From The State: Cayce's Reasons To Annex Land

By AVERY B. WILKERSON JR. - Guest columnist

The State offered paternalistic advice to my colleagues and me on how to handle the proposed annexation of 3,000 acres of land off Bluff Road in Richland County (“Cayce mustn’t rush to annex, approve project along river,” Thursday).

Our side of the river is used to getting such advice from myriad interests on that side of the river, particularly when events happen that benefit us. Relocation of the State Farmers Market and SCANA to the Lexington County side come to mind.

Regarding our proposed annexation, the Richland County side of the river has been trying to make decisions for us on this property for years. The result: a judge’s order that opens up more of the land for development, and no end to the fighting.

My position is simple: As long as the land is not in Cayce, our citizens must live with decisions made by public officials who are not accountable to Cayce and who could not care less what Cayce citizens think.

Annexation gives Cayce residents the ability to determine our own destiny.

If and when we annex, landowners will not be able to do anything with the property without zoning approval from Cayce — nothing. Zoning is a public process in which every citizen can participate, and I am certain that most citizens will want to have their say.

If we annex, Cayce taxpayers will have input. If we don’t, they won’t.

The State has made much of the fact that the owners of the land have not presented a detailed plan for development.

That’s because they don’t have one, and they don’t have one because I am insisting that the plan be developed with input from elected officials, the business community and other citizens in Cayce. They agreed.

The Green Diamond plan has been scrapped. A new plan for Vista Farms will be built from the ground up, and it will be built based upon what is best for Cayce taxpayers.

Conservation is an important concept in this venture. Already 1,500 acres of land from the tract have become farmland. I’m also excited about the constructed wetlands concept to treat wastewater naturally while creating a preserve for animals and plant life.

Other communities using constructed wetlands have become a tourism destination to view wildlife. That would give lower Richland a much-needed economic boost. And, forward-thinking communities have saved their citizens millions of dollars in sewer treatment costs using these wetlands for next-stage treatment.

There is much misinformation being floated around our city in unsigned flyers. Here are the facts:

Annexation of the 3,000 acres of land — if done properly — will significantly expand Cayce’s tax base and create more taxpayers and jobs for our people. I’d rather create more taxpayers than ask the same taxpayers to pay higher taxes.

If and when zoning is approved, the developer will be responsible for water and sewer costs, not Cayce taxpayers.

Costs for schools and things such as emergency services will be financed by revenues generated from future development. If the development does not proceed, there will be no need for services.

Maintenance and repair of any levees will be the responsibility of the landowners protected by a levee. As in many parts of the country, a levee improvement district can be created, which is self-funded by taxing properties within the district and does not require taxation of the public.

Folks in Riverland Park are asking questions about the levee system along the river and whether this development will create greater potential for flooding.

City Council makes this pledge: We won’t approve any zoning unless we are convinced that the development will not increase flooding potential.

In fact, the developers are considering ways to lessen the potential by moving the levees along the river back to allow for more flow to pass downstream from Riverland Park.

So we are seeking ways to lessen the possibility of flooding, which would lower insurance costs and raise property values for residents of Riverland Park.

Annexation could give the city of Cayce a historic economic and environmental boost. But most importantly, it will give our citizens a chance to control their own destiny and influence the process.

Our destiny will continue to be in the hands of others unless we annex, and leaving our fate to others is not a comforting thought.

Mr. Wilkerson is mayor of Cayce.

From The State: Developer: Annexation would allow Cayce to control its destiny

By WARREN BOLTON - Associate Editor

DOES COLUMBIA Venture LLC legitimately believe it’s in Cayce’s best interest to annex 3,000 acres along the river, or is the company engaging in the developmental equivalent of judge-shopping?

After the developer didn’t get the results it wanted from the Richland County side of the river, it apparently decided to shop for a friendly government that would approve its plan. And dangling expanded borders, new jobs and development and an increased tax base in front of the smaller, but ambitious, Cayce doesn’t hurt.

Bob Hughes, the Greenville developer who heads the new management team at Columbia Venture, doesn’t deny that the company has decided to take its chances with Cayce because it’s more open to the possible development. He doesn’t feel the company has gotten a fair hearing from Richland County.

But, he said, there are legitimate reasons for Columbia Venture to seek annexation and any developmental approval from Cayce. Many concerned about flooding have continually argued Cayce would be the most affected by development on the Richland County side of the river. Yet Cayce didn’t have a seat at the decision-making table, he said.

Mr. Hughes said it makes sense for Cayce to annex the property and control its own destiny.

That’s a sound argument, as far as it goes. Residents in Cayce’s Riverland Park community became concerned about possibly damaging floods from new construction on the Richland side of the Congaree when Burroughs & Chapin pitched a $1 billion development in the late 1990s — a proposal that eventually died. If Cayce annexes the property, it inherits the authority to decide whether and how the property will be developed, if at all. As it is, Richland County would be making decisions about Cayce’s future, and Cayce would have no meaningful input.

While the company is expected to propose some type of mixed-use development, Mr. Hughes said no development plan exists at the moment.

Concrete plans for the property will be developed as the company determines exactly what it can do with the land and through discussions with Cayce officials and citizens, he said.

Mr. Hughes said people shouldn’t jump to conclusions just because the company has asked Cayce City Council to annex the property. If the council annexes the land, it is expected to apply a transitional zoning designation to the land, he said. “They’re going to zone it that kind of ‘talk to me later’ zone.”

Columbia Venture expects to develop a plan and come before the council at a later date asking for zoning approval, he said.

But let’s not be naive. Cayce isn’t considering annexing this property for the sake of gaining territory. City officials, particularly Mayor Avery Wilkerson, acknowledge that the reason to annex it would be because of the economic boost it could possibly bring. That can’t happen unless this land is developed.

