Hartsville planning commission moves to expand downtown business district
by JIM FAILE
The Hartsville Planning Commission voted to begin the process of expanding the city�s downtown central business district by rezoning an entire city block adjacent to the existing district and rezoning a smaller area on Railroad Avenue.
�We�re trying to redefine the downtown area to better control its growth and appearance,� said commission member Adam Mathews.
The commission approved a motion to rezone the block bordered by Laurens Avenue on the north, Davis Street on the south, Fifth Street to the west and Fourth Street on the east from M1 (manufacturing or industrial district) to B1 (central business district).
The block is across Laurens Avenue from the Fairfield Inn, Burry Park and Applebee�s Neighborhood Grill & Bar in the former Cargill property.
The motion, which passed on a 3-0, does not itself rezone the property but begins the process for rezoning it and designates what the change will be if approved by Hartsville City Council, said Brenda Kelley, planning and zoning administrator for the City of Hartsville.
The commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed change at its next regular meeting on Aug. 31, Kelley said. That hearing will be advertised and affected property owners will be notified of it in advance, she said. The property owners will have an opportunity to speak at the hearing, Kelley said.
The commission will then vote on whether to recommend the change to city council, she said.
If council approves the change when the proposal comes up for first reading in September, it too will hold a public hearing before a final vote on second reading, which would likely come in October.
Currently, the targeted block includes several businesses on the Fifth Street side, a number of warehouses and a vacant lot.
The change in zoning designation would not require any changes in the current uses or appearance of the properties, Kelley said. �Those properties will be grandfathered in,� she said.
But the B1 zoning designation gives the city greater control over the future use and appearance of properties in the block when and if those uses change and if the appearance of any of the buildings is altered. For example, if a structure on one of the properties were to be remodeled or renovated it would have to comply with B1 standards, Kelley said.
If any of the buildings were destroyed or demolished, any future construction would have to adhere to the city�s downtown design standards applicable to all B1 zoned properties. If one of the affected businesses were to change its signage, that would have to be in keeping with B1 design standards, Kelley said.
The commission considered changing the zoning designation for the block to the less restrictive B2 or B3, business districts less restrictive than B1. Interim City Manager Vern Myers said changing it to B1 would enable the city to better control the appearance of downtown as it grows.
The commission also recommended rezoning property on Railroad Avenue and Chinaberry Street, including Gardner�s Fertilizer & Farm Supplies at 317 Railroad Ave. The panel is recommending that Gardner�s and two adjoining parcels on Railroad be rezoned from their current M1 designation to B1 and that two other properties behind Gardner�s be rezoned from M1 to P1 (professional).
The city will follow the same process for rezoning those properties.