City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the August 10th meeting of the Aiken City Council. If you are so inclined, please rise for the invocation followed by the pledge. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, send down upon those who hold office in the city of Aiken the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice, that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their offices to promote the well-being of all people. In your name we pray. Amen. Thank you. Chief, would you lead us in the pledge, please?

Good evening, Mayor and Council. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

As the meeting begins, I will review the guidelines. Meetings are public forums in which many opinions are expressed and the business of the city must be conducted. As such, discipline, honorable, and professional decorum is paramount. Courteous and respectful communication is required. During public hearings, all questions and statements from the public shall be directed to the chair. If you wish to speak, raise your hand and I will recognize you. Please approach the podium and state your name and address. In order to allow an opportunity for everyone who wishes to address council, speakers should limit their comments to the subject being discussed. Each speaker will be given five minutes to address an issue and may only address an issue once unless questions from council are posed to the speaker. During the non-agenda public comments section, each speaker has three minutes and can only speak once. We now move to additions and deletions to the agenda. I recognize Mayor Pro Tem Kay Brohl. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Hello, everyone. We're glad you're here. Madam Mayor, there are no additions or deletions to the agenda, and I move that we accept it as printed.

Thank you. With Councilman Breaux making the motion, I need a second, please.

I so move.

Thank you, Councilwoman Diggs. All those in favor? It is all approved. The minutes were provided to council for review prior to the meeting. Is there a motion for approval of the minutes? I so move, Madam Mayor. Councilwoman Broll made a motion and a second from Councilman Messina. Any comments or changes? All those in favor? Thank you. There are two presentations tonight. The first is a presentation by Midlands Fatherhood Coalition. Will Ms. Eleanor Boyd of the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition please come forward? Good evening, how are you?

Thank you, Mayor Miller and the City of Aiken Council for allowing us a few minutes to tell you a little bit about Midlands Fatherhood Coalition. Can we advance the slide? Thank you. So Midlands Fatherhood Coalition is one of the oldest fatherhood programs in the United States. We have been operating out of the Midlands since 2006 and we are also the only organization in Aiken and the Midlands that is offering services very specifically for fathers in the community that's holistic and fatherhood focused. Okay. We do specialize in case management and we provide free services to fathers. Anyone can access our services at no charge as long as they have a child 18 years or under. And we also will help alumni of our program as they have needs related to whether it's custody, child support, employment, et cetera. Please advance the slide. Okay, why fatherhood? Could I please have the notes? Thank you. So essentially, when fathers are involved, children have brighter futures. And as you can see by the statistics, when fathers are involved, children are much more likely to do better in school. They have much better self-esteem, which leads to better behavior. so that children are less likely to be incarcerated or have problems. In fact, 81% of people incarcerated do not have engaged fathers. When fathers are involved, children are three times less likely to live in poverty, and they also are more likely to have healthier relationships, better economic futures, and just generally have better outcomes. Next slide, please. Okay, how about Aiken? Why does Aiken need fatherhood services? Out of a population of a little over 13,000, the poverty rate here in the city is 17%, and there's approximately 1,200 single-parent households, and about 23% of those households do have children under 18. So we are estimating that approximately 1,500 fathers and their families could benefit from services here in Aiken. And what about our impact? We have been serving Aiken since September. That's a typo of 2024. We are currently serving from the Smith Hazel Center. on 400 Kershaw Street Northeast, and we have a dedicated site manager, Maurice Lindsey, and I would invite Maurice to come up, because I'd like him to make a few brief comments. We served 116 fathers in our last fiscal year, and we actually exceeded our service goals by 72%, which certainly indicates that the need is there and we are helping. We have saved the city approximately $70,000 because fathers are coming to us and not going to jail because they're behind in child support. And that also includes the amount of child support that has been paid by fathers who have participated in the program that are from Aiken. The average wage increase, not age increase, that we have been able to supply to fathers has been equivalent of $6,000 a year of an increase, which can make a very significant impact on a family meeting their basic needs. Next slide, please.

