JIPSD Public Hearing Monday, June 9

The James Island Public Service is holding a public hearing on their budget on Monday, June 9 at 6:00 PM at 1739 Signal Point Rd.   The meeting is at 7.

This is the second and final reading of the budget.

Included in the budget is approximately $600,000 to further pursue their plan to move all of their facilities from Signal Point Road to Dills Bluff Road.   They have already spent $55,000 to develop the plans which includes parking garbage trucks immediately behind the homes in Whitehouse Plantation. 

Dills Bluff Road is on the bottom.   Whitehouse Plantation is above and to the right.   Town Center is to the lower left.

  

This plan would require that the Town rezone the property from residential to industrial.   

I strongly oppose that.  

This plan also involves parking sewer trucks and equipment in what is now an area zoned residential.   That would require the Town to rezone the property from residential to commercial or industrial.   

I strongly oppose that.   

Further, the Town's Board of Zoning Appeals would have to provide a special exception to allow for this use.   I am sure that Town's planner would recommend against that, but it would be up to the BZA.   However, that would only happen if Town Council approved a rezoning.

The plan calls for shifting the JIPSD administrative offices in an area now zoned residential.   This would also require a rezoning by the Town.    The plan shows the facility in the front of the property, close to Dills Bluff Road.   It is well away from the residences.    This would be permitted if that portion of the property were rezoned to general office.    I would support that.   

A little more than one acre of the property is zoned commercial.   This is immediately behind Camp Center.   The only use proposed for this area is leased office space.  This proposed use is consistent with the current zoning.  According to Robert Wise, this is supposed to be leased to "other government entities on James Island."   I am open to the Town leasing office space from the JIPSD and sharing meeting rooms.   However, it is past time for including the Town in the planning process for that facility.

Mayor Bill Woolsey

Town of James Island