Annexation doesn’t guarantee the property will be developed, but the only reason annexation is being considered is the promise of new revenue, jobs and development.

While there might not be a plan, it’s Cayce’s responsibility to demand as much information as possible from the developers in an effort to determine whether annexation is even worth the trouble. Say what you will, annexation is no small thing. If Cayce annexes this property, it will incur tremendous pressure to approve this development.

And while city officials might get comfort out of knowing the fate of Cayce residents is in their hands, they’ve also got to worry about possible flooding elsewhere should they approve a project. There are concerns that significant development might cause flooding that could harm the Congaree National Park and other areas downstream.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with Cayce officials considering this in an effort to control their town’s fate — or even to grow the municipality. In the end, it could work out fine, with Columbia Venture building a safe, prosperous development — or doing nothing. It’s conceivable.

But city leaders must do their homework and be far more than reasonably sure about potential liability should the worst happen.

Otherwise, it could chart a destiny it doesn’t want any part of.

Reach Mr. Bolton at (803) 771-8631 or wbolton@thestate.com

THERE IS NO MORE GREEN DIAMOND

A number of anonymous people have recently spread a copied flier claiming that this new project is actually the rebirth of the old Green Diamond project. The real facts follow:

Over the past few years a new management team has been in put in place to explore and evaluate alternatives for the land that was once the failed project. This totally new team has been working diligently and quietly with all the interested parties. The result is a new approach and a new name: Vista Farms.

· As a part of the strategic planning, nearly one-third of the original property has been sold and conserved for agriculture and recreation uses.

· Environmental and green uses have been proposed for another one-third of the property to include: constructed wetlands, wetland and stream mitigation and protection, habitat, and other recreational uses.

· The original land plan has been scrapped. The entire scale and scope of the project have been reduced. Zoning decisions on potential land uses will not begin until annexation is completed and the planning staff, residents of Cayce, and the development team create a vision for the project.

TRUE: Future tax consequences for Cayce homeowners and residents will be huge. BUT, they will be positive.

· Annexing 3,000 acres into Cayce before it is developed will significantly expand the economic opportunity for Cayce as a part of an overall strategic plan to lower taxes to residents in Cayce. Planners will have the opportunity to devise agreements that are tax sensitive to the residents and community, and the tax revenues from the development and jobs and retail sales will benefit all Cayce residents.

TRUE: Just as in the case of SCANA and the Farmers’ Market, Cayce has been able to cut through the political smoke screen to find opportunity and create greater value for its community.

· There have been no deals or negotiations attached to this annexation request.

· Most annexations negotiate at least on zoning and infrastructure agreements. In this case neither has been provided. Zoning is not in place to develop the property and water and sewer extension agreements are not in place. All of this will be negotiated in good faith as opportunities and questions arise.

· Mayor Wilkerson supports the idea that annexation can create opportunity for Cayce.

TRUE: The cost of infrastructure will be massive, BUT:

· Yes, new development requires a huge investment, but Cayce has made it clear that its interest is in saving money, not providing it.

· If and when zoning is approved, the developer will be responsible for any water and sewer costs. No different process is proposed for this land than any other land in or annexed by Cayce. As with all commercial and residential users, appropriate fees will also be charged to the project. The City of Columbia could even continue to serve the project if jurisdictional agreements are put in place.

· The cost for schools, emergency services, etc., will be paid for through tax revenues generated from future development. If the development does not proceed, there isn’t any need for services.

· Maintenance and repair of levees will be the responsibility of the landowners protected by a levee. As in many parts of the country, a levee improvement district can be created, which is self-funded by taxing properties in the district and does not require taxation of the general public.

Other misconceptions, FALSE: increased traffic, and FALSE: Richland County interference.

· The property is located approximately ten minutes from the Cayce City Hall, between Bluff Road I-77 interchange, and the Congaree River. The project will become self-contained, but will locate new venues for the Cayce residents to shop, recreate and live. Any traffic created will be on the project side of the river.

· Planned communities generally provide an environment that invites people to live, work and play in close proximity to their neighborhood. By properly planning roads internally, connecting to I-77 will minimize traffic problems.

FALSE: Richland County politicians will become involved in the city of Cayce’s governance.

· One of the major reasons Cayce should consider annexing the property is to have complete control and jurisdiction on both sides of the river. In doing so, Cayce will continue to work with Richland County with respect the issues impacting the county, but can better oversee and align its interests through annexation.

· Our government wants to see the property developed responsibly. The only way to insure that is for the City of Cayce to be proactive and look at the situation as an opportunity to have a voice in what matters.

· So Cayce is getting involved in a part of Richland County’s governance that affects Cayce.

TRUE: The Riverland Park residents and homeowners have experienced flooding for years.

· Levees already exist on the other side of the river from Riverland Park and they have to be maintained to protect Heathwood Hall School and the Columbia Metro Sewer Plant.

· The new developers are looking for ways to reduce flooding the community as a part of their development plan. We have already agreed with them that, if FEMA does not seek to impose unproven science, the levees along the river will be moved back to allow for more flow to pass down stream from Riverland Park.

· The modified levee location should reduce flooding, and property values and insurance costs should quickly reflect that.

What Effect Will Annexing Into Cayce Have on the Water in Congaree Swamp?

None.
This is about who will make the decisions. It is not a decision about the water. After the property is annexed, Cayce and Cayce residents will make the decisions that affect Cayce residents first, and any affects on the Congaree Swamp will be considered at that time.
No water changes at all if Cayce decides to annex.

Engineer's Letter on Lowering Water in Riverland Park