Aiken County planners vote against housing density increase for Weeping Willows subdivision

Dede Biles, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

Aug. 19—A request to increase the density of development in the plans for a large subdivision didn't receive a favorable response from the Aiken County Planning Commission on Aug. 18.

The panel voted 3-2 against a motion for approval, with contingencies, of the proposal to build 68 townhomes instead of 32 single-family residences in a section of Weeping Willows.

Vice Chairman Liz Stewart, Mitch Mitchell and William Harris Jr. opposed the motion, and Denise Fulmer and Richard Adams supported it.

Chairman Grace Vance didn't vote.

The Planning Commission met at the Aiken County Government Center.

Bounded by Old Aiken Road and Jefferson Davis Highway/U.S. Highway 1, the nearly 175-acre Weeping Willows site is between North Augusta and Clearwater.

Turner Development LLC, based in Washington, D.C., is heading up the Weeping Willows project.

In addition to single-family homes and townhomes, there will be apartments in the subdivision.

Last October, the Planning Commission unanimously approved, with contingencies, a request to change the zoning designation for the Weeping Willows property from Urban Development to Planned Use District (PUD) Type A.

Then, this past March, the Planning Commission unanimously approved both the preliminary plat (design) for the subdivision and an amendment to the PUD Type A designation.

The Aug. 18 request also involved a PUD Type A amendment.

During a public hearing, two residents of Old Aiken Road expressed concerns. One of their worries was that a higher density of development would increase problems related to traffic such as speeding, littering and congestion.

The Aiken County Planning and Development Department received traffic study results from the Weeping Willow development team Aug. 18 just prior to the Planning Commission's meeting.

They addressed the impact that the PUD Type A amendment approved by the Planning Commission in March would have. But the results didn't provide information about the impact of the PUD Type A amendment that was under consideration Aug. 18, Duke said.

Other action taken by the Planning Commission Aug. 18 included a unanimous vote in favor of extending the preliminary plat approval for The Islands subdivision in the Beech Island area.

There will be 156 lots on 48.63 acres on Sheraton Drive.

JBH Construction Inc. was the applicant

The Planning Commission originally approved the preliminary plat for The Island in 2020.