Lowcountry legislators are targeting a string of regional annexations with bills to allow more public comment on plans and to prevent land grabs that aren't contiguous.

The latest bill, introduced by Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, and Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island, would give people 30 additional days to offer their input on proposed annexations, extending the public comment period from 30 to 60 days.

The measure was introduced last month as Beaufort officials delayed their annexation plans for 5,000 acres at Clarendon Farms and McLeod Farm to address concerns by the county, school district, other local officials and residents.

"I'm glad they're taking a step back," Pinckney said last week. "A lot of this is happening so quickly that people can't keep up with it."

The bill also would widen the group of people able to challenge the legality of a potential annexation. Currently, only those involved in the annexation, either the governing body or those being annexed, can challenge the annexation. The new language would add municipal residents and those outside of the city or town as people who also could be impacted because of the annexation.

"That's designed to get the public involved," said Rep. Thayer Rivers, D-Ridgeland. "A heck of a lot of interested people get no say at all."

Rivers introduced a House bill in March that would go further, prohibiting municipalities from annexing across rivers, roads, train tracks and other impediments to contiguity.

"We're trying to send a not-so-subtle hint to the municipalities to sit down and think about the impact to the taxpayers," he said.

The Municipal Association of South Carolina opposes Rivers' bill, said Executive Director Howard Duvall, citing the difficulty for a municipality to grow if it can't cross a road.

But he said the association supported legislation in 2000 that limited annexations only to those properties contiguous if not for the impeding river, road, etc. Before that, cities had annexed prize development property by traveling several miles down a road.

"The bottom line is if South Carolina has reasonable annexation laws, we wouldn't have these problems," Duvall said of the past attempts to stretch annexation limits. "When you artificially contain growth, cities get desperate."

This late in the legislative session, either bill is required to receive two-thirds vote from the House or Senate to reach the other side of the Statehouse, likely meaning no action this year. But Rivers said new legislation likely will be introduced next year as concerns over annexation continue.

"If they keep doing this, there will be some severe looks (in 2007) to slow this down or stop it in its tracks," he said.

One proposal that may be introduced would require some annexed areas to remain under the previous unincorporated zoning for a few years until county officials can alter long-term planning to accommodate the new development, Rivers said.

"You've got a very short window to adjust," he said. "The day (developers) get the go ahead, they're going to go."

The legislature also could require the state Department of Transportation to withhold money for new road projects required because of the development from the annexation. Gov. Mark Sanford made a similar request to the Transportation Department following the Port Royal annexation of land south of the Chechessee River in March.