Plans Are in Place to Ask City of Travelers Rest to Take Land from Greenville County for a Proposed Hotel
Within one week, over 8,000 Greenville citizens have signed a petition protesting a proposal for a massive hotel on Paris Mountain called The Inn at Altamont.
It appears that the developer, The Divine Group, is attempting to circumvent and bypass specific county regulations that protect the land use of Paris Mountain with, as Greenville County Councilman Steve Shaw put it, a “cherry-picking” tactic by seeking annexation into the city of Travelers Rest. This slick yet lawful move would allow their development plans to skirt the land-use protections placed by Greenville County, which has both Greenville and Travelers Rest residents upset.
This would be legal but a controversial tactic, nonetheless. It raises questions about the balance between development and preserving the natural beauty and integrity of Paris Mountain, which was the intent of Greenville County when similar attempts were made years ago on the same property. To many concerned city and county residents, this approach also raises questions about the motives and the nature of the development and anyone who would be for it.
If you know anything about annexation in South Carolina, if this takeover by Travelers Rest happens, who is to say they cannot continue encroaching on Paris Mountain further down Altamont Road as they see fit? Something to carefully consider beyond the hotel issue.
Greenville’s Land Use Protection
Currently, Greenville County’s land use protection laws for Paris Mountain include the Environmentally Sensitive District (ESD-PM) zoning district and the transfer of development rights (TDR) ordinance. These laws are intended to protect the mountain's environment by limiting development and encouraging structures to fit into the landscape. Both of the following are set by the County to preserve the mountain:
ESD-PM zoning district
- Limits single-family residential development to 1.1 dwelling units per acre
- Encourages structures to fit into the natural landscape
TDR ordinance
- Fosters growth in areas best suited to development
- Reduces the previously permitted maximum density for environmental reasons
South Carolina Annexation Laws
The City of Travelers Rest does have avenues to annex property from the county. South Carolina's annexation laws are found in Title 5 (SC Code Sec. 5-3-150) of the South Carolina Code of Laws. Here's a brief overview of the three main methods of annexation in South Carolina:
- 100% Freeholder Petition and Ordinance Method: This method requires the consent of all property owners in the area to be annexed. The property owners must petition the city council, and the council must pass an ordinance approving the annexation.
- 75% Freeholder Petition and Ordinance Method: This method requires the consent of at least 75% of the property owners in the area. Similar to the 100% method, the property owners must petition the city council, and the council must pass an ordinance approving the annexation.
- 25% Elector Petition and Election Method: This method requires signatures from at least 25% of the registered voters in the area to be annexed. After the petition is submitted, an election is held, and a majority vote is needed for the annexation to be approved.
Each method has its own set of procedures and requirements, and the city council must follow these steps to ensure the annexation process is legal and transparent.
Property must be Contiguous for Legal Annexation
In South Carolina, for a city to annex land, the property must be contiguous to the existing municipal boundaries. This means the land being annexed must physically touch land already within the city limits. This requirement is outlined in SC Code Section 5-3-305.
What Travelers Rest City could do is weave through what little land they have from Old Buncombe Road near the intersection of Roe Ford Road, Poinsett Highway, and Old Buncombe Road up the mountain to said property of the proposed hotel. In South Carolina, as long as the annexed land is contiguous (touching other annexed land), they can annex it without the county’s choice.
Using Shoestring Annexation
What is being mulled over is what is called shoestring annexation. Shoestring annexation is a method of annexing land that's only connected to a city by a narrow strip of land. It's also known as a flagpole annexation. It is often used to avoid residential areas.
It has been rumored that the City of Travelers Rest will do what it did in April 2013 when it annexed Furman University and its surrounding area. They shoestring(ed) property following beside Foot Hills Road, as seen in the image below.
They could attempt to do the same thing at the intersection of Roe Ford Road, Poinsett Highway, Old Buncombe Road, and Frontage Road to minimize as much residential property as possible, where owners also get a say in the annexation of their property. See the image below.
Save Paris Mountain
This thwarting tactic by the developer, and the possible support of the City of Travelers Rest, is leaving a bad taste in many residents in the area.
Paris Mountain is not just a treasure of Travelers Rest but also a treasure of Greenville County as a whole – economically, historically, and recreationally. This move would give most Greenville County residents a non-vote by their elected officials on Greenville County Council if Travelers Rest took it by an annexation. Greenville County Councilmen may not be able to help legally or representatively, but they can use their influence by supporting and speaking against it as citizens of the county.
District 20 County Councilman Steve Shaw, representing many in the area, has already stated his opposition earlier by saying, “Nice hotel, but the Wrong Place and the Wrong Way of Doing Things.” (more info)
The reality is that this decision rests entirely with the City of Travelers Rest and the current property owners in Greenville County affected by the annexation. In the coming weeks, they will undoubtedly become the focus of many county and city citizens campaigning behind the slogan “Save Paris Mountain.”
Maybe it is time for those with the power of the vote to remember another time and tested slogan, “Just because you have the power to do something does not always mean it is the right thing to do it.”
