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Meeting recap · September 23, 2025

Council passes second reading of the 2025-2035 Comprehensive Plan

The Council approved the second reading of the updated comprehensive plan, a document intended to guide the county's growth and land use policy for the next decade. While members acknowledged the need for technical corrections regarding historical sites and infrastructure data, they emphasized the plan is a living document that can be refined through future code updates.

4 votes4 passed1 split
The vote behind the headline

Comprehensive Plan Update (2nd Reading):

   Unanimous · 7-0
▸ detailsless
How they voted - unanimous
✓ Ben Connell✓ Brant Tomlinson✓ Danny Catoe✓ Derek Shoemake✓ Jimmy Jones✓ Russell Brazell✓ Sammie Tucker Jr.

PASSED (Unanimous). The plan establishes a vision for future growth, though council members noted it requires further technical refinement before the final reading

Votes at a glance ▸ showhide

Multi-County Business Park with Lee County (2nd Reading): Jobs & economyDevelopmentParks & rec

   Unanimous · 7-0
▸ detailsless
How they voted - unanimous
✓ Ben Connell✓ Brant Tomlinson✓ Danny Catoe✓ Derek Shoemake✓ Jimmy Jones✓ Russell Brazell✓ Sammie Tucker Jr.

PASSED (Unanimous). This update adds Project NAM to the joint business park to support economic development

Comprehensive Plan Update (2nd Reading):

   Unanimous · 7-0
▸ detailsless
How they voted - unanimous
✓ Ben Connell✓ Brant Tomlinson✓ Danny Catoe✓ Derek Shoemake✓ Jimmy Jones✓ Russell Brazell✓ Sammie Tucker Jr.

PASSED (Unanimous). The plan establishes a vision for future growth, though council members noted it requires further technical refinement before the final reading

Zoning Map Amendment for 1306 Skyview Drive (1st Reading): DevelopmentHousing

   Unanimous · 7-0
▸ detailsless
How they voted - unanimous
✓ Ben Connell✓ Brant Tomlinson✓ Danny Catoe✓ Derek Shoemake✓ Jimmy Jones✓ Russell Brazell✓ Sammie Tucker Jr.

PASSED (Unanimous). This allows a church to rezone a 0.50-acre parcel from residential to business to support community and homeless outreach services

Unified Code of Zoning and Land Development Regulations Text Amendments (3rd Reading): Development

     Yes 6 · No 1
▸ detailsless
How they voted
✓ Derek Shoemake✓ Sammie Tucker Jr.✓ Russell Brazell✓ Ben Connell✓ Danny Catoe✓ Brant Tomlinson✗ Jimmy Jones

PASSED    For 6 · Against 1. This update clarifies procedures and timelines for text amendments and public hearing notices

Discussed, no vote ▸ showhide
  • Data Center Rezoning: Residents and local representatives spoke extensively in public comment to oppose the potential rezoning of a 162-acre site on Park Road for a massive data center. Council members clarified that no data center proposal is currently on the agenda and expressed the need for thorough study regarding environmental, noise, and utility impacts before any such project could be considered.
  • Finance Committee Report: Councilman Tucker provided an update on the county's recreational projects, confirming that the Wateree boat ramp is nearing completion and that all four major recreation projects were funded without increasing millage or issuing new debt.
  • Building Inspection Fees: Council discussed the fee structure for building inspections, emphasizing that the current policy aims to ensure quality control while keeping costs manageable for citizens.
Public comment ▸ showhide

Twelve speakers addressed the Council, with the majority voicing concerns over the proposed data center, citing potential light and noise pollution, water consumption, and energy grid strain.

Other residents urged caution in finalizing the Comprehensive Plan, requesting that staff verify data accuracy regarding road safety, historical site rankings, and utility infrastructure before the third and final reading.

Coming up ▸ showhide
  • Smart Growth Committee Meeting: September 30 at 5:00 p.m.
  • Comprehensive Plan Update (3rd Reading): October 14, 2025.
  • Zoning Map Amendment for 1306 Skyview Drive (2nd Reading): October 14, 2025.

Independent summary, generated from the county's public video, not an official county communication.

How this recap was made: Prepared from the meeting's live-stream transcript and the official agenda packet. The county's official minutes (the verified vote record) will be cross-checked automatically once the county publishes them, often a couple of months later. This is an automated summary written by software (a neural-network summarizer working from the documents above). Rely on the official county record for anything important.