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Article published: Dec 22,
2006 Commission
forms Shaw land group
The last act of the City-County Planning
Commission for 2006 was to form a Shaw Protection Committee, which will look
into buying developmental rights around Shaw Air Force Base as a preventative
measure to stave off encroachment, and hopefully BRAC-proof the
base.
Commission Chairman Otis Atkinson asked Commission Vice-Chairman
the Rev. Richard Baxter to chair the committee, which he accepted. Also joining
the committee were commission members Jay Davis, Candace Leggett and David
Durham. Appointed as ex-officio members were developer Louis Tisdale, Shaw Air
Force Base Community Planner Gary Hallmark, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Tom
Olsen of the Sumter Base Defense Committee, and City-County Planning Department
Transportation Coordinator Charlie Holmes. Atkinson said there may be more
ex-officio members added, and they should begin work sometime early next
year.
"I think it's an extremely important thing, and, to prove Louie
(Tisdale) and I are really in agreement on this," Atkinson joked. The idea of
the committee had been talked about for a while, he said, and recent
conversations between Tisdale and himself only strengthened the idea that the
committee's time had come.
Tisdale told the commission that although the
recent ordinance amendments he put forth regarding development in the Military
Protection District were met with resistance, there are plenty of other parties
interested in starting developments in close proximity to the
base.
"They've been pushing to move forward with this," he said. "And I
told them to be patient ... what they've done in Beaufort County was to take a
look at what areas they want to protect from development completely, and so they
passed a millage based on a reasonable appraisal, to look into buying the
development rights — not the land, the land can still be farmed for timber or
whatever — but to keep development from occurring."
Tisdale, who is also
a surveyor, said he would provide maps, layout plans, and any professional
assistance to "put this issue to bed once and for all." He surmised "it can
probably be done for a couple mills a year, over a 10-year period."
A lot
of land surrounding the base used to be farmland, he said, and farming is not
really a viable means of income any more.
"For a relatively modest
investment, you can get these people out of the development business on the ends
of the runways," he said.
Atkinson wondered if federal money would be
available for a study, if a millage increase was the way to go, how much land
would need to be bought, and whose property they were talking about. He also
later noted that there were plenty of unanswered questions, but felt they were
heading in the right direction.
"This may very well be the thing that
keeps the base off the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Committee) list the
next time it comes around," he said.
Prior to the committee's formation,
the commission approved:
Michael Turbeville, representing Long Field Plantation's
request for sketch plan approval for a 48-lot subdivision to be located at Old
Frierson Road and Stamey Livestock Road
Thomasina Portis' request to change the Comprehensive
Plan Map designation from agricultural conservation to residential conservation
for property located in the vicinity of North Kings Highway and West McLester
Road.
Contact Staff Writer Joe Perry at jperry@theitem.com or
(803) 774-1272.
Michael Turbeville, representing Long Field Plantation's
request for sketch plan approval for a 48-lot subdivision to be located at Old
Frierson Road and Stamey Livestock Road