Dorchester County Council is considering a proposal that would eliminate large portions of the Ashley River Historic Overlay (ARHO) District – and remove many of the safeguards that protect this important area from incompatible growth and development. Dorchester County Council’s Planning, Development and Building Committee will hold a public hearing on this proposal on Monday, November 2, 2015, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Human Services Building, 500 North Main Street (use Cedar Street entrance), in Summerville. Please attend this meeting and speak about the importance of leaving the ARHO intact!
Planning, Development and Building Committee
November 2, 2015 at 6:00 PM
Human Services Building, County Council Chambers
500 N. Main Street, Suite 2
Summerville, South Carolina 29483
Click here for the agenda to this meeting.
Immediately following the 6:00 PM meeting of the Planning, Development and Building Committee meeting, Chairwoman Duncan will present information on the public hearing and recommendation to the full County Council. The County Council meeting will start at 7:00 PM and an agenda can be found here.
Talking Points:
- For more than 300 years, the scenic Ashley River Historic District has been, and continues to be, of critical importance in the history, quality of life, and economic well-being of Dorchester County and South Carolina as a whole.
- In 2007 Dorchester County Council, after two years of public input from residents, landowners, preservation and conservation groups, and community leaders, created the Ashley River Historic Overlay (ARHO) District, with the intent of promoting responsible development and mitigating the effects of new construction within the district.
- These protections were created in an effort to preserve this area for future generations, with the primary goals of:
- Safeguarding the local heritage, natural beauty, and economic and recreational resources;
- Conserving wildlife habitat; and
- Protecting water quality and marine nursery resources
- Under Councilman Hearn’s proposal, these areas would revert to Absence of Control zoning, which could pave the way for substantial increases in residential and commercial development in this pristine rural area.
- We support keeping the Ashley River Historic Overlay District intact in its entirety and oppose any proposal to eliminate portions of it.
Thank you for your continued support.