Dorchester County Rural Zoning Workshops

SUMMERVILLE, SC – January 2012 – The Dorchester County Planning Commission, the Planning and Zoning staff, and the BCD Council of Governments invites all citizens of Dorchester County to help prepare the Zoning Ordinance for rural Dorchester County. The Planning Commission is hosting the following series of workshops to give citizens the opportunity to participate in this planning process.

January 9, 2012: Sand Hill UMC, Life Center, Clubhouse
January 10, 2012: Givhans Alternative School, Ridgeville
January 23, 2012: Woodland High School, Dorchester
January 30, 2012: Harleyville-Ridgeville Elementary, Dorchester
January 31, 2012: Reevesville Baptist Church, Reevesville

All Workshops will be held: 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. (For more information, please visit the County’s website or contact the Dorchester County Planning & Zoning office at 832-0020.)

PURPOSE OF WORKSHOPS
In November 2008, Dorchester County Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan, which provides a general “blueprint” for current and future land use. The “Absence of Controls” (AC) zoning district that now applies broadly across rural Dorchester County does not take into account similar property uses, available public utilities, or road access; nor does it put into practice the goals of the Comprehensive Plan, the County’s vision. Those goals include enhancing protection of agricultural and forestry practices from potentially incompatible uses on adjacent lands, as well as preserving the character of the rural areas and communities. The rezoning proposal means rural properties would no longer be zoned “Absence of Controls”, but one of the new designations, such as Base Rural, Crossroads, or Rural Economic Development. To understand what this means for your property or neighborhood, plan to attend any one of the five public workshops. There, citizens and property owners will have the opportunity to view a draft map and materials to learn about the proposed “zone,” or designation for your property. For those who don’t agree with how their property is to be rezoned, forms will be available to explain why another zoning designation is more appropriate. Planners will be available to answer any questions. Following the public workshops, the proposed rezoning will be considered by the Planning Commission in February 2012 before it is forwarded to County Council for Public Hearings to be held in the spring.