Delivered by citizen attendees to the City of Aiken Planning Commission meeting on October 10, 2023
Note: Corrections to the spelling of names below, some of which are phonetic guesses, are appreciated.
ROBERT SAWDON:
I have really been looking in depth at Mr Turner’s plans for this piece of property. I am respectful of the historical nature of the building which is at its core, and I can say, just in summary of my feelings about what he is proposing, is that it’s about time. This is a beautiful utilization of that property. It combines so many elements which are going to be important to the redevelopment really of West Richland, and that’s a part of the Aiken community that needs attention and needs a stimulus, and I think this is exactly what we need. I think he’s done a tasteful job. I think he’s done the proper job for the utilization of this — paying attention to the historical nature of the building at its core and surrounding it with amenities that make a whole lot of sense, so I am enthusiastically in favor of this.
LINDA KEENER:
We went to the town hall last night to see the plans, and I think they’re excellent. I think it’s a good model for the Aiken development to follow, and to enhance our city, and I’m very enthusiastic and hoping that you will approve this plan.
KIMBERLY TONEY:
Referring to the old hospital building in the concept plan display: “It looks like I was born in D1. Just to make mention, or to probably go on record for Planning Commission, under ‘parking’ on page two, paragraph five, it says the concept plans denotes that 409 parking spaces are being provided — 12 more than are required — so to me it seems like, reading some of this, it kind of skews what was said about the parking not being adequate enough. But it just says it’s shown 409 parking spaces are provided on the concept plan, but it’s 12 more than required, so to me it seems like it meets the requirements or exceeds the requirements of the Planning Department. Is that not correct?
(Commission member responds)
I just I just wanted to point out that it was actually required by the city.
(Commission member responds)
I also see between C1 and C2 that there is parking but, I guess to meet the concept plan — which we know is not the final plan — it meets that for right now, from the way I’m reading it. That’s just me walking right in off the street saying more than required.
Also, I have a question. So ,I understand all about concept plans. I understand about engineering and civil and site plans. My question is, looking over concept plans and site plans over the years from this planning commission, that the recent Richland Avenue-Beaufort Street proposed development came with a sample photo of a hotel. It came with a rendering that was marked to show where some markings are, and was that not approved?
(Further discussion continues from here).
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SEAN RYAN
I want to say that everybody in this room — and I hope all of you are in agreement — that something needs to happen beautiful in that spot. We are all in agreement. And so from the public standpoint, sometimes when a person is presenting, and you’re asking questions, sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it.
That’s big in perception. And so it’s helpful — it’s helpful for me…. I know I talked to a lot of people in different settings, and I have to be conscious of how I let my words come out and how I let my facial expression show, because sometimes from the outside looking here, sometimes that gives us a notion or a thought that you’re not trying to work with them, and I think you are. I think everybody’s heart here is good and it is pointing toward having this beautiful facility look so amazing in Aiken.
You know right now it is just what you would call deserted, but I think that if the both of you guys and him and his team can work together I’m sure that he will give you just what you need. You know just what you ask for. I’m sure… am I right, Tracy? I don’t know you, but am I right? But you understand what I’m saying.
But it has to be where sometimes those of you that are in the position to make the decisions, and to approve or not approve, it’s huge, it’s huge in body language, and that’s what I felt that was really a struggle, and it brings the frustration from the person here, because a lot of times, it’s about body language, and having the conversation, and sometimes you can say you want to help, or you can say that you want this to go, but if your body is not lining up with your mouth, then it can confuse people, and I just want y’all to see that perspective. Thank you.
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MARGARET TRIBERT
Thank you. I’m Margaret Tribert. I am right there. (Points to the neighborhood across the street from the proposed development). I have a law practice there zoned limited professional. I have been coming to this meeting about this blight on my retirement for some time. Like a lot of us lawyers that are in that neighborhood, we used to have an office across from County offices. We don’t anymore because we built that monolith out there.
And so now we have offices that are in a pretty depressed area. Waterloo has been stagnant, in part, due to in decisions from governing boards that may or may not decide what can happen. I know there was an effort to change the zoning on Waterloo, and that was met with uproar by a small minority. And so that all got blocked. I came to a meeting about six years ago. I said please do something. Here I am. I watched that radio tower come down in three hours. And that slowed our progress on this. That cell tower came down in three hours. But who was going to take that thing down? You know we lost a buyer.
Sam, you came to Aiken, you put a pub in a barn, and everyone thought you were nuts, and we ended up with something beautiful. All right, and no one was following you with the tape measure, and people walked from Park Avenue and manage — still do— to walk to the door of Mellow Mushroom. They get there. God knows, we walked to the Bowery, when we weren’t staggering.
The people that built our community…. I’m sitting here looking at these things — you know, we could’ve just paved all those boulevards, but we did not , because they were beautiful. I miss Tom Rapp. But they were beautiful, and this guy is trying to do something beautiful, and he’s not under any obligation to give us affordable housing when he does that. That is not a requirement for a developer in this community, and you know … that’s someone’s obligation, but it’s not his. I don’t think he is offering public housing. I don’t think he is under any obligation that is not controlled by existing federal statutes. We’ve got statutes for that….
I would encourage anybody that comes to Aiken to remember that we’re behind and below something called the fall line. Look at Charleston. Look at Beaufort. That’s where we look. We don’t look at Atlanta. We didn’t even want to look at Charlotte or Greenville. All right, we had a big argument about how tall building should be in this community, and we were reminded that one of the most beautiful things about this community is it historic look.
I shudder that you’re making people this committed to go spend more money to approve this plan because it might rain on somebody walking. I don’t know these fellows. I don’t know these fellows. I just came up today and introduced myself. I took some pictures of this building about a week ago, put them on Facebook. It’s a shooting gallery now. It’s a junkie hang out. I’m not kidding. They’re walking by my office every day. Don’t lose these fellows. Let them build something beautiful. Let them keep the trees, let them keep the parks, let them keep the community, and approve their concept now you know? Man up.
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D DAVIS
I’m looking at the agenda and it says application for concept plan, and the definition of concept is something conceived in the mind. So he has conceived it. You’re asking him to give some thing that he’s conceived, and that’s what he’s doing . Later on, yeah, he’s going to give you everything you’re looking for. But, right now, you’re only asking him for his concept. You’re not asking him for details. Thank you.
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ROSCOE EPP
Speaking on behalf of…. I’m probably, respectfully, one of the younger people in here… When you say there’s not enough parking, and we won’t walk, we definitely will. Like, we go down to SRP Park, my wife and I .We take the luxury of walking the waterways. When we go to other towns, like Greenville or Beaufort, any other places, we walk. We walk, we spend a good time, spend good money. So just because a few people won’t walk when it rains — I’ll drop my wife off in front of the building, and I’ll go park, and I’ll walk to go get her. You can’t just say just because you guys won’t walk there, or are not willing to walk , that we’re not going to do it. When you do that, you’re eliminating the young professionals like myself, who would like to spend time on this beautiful campus that he’s rendering. Thank you.