Board denies appeal by developer to build truck stop on College Park Road

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A truck stop won’t be added to College Park Road anytime soon. On Tuesday night, the Berkeley County Zoning Appeals board denied an appeal by the developer, who said the county wasn’t fair to deny their request.

A proposal for a Parker’s Kitchen Gas station and truck stop at the corner of College Park Road and Treeland Drive has been getting a lot of pushback.

“This truck stop would be built in Ancrum Swamp,” said Robby Maynor, the Berkeley County project manager for the Coastal Conservation League.”And the project, as proposed, would require filling two acres of wetlands, which are valuable. They store stormwater, process stormwater, purify our water.”

The county previously denied the request for a truck stop, and at Tuesday night’s meeting, the zoning appeals board decided that the county was right to deny the request.

Many people showed up to support the denial, and said it could cause more traffic and issues with flooding.

“If they do 10 acres, that’s going to cause all the water when it rains and everything to back up,” said Tommy Maw who lives in Berkeley County. “And that water backs up to my yard, my house, my neighbor’s house, probably about 13 families on that canal.”

The developer’s attorneys say the county’s definition for a truck stop is vague, and their proposal shouldn’t be classified as one. They claim they have never had the chance to comply with requirements and make changes because of the county’s delays and lack of responses.

Meanwhile, county officials said the project does not meet their requirements and standards.

The developer could decide to re-enter the process and build just a gas station without a truck stop. They said they are still figuring out their next steps.

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