WYFF4 TV - Five Forks Residents Fight Big Office Complexes

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Five Forks Residents Fight Big Office Complexes

They Tell County Council: Honor Land Use Agreement

POSTED: 4:52 pm EDT October 26, 2010

UPDATED: 6:52 pm EDT October 26, 2010

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. -- You’ll find the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the west side of Woodruff Road along with the big box stores, restaurants and office complexes.

“It’s got to stop,” said Bruce Chambers.

He’s one of the hundreds of Five Forks residents staunchly opposed to a rezoning application.

A single family home sits on the corner of Woodruff Road and Godfrey Road, but the county has been asked to approve up to 15,000 square feet of office space for that parcel of land.

“The area citizens are completely stunned,” said Chambers.

Chambers points to a land use agreement the county developed in 2007 with the help of neighbors.

“We want this honored. It took 17 months and tax payer money,” said Chambers.

The East Woodruff Road Area Plan was adopted by the council in 2008.

Under the residential office reuse application of the plan, a new building cannot exceed 3,500 square feet.

The idea was to keep the east side of Woodruff Road, which is heavily residential, from becoming as congested as the west side.

“We cannot have a precedent set outside the East Woodruff Road Area Plan, because it’s going to be a domino effect,” said Chambers.

Hundreds of residents are expected to attend a meeting Tuesday evening at the Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church.

County Council has been invited to hear the concerns.

“It’s a real test for the plan,” said Butch Kirven, council chairman.

Questions will be raised but no vote will be taken.

The council has referred the rezoning issue back to committee.

No timetable for a vote has been set.