Once again Richland County is in the process of rewriting its zoning ordinances and land development regulations. And, once again, County officials are asking for resident suggestions, touting the process as a way for residents to have input into how the County will grow in the future. Clarion Associates is the facilitator hired by the County to lead this two-year process. They did the most recent rewrite of Beaufort, Rock Hill and Greenville Counties’ plans. On March 27, 2017, I attended one of the initial public meetings held at Longleaf Middle School in our area.
It was quickly clear that this is the same process the County used in 2000 when it was pushing its 20/20 Vision land plan. ‘Let’s get the public involved,’ essentially means let’s lead the residents by the nose to endorse our pre-ordained strategy and then tell them it was all their idea. This process is designed to divide and conquer.
First, give the public a nice 30-minute presentation that makes them feel great about their involvement and then split them up into small, ‘workable’ groups to hear their concerns. While one group doesn’t know what the other group is addressing/suggesting (probably all groups were discussing the same issues), this gives a feeling of individual attention. ‘Great, my concerns are finally being heard and recognized’.
However, this is not my first Richland County rodeo. It’s déjà vu. When the County announces its final plans, they will tell us they are implementing what everyone asked for. But since we were all in small groups and in different meetings, how do we know that’s what everyone wanted? Yes, it’s back to the 20/20 Vision plan of 2000!
These discussions surrounding the plan are a mask for the county to facilitate growth – all kinds and everywhere. While some areas want any kind of growth, others want only residential growth and yet others want primarily industrial growth. For many long-timers in Blythewood, keeping ourselves a sleepy little quasi-rural area 20 minutes from downtown Columbia was our idyllic stance.
The way growth happens is slight to begin with in areas like Blythewood and Ballentine. First, it is a rural-zoned neighborhood, three-quarter acre lots and larger. Then comes rural estates, half-acre lots. Then low density, three lots per acre and up to medium density (five lots per acre). All of a sudden, Hey, let’s throw in some neighborhood commercial, doctor and dentist offices for the convenience of residents – always looking out for our best interest. Next thing we residents ‘need’ will be a grocery store, gas station and pizza place. Then, after this 15-20 year process, rural has turned into suburbia. Long-timers sell out or die off and our once bucolic Blythewood looks like Broad River road in another 20 years.
Development is always about money and power. County Council representatives are financially supported by the power brokers who stand to profit the most by growth. Meanwhile, residents are taxed more and lose our quality of life from that growth.
So don’t be fooled by Richland County’s contention that residents’ concerns are being heeded while putting a new plan in place. The new plan will be the same old plan – growth. One retired county employee, a long-time Blythewood resident, summed it up best saying, “this is just another feel good exercise that won’t change anything, business as usual”.
