By Bob Wilson

All writers in Op Ed are here to inform and acknowledge issues of importance to our communities, however these writings represent the views and opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Advertiser.

The Council is voting on a plan to limit development in the Sweetwater area that is flawed
because it is based on opinions, pet peeves & targeting a specific area instead of research
& consulting traffic & planning experts. Why 2 ac per lot instead of 3 ac, or 1 ac? Why 50ft
offset instead of 70, or 20 or 10 ac. No adjustment for public water or terrain or large trees
when building on a lot. SC was blessed with many natural resources. One that is
becoming difficult to obtain in a desired location is large tracts of unpopulated land, and
Edgefield has more in a desired location than any other county. The DOT hired the Top
Traffic Engineering Firm to do traffic studies in the five cities impacted by Interstate
Highways. The Area Traffic Study for North Augusta & Augusta area was an outer Belt or
Loop that connected I-20 south of Aiken & south of Augusta. The western section of the
loop was located thru undeveloped tracts crossing Sweetwater Rd west of the Church.
Later Santee Cooper constructed a 20 mile Transmission Line on steel for backup to West
End sub when a tap to a line nearby would serve the same purpose. Interesting that the
Line crosses Sweetwater Rd at the general location proposed by the Area Transportation
Study. Elected officials should carefully weigh the necessity of appeasing one group if it is
damaging another. In this case many, if not most, of the tracts of land losing 50%, or more,
in value have been in the same family for generations; some for over 200 years. Will the
Council reappraise these properties and eliminate the five year payback on AGI property?

If so, will the budget shortfall be made up by cutting services, or raising taxes again?
In the 50’s and 60’s, engineers planned & cited new roads with the county maps showing a
black square for a house, cross for a church, and located the route where there were no
black dots. Now it is an interactive color screen with detailed satellite pictures of
everything, including topography. But the process is the same, avoid the buildings if
possible. This plan will facilitate industrial development because the state Development
Board has employees in other countries to interest companies to locate a plant in SC.
They have maps, multiple plates, with easy access to interstates, airports, hospitals, etc. In
high demand are very large tracts that are underdeveloped. If the development board &
SC are really interested in having a Company locate in an area, County rules & regulations
will not prevent it. Personally, I do not want, or like, development, or industry, in the area. I
really will hate to see the interstate cloverleaf interchange on Sweetwater Rd. I remember
only three homes between what is now called Moore Rd and Sweetwater Church, plus the
old school building that is now a community center.