Public Hearing - Annexation to Town of Summerville
Who is impacted?
Residents of Newington Plantation Estates is impacted. A property located within Newington Plantation (TMS #144-00-00-082) is scheduled for petition before the Town of Summerville Planning Commission requesting annexation from Dorchester County into the Town of Summerville and rezoning from TRM (Traditional Residential District) to MFR (Multi-Family Residential).
If approved, this would allow:
- Up to 180 multi-family units on 4.26 acres
- Buildings up to 55 feet tall with zero rear or side setbacks
What is at stake?
Newington’s infrastructure and lot sizes were designed for single family homes. If a multifamily development is approved, negative impacts would include:
- Overburdened local streets such as King Charles Circle, Axtell Drive, and Lee Street that were never designed or intended for multi-family traffic.
- Increased DD2 overcrowding. Newington Elementary is already at capacity with buses re-routed to the back of the neighborhood and pickup lines backed up for hours.
- Increased public safety risk. Multiple vehicle crashes, speeding complaints, and commercial vehicles cutting through and threatening the safety of our neighborhood.
What is the next step?
- Sign this petition if you DO NOT want this development to move forward and/or you do not want this property annexed into the town that will result in this multi-family development.
- Attend the Planning Commission meeting on Monday, 06/16/25 at 4:00 PM. Be sure to review the attendees’ best practices sheet for our best chance at getting the petition shut down while supporting our neighborhood in a professional manner.
Meeting location: Summerville Town Hall, 200 S. Main St., Summerville, SC
Meeting Attendee Best Practices:
- Being loud, talking out of turn, showing violence, and/or vocalizing/presenting incorrect information is not helpful and negates any valid points made by others.
- Be present, professional, and clap for valid points to show your support of topics.
- You should only plan to speak if you are knowledgeable on the subject matter and have a well-structured, informative presentation. People tend to get nervous in the moment and say something not helpful or unprofessional.
- Presentations should be based on facts, not thoughts or feelings. Legally, facts are the only thing the board/committee can use to decide.
Planning Commission Meeting:
Date: Monday 06/16/25 at 4PM EST
Location: 200 S Main St., Summerville, Council Chambers on 3rd Floor
CLICK HERE TO VIEW COUNCIL EMAIL ADDRESSES »
Email Template:
Subject: Strong Opposition to Annexation and Rezoning of TMS #144-00-00-082 in Newington Plantation
Dear Council Members,
I am writing to express my deep concern and strong opposition to the petition for annexation and rezoning of TMS #144-00-00-082, located in Newington Plantation Estates, from Dorchester County into the Town of Summerville with a multi-family residential (MFR) designation.
As a resident of Newington Plantation, I can attest that our neighborhood streets are already overburdened due to significant cut-through traffic stemming from the Berlin G. Myers Parkway extension. This traffic has resulted in multiple accidents, ongoing commercial vehicle misuse, consistent speeding violations, and severe safety concerns for families and pedestrians. Our local roads were never designed to function as collector streets, yet that’s what they’ve become. According to published AADT (average annual daily trip) date, a multifamily development would generate a 23% increase in daily traffic compared to single-family homes subdivided on the same lots, compounding the neighborhoods existing traffic and safety issues.
Equally alarming is the location of two DD2 elementary schools—Newington Elementary and Flowertown Elementary—directly in front of the proposed development. These schools are already operating over capacity, with school pickup traffic now backing up hours before dismissal. According to published SGR (student generation rate) data, a multifamily development would generate 11 times more students than single-family homes subdivided on the same lots, compounding the district’s already critical overcrowding challenges.
For these reasons, I strongly urge the Summerville Planning Commission and Town Council to move to deny this petition. Annexing and rezoning this parcel as multifamily will place an unreasonable burden on our infrastructure, escalate safety risks for residents, and expose the Town to long-term public liability.
Thank you for your time and service to our community.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Contact Info – optional]