Options on 123 corridor development to the planning commission

It will be up to the Oconee Planning Commission to recommend options for developing the county’s SC 123 Corridor from Seneca to the county line abutting Clemson. The County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution directing County Administrator Amanda Brock and the county planning staff to refine the options discussed at a recent workshop and present those options to the Planning Commission for study. The workshop in October focused mainly on what steps could be taken to lessen present and future traffic problems on the stretch of highway, which planners say is destined to be a key area for continued economic development.

Major general considerations at the October meeting focused on three major areas of policy:

1) The first would develop a method of assessing the impact of future development along that stretch of SC 123 with an eye toward determining where deceleration and turning lanes should be required as a condition of future development;
2) The second set of policies will look at requiring or encouraging through incentives the consolidation and sharing of driveways and minimizing future curb cuts along the highway;
3) The third set of policies will determine the preferred or maximum number of access points for future development or redevelopment of property along 123.

No timeline was given for the Planning Commission to deliver recommendations.