Mobile Home Sales in Cordesville, SC

CORDESVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — A quiet, rural 200 acres of land in Cordesville could be rezoned. But the possible rezoning is causing much debate.

The land is currently being zoned as R-15 -- or one house per acre. But the owner wants to change the zoning to Flex 1, which would allow for more development.

The owner of 200 acres of land in Cordesville says her family does not wish to sell the property, but residents fear urban development could be on its way. (WCIV)

Helen Williams' family owns the 200 acres of land up for rezoning.

"It was rezoned without our knowledge, and we just want it put back into the Flex 1 that it has been since we owned it," said Williams.

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Williams said the land has been a part of her family since before she was born. She said her family does not plan to sell the property.

"We are of course for conservation. We want to see the history of Berkeley County and Cordesville to be upheld and maintained," said Williams.

She said the Cordesville community is a part of her family, and she does not want to change the character of the land.

"We are certainly not for big development, and there has never been an intent to have this property developed. I know people are up in arms about that," said Williams.

But some fear the family is asking for the land to be rezoned in order to sell it.

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"The concern is that there would be suburban development in a traditional rural area, an area that can't support increased development," said Robby Maynor, Berkeley County Project manager for the Coastal Conservation League.

The 200 acres are a part of a larger 1,500 acres that border the Frances Marion National Forest.

"It would be adjacent to Frances Marion National Forest. That is prime wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities. Most importantly, they use prescribed burning to manage the forest, so there would be burning up to the edge of the property line," said Maynor.

The Coastal Conservation League wants to preserve the culture and character of the Berkeley County land.

"This Cooper River corridor is where the independent American economy was born through rice growing," said Maynor.

Monday evening, Berkeley County Council will have the third and final reading on the rezoning.

CORDESVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — A stretch of Highway 402 in Berkeley County is sparking discussion among local council members, residents and the Coastal Conservation League.

It's about 200 acres between Bay Hill Lane and Bellomy Lane that's up for being rezoned. Right now, that space is in a quiet, rural part of the community in Cordesville.

It's under R-15 zoning, which means one house per acre is allotted.

The applicant has requested to switch it to Flex-1 zoning, which Robby Maynor says will allow for two houses per acre.

"Some of these families have two or three kids and they are unable to give their kids an acre so they can build a house on those places," said Councilman Jack Schurlknight.

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Along the two-lane highway, there's only a handful of homes. Maynor, with the Coastal Conservation League, says rezoning could allow about 400 more.

"I’m very big on private property rights – I’m not a pro development, but private property ranks high in my opinion," said Councilman Schurlknight.

The councilman says he'd like to see restrictions in place so historical sites like Biggin Cemetery are preserved.

Maynor would like to see the area stay as is.

"This corridor is really significant for it’s historical resources and those natural resources that a suburban development that would be allowed under this Flex-1 zoning just wouldn’t be appropriate to the area," said Maynor.

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The land is part of a larger 500 acre parcel. He's concerned rezoning could open the door for even more development.

"Having a large kind of suburban style development right there in a rural area at the edge of a historic district would really change the culture of the area and change the character or the route," said Maynor.

The property also shares a line with the Francis Marion National Forest, which uses prescribed burning to maintain it's health -- something Maynor says would be difficult to continue next to a suburban development.

The application has to be read three times before the Land Use Committee of Berkeley County before heading to county council.

Schurlknight says it's looking like it'll be about a three month process, and public input is always welcomed.

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Cane Gully Road is a two-lane road that goes through the Francis Marion National Forest from Macedonia to Cordesville in Berkeley County. Along that road are homes, farms, forests and an Atlantic Building Components facility.

In early 2022, Berkley County Council tabled a request to take 50 acres of the forest and give it to ABC for use in exchange for 80 acres of forest off of Wren Road and Bethera Road. Now, they are moving forward and recommending the swap take place.

For ABC and its employees, this is good news as the construction company grows successfully. But neighbors along Cane Gully are upset at losing their backyard forest to a company.

Nicole Burbage has lived in the area all her life and now has her own home and land very close to where ABC would build a warehouse and storage facility.

“The majority of the people love the fact that they are in the national forests; we can walk to the Palmetto Trail,” Burbage says. “This is definitely one of the only amenities out this direction. And most people who live here moved here because of that fact, because in theory, if your neighbor is the National Forest, you’re somewhat protected from future growth.”

She says while the land swap does actually increase the forest land by a few acres, it is upsetting to see it lost in her neighborhood.

“We saw that it wasn’t just a company growing, but they were taking over public land that we all love,” Burbage says. “And we use as a natural buffer to the plant already. So rather than having a neighbor down the road, we’re going to have a neighbor in our front yard.”

Burbage is one of a few people who spoke before the council at Tuesday night’s meeting against the plan.

An employee for ABC, who grew up in the area but now lives in Hanahan, spoke in favor of the land swap, saying the growth is a good thing for the 39 employees the warehouse will employ.

“While I understand the community’s concerns, I am very thankful for my job, and I know a lot of people who are also thankful for their jobs, so there are a lot of people’s lives who are wrapped up in this as well that need this for our livelihood,” Scott Goodell said.

