WINNSBORO – After nearly an hour of discussion and questioning, the Fairfield County Planning Commission tabled a request to rezone approximately 462.5 acres of county-owned property at the intersection of Peach Road and Devil’s Racetrack Road from Rural Residential (RD-1) to Industrial (I-1), delaying a recommendation that will eventually go before Fairfield County Council for a final decision.
The planning commission does not approve or deny rezoning requests. Its role is to make a recommendation to county council, which has the final authority on the matter.
The rezoning request, heard by the commission on May 26, is part of Fairfield County’s long-term plan to develop a new county-owned industrial park on the site. Planning Director Joseph Toledo told commissioners the property is identified in the county’s comprehensive plan for industrial and low-density residential development and that staff recommended approval of the rezoning request.
County Economic Development Director Ann Broadwater argued that the county needs additional industrial property because Fairfield Commerce Center is nearing capacity and faces infrastructure limitations, including three failed bridges.
“We’re excited to have this property to market to companies that would love to be in Fairfield County, generating revenue, creating jobs, and making things better for everyone all around,” Broadwater said.
Broadwater said interest from manufacturers and suppliers has increased since Scout Motors announced its nearby investment, but Fairfield County has a limited inventory of industrial sites ready for development. She said the county spent years assembling the property and recently secured a South Carolina Department of Commerce grant to acquire the remaining acreage.
According to Broadwater, the site already has significant infrastructure advantages, including access to water, natural gas, electricity and the county’s expanding wastewater system.
“The county has put a lot into it in terms of developing the design plan and all of that,” she said. “Most of it, the majority of it has been supported through grants.”
Commissioner Christopher Pullen was the strongest critic of the proposal.
Pullen, who said he works at Walter B. Brown Industrial Park and is familiar with the area, questioned whether the county is making the best use of taxpayer resources and raised concerns about industrial development near existing homes.
“I’ve gotten a couple calls,” he said. “We’re sitting on a megasite. We’re sitting on all the other properties that Fairfield County is trying to selling. And yet we’re acquiring this property now.”
He also questioned why clearing work had already begun on part of the property before the rezoning had been approved.
“It seems presumptuous that we’re using Fairfield County resources, time and money for a property that we haven’t even approved to rezone,” he said. “So now, if we keep it in RD-1, we’ve already cleared out those trees.”
Pullen further questioned whether adequate studies had been conducted regarding traffic impacts, particularly given the nearby EMS station and the volume of truck traffic that industrial development could generate along Peach Road.
Broadwater responded that future industrial tenants would be required to undergo traffic and permitting reviews before development could proceed.
Commissioner Ashley Mills challenged the county’s assumptions about the need for additional industrial property and questioned why existing industrially zoned county property remains undeveloped.
“How many acres does the county currently own that is already zoned industrial that is sitting vacant right now?” she asked.
After Broadwater described the limitations of the county’s existing industrial properties, including the 1,500-acre megasite, Mills pressed further.
“So what makes this particular property more desirable?” she asked.
Broadwater replied that unlike other county-owned sites, the Peach Road property has infrastructure either in place or capable of being installed within 12 to 24 months.
Mills also asked why this project would succeed where previous county development efforts have struggled.
“I’ve lived here 30 years,” she said, noting that many previous development proposals never materialized.
Later in the discussion, she voiced concerns about Peach Road’s ability to handle industrial traffic.
“Peach Road cannot handle this,” she said, asking whether roadway impacts had been fully considered.
Fairfield County Project Manager Robert Lathrop supported Broadwater’s presentation by explaining the significance of a new wastewater pump station currently under construction. He said the project will connect a new Winnsboro wastewater source to the site, increasing countywide sewer capacity and potentially supporting future industrial, residential and commercial growth. That source, he said, would provide an extra 500,000 gallons per day of sewer capacity.
However, some sources who work with the county and asked not to be quoted said it’s doubtful that 500,000 gpd of sewer capacity could provide all the sewer needed for industrial, residential, and commercial.
Lathrop also pointed to the eventual Broad River sewer plant to provide more sewer capacity.
That plant, according to county officials, will be completed in four years, but officials outside the county say the design has not yet been started and that the more likely completion date is five years away, and that the cost, at this point, sits at about $100,000,000.
“So with Broad River and the Winnsboro connector, we’ll have 4 million [gallons per day] in capacity that can be served,” he said. “Not only is this going to bring in industrial clients, but also more housing, commercial and business as well.”
During public comment, Michael Mannis, whose family owns property adjacent to the proposed industrial park, said he was not necessarily opposed to development but urged the county to require substantially larger natural buffers between industrial buildings and neighboring rural properties.
“If this goes forward … make it a nice outcome,” Mannis said. “Leave those woods around, and let’s make a 150- foot to 200-foot buffer of natural vegetation.”
As discussion wound down, even Commissioner Mike Watson, who ultimately supported the rezoning, acknowledged the concerns raised by nearby property owners.
“I’ve got property. I wouldn’t want somebody sticking an industrial park next to it either,” Watson said.
He then made a motion to recommend that county council approve the rezoning request.
There was no second to Watson’s motion.
According to Robert’s Rules of Order, when a motion that requires a second does not receive one, the motion dies and is not considered by the assembly. When there is no second, the motion never makes it to the floor and cannot be voted on.
That did not happen. After the call for a second and a long silent pause by council members, Fairfield County Community Director Joseph Toledo interrupted, suggesting another option.
“Another option is to table it as well,” Toledo told commissioners. “If you guys want to get more information on it. That’s another option.”
“Tabling” (technically to lay on the table) is a procedural motion used to set aside pending business. According to Robert’s Rules, a motion that does not legally exist on the floor cannot be tabled.
Commissioners appeared uncertain about whether they wanted to postpone the matter but followed Toledo’s suggestion and ultimately voted 5-1 to table it. Watson voted against tabling it.
Toledo said he does not know when the rezoning request would be scheduled again, noting that county council’s upcoming agenda will likely be dominated by a budget workshop.