Berkeley Co. seeking public comments on draft comprehensive plan

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - Berkeley County wants to hear from its neighbors about how the future of the county could look over the next decade.

Director of Planning and Zoning Alison Simmons said the first draft of the county’s comprehensive plan is the result of around three years of data gathering, touching on 10 key points, including housing, transportation and resiliency.

The draft can be found online on the county’s website, as well as at the administration building and county libraries.

South Carolina law requires counties and cities to draw up a new comprehensive plan every 10 years.

Officials have identified highways 52 and 176 as key areas for transit-oriented development, meaning projects centered around public transportation like bus stops.

The county has also pointed out areas they would like to keep rural and cultural, such as areas near Bonneau and St. Stephen.

“The comprehensive plan is a blueprint that seeks to guide growth,” Simmons said. “We will refer to the comprehensive plan when we receive requests for rezonings, so when we receive a request for rezoning, we will look to the comprehensive plan to make a determination whether that request is compatible and aligned with the comprehensive plan.”

Public comments can be submitted online or in person through March 21 before it heads to the planning commission the following week.

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