The National Forestry Commission has also expressed support for the land exchange. In a letter, the organization outlines that forest land close to the development, like the 50 acres on Cane Gully, often loses some of its “National Forest Character.” The commission also noted that the 80 acres on Wren and Bethera protect more wetlands.

In a statement, the commission writes:

The private tracts are more ecologically significant, and the Forest has determined the exchange to be in the public interest.

Still, Burbage says there are other major concerns with allowing industrial growth along Cane Gully, like safety. The speed limit on Cane Gully Road would be reduced from 55 to 35 if the swap is approved by the council. But Burbage says the old two-lane road isn’t built for 18-wheelers and lots of traffic.

“There’s no way to put that other than the fact that they’re rural roads covered in potholes,” Burbage says. And that’s fine, but when you mix it with large loads, oversize loads hanging off the side of the road, you’re looking at that AM traffic where you have buses, moms, high school kids, all on the road with this plant traffic, literally a road running through the middle of an industrial plant.”

Burbage says that she and other residents on Cane Gully are not against the success and growth of businesses like ABC but want to see the growth done right.

“We welcome growth, jobs are always a wonderful thing,” she said. “But putting them in a location that can handle them, a location that has the infrastructure to handle them, the additional people that may be going, the trucks running up and down the road.”

The planning committee is recommending going ahead with the land swap. The recommendation will now go to the county council on July 11.

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BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Thousands of acres of land in Berkeley County could be rezoned because of “possible procedural errors” from the 1990s, but nearby residents, groups, and a historic monastery are fighting the change.

This complex issue began in 1987 when the land was originally zoned as Agricultural (Flex-1). Then, in 1997, 62 parcels of land were rezoned to R-15. According to one landowner, former Congressman Henry Brown whose family has owned over 500 acres in that area since the 1940s, the county did not notify the landowners of the rezoning change. Now, county council is offering the landowners a chance to switch back to the original zoning code Flex-1.

Each landowner has the option to apply for the rezoning with no fee. A press release from Berkeley County Government states the following.

“Berkeley County is working to rezone specific parcels in the Cordesville community to remedy possible procedural errors from the late 1990s. In order to reach this goal, the County’s Planning and Zoning Department is utilizing proper due process and actively engaging with Cordesville property owners.”

Some property owners, including Brown, are pleased with the opportunity as he says the 1997 rezoning was done without his consent or knowledge.

“We’re not asking for any privilege, we’re just wanting our land to be reset to the zoning that was placed on it in 1987,” said Brown.

However, local conservation groups, residents, and Mepkin Abbey are opposing the changes saying the zoning should remain the way it’s been for the last 25 years.

“All of a sudden they wanna undo pieces of property that are right in the center, in the fabric of this historic district,” said Richard Coen of the Cooper River Historic District.

Coen says people have dedicated their lives to conservation efforts of rural Berkeley County and he fears if the zoning is changed, it could lead to possible development down the line.

“To undo that zoning right now after all these accomplishments is just incredibly unbelievable,” said Coen.

Leaders at Mepkin Abbey are also expressing opposition to the rezoning. The following letter was sent to county council.

The 62 parcels make up thousands of acres of land. Each landowner has the choice to apply for rezoning.

Brown’s application was unanimously approved at Monday’s Committee on Land Use Meeting and now is headed to be voted on by the full county council at the end of March. The third and final reading will be in April.

If approved in April, Coen says it will set a precedent he and others don’t want to see.

“If one single property out of those 65 properties is rezoned, it’s sets precedent, legal precedent for all the others. Now, I’m no lawyer, but I know enough about law to tell you we do not want that precedent.”

This is a developing story. Count on News 2 for updates.

Collaborative partners statewide are shooting for the moon to try and create a permanent NASA facility in South Carolina.

While the space agency currently has no permanent footprint in South Carolina, a consortium was created in 2020 specifically to expand the relationship with NASA and bring a NASA Center of Excellence to the state.

CORE SC — which stands for The Center of Resilience Excellence South Carolina — was founded by Charleston County Government, the South Carolina Aquarium, the College of Charleston, SC Space Grant and SC NASA EPSCoR to make the center a reality.

CORE SC employees hosted NASA for a three-day statewide tour Sept. 12-14 showcasing the state’s many resources that could support a new space economy.

Board members include chairman Jonathan Zucker, president of The InterTech Group, and Dr. Cassandra Runyon, director of the SC NASA Space Grant Consortium and NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EpSCR). A Center of Excellence is an ancillary NASA operation focused on research to help find solutions to the world’s problems.

The tangible goal is to establish a NASA Center for Excellence at an executive airport — the Johns Island Executive Airport in Charleston County along the Stono River, Aiken Regional Airport or Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport. Ideally, there would be NASA labs at each of those locations.

“We want to have lab space (at an airport) to do things with drones, high-altitude balloons, communication equipment and infrastructure for electric vehicle tools, and to create a satellite program for the state,” said Kevin Limehouse, Innovation Officer for Public Services with Charleston County who also heads CORE SC. “The ask from NASA is for us to do South Carolina’s first CubeSat program, so the lab space and infrastructure at these locations would be for that and all of the tech that comes with it. There’s a real possibility it could be located at one of our airports.”

