Zoning and City Planning Principles Under Threat in Clemson?

On Monday night at the City Council meeting, the council members were presented with a decision very similar to the one on Issaqueena Trail-- the decision to up-zone a development site at Freedom Drive near the corner of Hwy 93 and Tiger Boulevard.

The case is unfortunately very similar to the one on Issaqueena Trail, and in some ways it is much worse. Whereas on Issaqueena, the City Planning Commission (and apparently City Council) approved up-zoning by increasing the intensity of use of a commercial property, on Freedom Drive they may approve changing a large residential area to a commercial one for another new shopping center. In both cases, there is no understanding of the nature of neighborhoods and streets--which traditionally have the same uses, or mix of uses, on both sides of the street. In both cases, there is a callous disregard for residents and the physical and social fabric of the city.

The residents and property-owners who spoke against this unexpected change were polite and calm in stating their opinions, but the proposal is really an outrage. As one resident who will be right across the street from the new shopping center put it, 'If this project is approved, I will look at the back of a grocery store when I open my front door. It will practically be in my front yard.'

How can people invest themselves in their homes and neighborhoods when any "under-developed" property is subject to such unforeseen zoning changes?

If Issaqueena Trail and Freedom Drive are a trend, people will lose confidence in the stability of zoning and the idea of city planning in our town. The result will be a town effectively shaped by those who can "buy" a zoning change. This is not really a fair or balanced way to build and shape a city.