UPDATE 5/21/14:
Tonight County Council voted in favor of the Folly Road Zoning amendment. It is very difficult to strike the right balance between preservation and opportunity, but these zoning changes do exactly that. Thank you to Council members Rawl, Summey, Pryor, & Darby for your support on this important issue.
Councilwoman Johnson is always working to find a balance between protecting the special character of her district and ensuring that working families have the best access to economic opportunity. With that in mind, she has brought forward amendments to the proposed zoning changes to the Folly Road region. While some favor a change that would severely limit the economic potential of property owners in the area, Councilwoman Johnson has offered a sensible compromise.
Councilwoman Anna Johnson, who represents the district where a few dozen homes are located, thinks that the residents could lose out if the Council OKs the change. Johnson favors another type of zoning, "neighborhood commercial." Otherwise, she says, homeowners may not be able to sell for top dollar.
"It's about economics. Give the people the value of their property. Why do you want to take that away from them?" Johnson said.
...at its last meeting in April, Council did not move forward with a third and final vote that would have led to approval of neighborhood residential zoning. At that meeting, Johnson said there were several dozen people in the audience who opposed the rezoning.
Johnson said that she does not own property in the area that would be affected by the rezoning. She said the neighborhood preservation zoning could significantly reduce property values.
"There's not a lot of opportunities for African-Americans to have economic development and business opportunities," she said.
Post and Courier "Future of Folly Road residential area subject of Tuesday hearing"
As an alternative, Johnson recently proposed more growth-friendly neighborhood commercial zoning, which prompted the hearing Tuesday to gauge the feeling of residents.
Johnson's proposal would allow more commercial uses such as a motel or hotel of up to 10 beds. It would also prohibit trash and merchandise pickup and delivery to businesses between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.. New rules would be in effect for outdoor amplified music.
Johnson said that she wants to give residents more options for their property.
"I am giving the people in my district a chance to think for themselves," she said.
Post and Courier "Folly Road growth a hot topic at County Council hearing"
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