Yet locations aren’t the only incentives for NASA consideration.

During the multi-day tour, CORE SC highlighted innovative companies operating in the state that could support a new space economy. Parameters for establishing a Center of Excellence include focusing on research and innovation in a specific niche. CORE SC identified five niche areas: Water, Energy, Connectivity, Agriculture and Natural hazards — the acronym “WE CAN.”

“All five (areas) are relevant to South Carolina, and we would work on solutions to these issues here that we can share with the nation and the world,” Limehouse said. “All five are also all tied to NASA’s mission directorate, and we hope to work on solutions together.”

In that spirit, stops on NASA’s three-day tour included agriculture innovators BrightMa Farms in Cordesville, which uses hemp to create industry-grade manufacturing products, and Heron Farms in Charleston, which grows edible sea beans that desalinate water during the grow process — a product that could be grown in space and nourish astronauts.

Other stops included FabLab in Charleston, which 3-D prints building materials sturdy enough to house a lab, Trident Tech’s Aerospace program facilities and The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).

“The crux message is, ‘Here's why South Carolina can be leaders in the new space economy with all that we have going on,’” Limehouse said. “There are opportunities for these businesses to connect (with NASA) and get federal contracts.”

NASA's criteria for creating an official Center of Excellence is that an organization like CORE SC would set up the center first and, once NASA observes its success, the space agency would take over.

“We have to establish the center on our own, start working with NASA on projects with some formalized agreements, and, if everything goes well, it would get absorbed and become a part of NASA,” Limehouse said. “We talked to a Center of Excellence in Texas, and that was their process as well.”

NASA and Beyond

A Center of Excellence first landed on the state's radar five years ago, when the space agency asked to hold a business expo related to the building of its space launch system rocket, said Limehouse.

“We started working with the Marshall Space Flight Center to host a huge business expo and also STEM expo with astronaut visits to our schools, and we just really hit it off,” Limehouse said. NASA came back in force with more than Marshall when the state hosted a NASA regional Conference in 2021.

Through that relationship, stakeholders discovered that NASA was interested in opening additional Centers of Excellence. That's when CORE SC was created along with its unique Center of Excellence model.

The work CORE SC is doing to highlight advancements in its five identified niches is already spurring innovation opportunities beyond NASA — most notably, the Rolls Royce manufacturing facility in Aiken, which is pioneering microgrids for renewable solar energy to power its headquarters and operations.

Limehouse told NASA employees during the recent tour that CORE SC’s interest in that technology led to discussions with Rolls Royce leadership about future projects and partnerships in the new space economy.

“Rolls Royce in Germany asked for a call and said, ‘Would CORE SC be interested in partnering on EVTOLs?’, which are electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles — flying cars — and of course, we said yes,” Limehouse said. “We asked ourselves, ‘Where can we do that?’ The ask of NASA by CORE SC is to develop NASA’s first South Carolina satellite program in the state and when Rolls Royce asked about EVTOLs, we thought we could tie those two together at the Johns Island airport.”

Barzan Aeronautical, which develops aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, is currently building a drone facility at the Johns Island airport; all those endeavors could work together and collaborate on innovation, Limehouse said.

“Satellite programs, 3-D printing, industrial agriculture products that can be grown on the moon or Mars — all of this happens if we do it together,” Limehouse said. “My idea is everything together: a Rolls Royce microgrid to power everything with renewables, a 3-D printed structure that houses a lab for communications equipment and lab space and a 3-D printed buildout infrastructure for EVTOLs and drones.”

CORE SC is awarding $400,000 in state-funded subgrants for projects that move the five niche industries forward in South Carolina.
“It could be focused on solutions in electric vehicle charging for a small rural community, flood map work or anything related to technology transfers that transform inventions and scientific outcomes,” Limehouse said. “The end goal is that we want solutions in the hands of our citizens to improve their quality of life.”

CORE SC holds weekly project team meetings, biweekly meetings with NASA and monthly meetings with stakeholders and partners to share ideas.

Showcasing STEM

CORE SC previously hosted NASA employees at week-long STEM fair to show how students are learning skills for future space economy careers, and a previous CORE SC project included securing grant funding for students to learn at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“We are talking with NASA about holding another business and STEM expo in 2023 with smaller events leading up to it, like small and minority businesses having an opportunity to connect about their role in NASA (projects),” Limehouse said.

That includes bringing higher education institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the table.

“The CORE SC model is to show NASA all the partners that we work with on a regular basis,” Limehouse said.

Any business involved in these industries is encouraged to reach out to CORE SC about their work.

“We want to show NASA and other federal partners why bringing in all sectors to work together creates a more sustainable model,” Limehouse said.
While Limehouse notes that a NASA Center of Excellence is several years down the line, he said it’s important for South Carolina to get a leg up and create innovation in this burgeoning industry.

“This is going to be a slow burn,” Limehouse said. “Federal agreements take a long time, but all of our efforts go towards creating solutions for our citizens, economic development for our state and a chance to do more with NASA. Hopefully one day, they will have a permanent presence here.”