recommended requesting SCDOT to remove the "No Left-Turn" signage and add "No U-Turn" signage, and to re-evaluate the intersection in late summer. Project updates were provided for numerous infrastructure projects funded primarily by Pennies for Progress, including road widenings, resurfacing efforts across the city, and the Downtown Traffic Management Project featuring an Intelligent Traffic Signal system to mitigate congestion from train blockages.

The meeting convened with the approval of minutes from the February 3, 2026, meeting pending. The public hearing portion focused on four key recommendation items for the City Council. These included three annexation and rezoning petitions: M-2026-01 for property on Celanese Rd. and Riverview Rd. to Community Commercial (CC); M-2026-02 for 71 acres including right-of-way on Albright Road and Blackmon Street to Industry General (IG) and Commercial Industrial (CI); and T-2025-03 to amend Zoning Ordinance standards for the Rural (RU) district, which was deferred from a previous meeting. A fourth public hearing item, T-2026-01, involves amending Zoning Ordinance standards related to Neighborhood Meetings in Chapter 2, which has also been deferred. The agenda concluded with a section for other business concerning continuing education opportunities.

The public hearing addressed several appeals. For Appeal Z-2025-17 concerning a carwash at 4816 Old York Road, the Board discussed the request for a separation reduction from residential buffering requirements and the removal of a previously established noise decibel limit condition. The Board approved both the reduction in required separation and the modification to remove the noise condition, contingent on the addition of a Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) wall to mitigate noise impact. Appeal Z-2026-01, a request for a variance for a carport at 546 Liberty St., was postponed to the February 17, 2026 hearing at the applicant's request. For Appeal Z-2026-02, a variance request for fence locational standards at 290 Greentree Dr. due to unique property terrain challenges including exposed rock, the Board approved the variance based on hardship findings. The meeting concluded with a reminder regarding rules for recusals and an adjournment.

The Planning Commission meeting included a public hearing and recommendation regarding petition M-2025-17, which involved rezoning approximately 13.2 acres on Riverchase Blvd from General Commercial (GC) and Planned Unit Development (PUD) to Master Plan-Commercial (MP-C), involving discussions on extended stay hotel usage and substantial deviations like buffer and variance requests due to site constraints. The Commission also held public hearings and recommended approval for annexing and rezoning approximately 4.4 acres at 540 Mt. Gallant Rd to Industry General (IG). Furthermore, a recommendation was made to approve the rezoning of 3.88 acres on S. Jones Ave from Single Family-5 (SF-5) to Office and Institutional (OI) for a proposed daycare facility, Camp Flight Academy. Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance standards concerning Mobile Food Vendors and Special Event Permits were also recommended for approval. In new business, the 2026 Planning Commission meeting calendar was approved.

Key discussions focused on planning the upcoming Tree Giveaway event scheduled for December 6th, including advertising strategies, scheduling demonstrations, and theme ideas, possibly related to Arbor Day. The commission also discussed the Arbor Day event scheduled for December 5th at Northside Elementary, which includes a classroom presentation. Additionally, the Tree Commission Award recipient, Cynthia Spratley, was voted and approved, and the chairperson was tasked with contacting her as a surprise. The Forester's report for October was summarized.