Thank you.

Okay, so just everybody wants to know, okay, that sounds great, what do you do? Like I said, it's holistic. We have a curriculum and we focus on healthy relationships Parenting we focus on both mental and physical health We also do a lot with employment and every father has a essentially a case manager So whatever their barrier to accessing their child is we are there to make sure that they have what they need and to be successful. Economic mobility and workforce development is certainly a huge component of what we do. And the majority of fathers who come to us here in Aiken are looking for jobs so they can support their families. Next slide, please. In terms of our Midlands Fatherhood Coalition, we do serve the Midlands. And just so our numbers for 2025, we served 1,075 fathers. And that meant that we impacted over 2,000, actually about 2,700 children. And we want to share with you kind of what was happening specifically in Aiken. We do have ongoing support from the O'Neill Foundation, which has been very essential to us. We also received a one-time support from the state of South Carolina to help us establish our office. We are looking for sustainable local support so that we can open our own office and hire an intervention specialist. And the average, the budget that we're kind of trying to work off of to support a fully functional office in Aiken is about $344,000. We have also, or I should say Maurice has also worked hard to increase relationships with employers in town. also increase community outreach so that we can have better programmatic outcomes for our fathers. So I wanted to spend a minute to introduce you to Maurice, and he just wants to speak for a moment, and then we'd love to answer any questions you might have.

Good afternoon, City of Aiken, and thank y'all so much for accepting us tonight to be able to tell you about what's going on here in Aiken County, this beautiful city that I've come to enjoy, and all the good restaurants y'all have here. So my lunch breaks have been pretty good, but And to the Chamber of Commerce, they've been really wonderful keeping us abreast of what's going on here in Aiken and making sure that we are involved. We're making an impact here. We've been beating the pavement here since 2024 silently thanks to the courts of Aiken County, Department of Social Services who are directing us to the dads that need the services that we provide here in Aiken County and the city of Aiken and surrounding areas. We have many and many, many success stories that we can talk about where a dad has come to our program and needing just just somebody to listen to what they have going on so they can move to the next step in their life. And at the end of the day, when they are better dads, and you saw the number of how the children are affected, so we know that once the dads have gotten their situation in order, they've gotten a job, overcoming the barriers that they have in life, we can see that their children are going to be more successful, more community leaders, better, because they are our future. And I like to tell our dads, I love you guys, But I'm more invested in your children, because I know if you get it right, chances are your children are getting it right. So we're here tonight just to let you know that we serve the dads from the beginning to the end. It's not a once and done thing. Life is life for most of these guys, and they're going to need somebody even down the road. So once they successfully complete our program, which is a 12-week program where we talk about healthy relationships, we talk about parenting, we talk about economics and finances, so they have the right tools and resources to be the best dad that they can be. So that's pretty much it that I have to say about the Witness Fatherhood Coalition, and I was wondering if y'all have any questions.

Do you have any questions for us? Yes, ma'am.

I do. Good evening. Good evening. I remember maybe last year when y'all came to Rural Health Services and had a conversation about possibly getting involved with some of the things we had, our outreach activities at Rural Health Services. And we have a Women and Children Center. We have parenting programs. We've got two for ladies. but we need to include the guys, need to have their own thing.

Yes, ma'am.

So I'm just going to give you my card, and hopefully we can talk again and get it right this time.

Certainly.

And maybe set up some classes for the dads, because right now First Steps and Children's Place are the ones that are the hosts for... the parenting programs that we have that our women come to, but those women need men to come because they don't need to be raising these kids by themselves. So I'm going to pass you all these cards and give me a call tomorrow, and I'll get with our outreach team and see can we get something set up on a regular basis. Thank you.

And I do want to reiterate that all of our services are absolutely free for all of our participants. Anytime they may have to pay something is when we're doing official paperwork and filed through the courts. But none of that money is for the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition.

Free is always good. But one question, I know when the parenting, when the ladies comes, they bring lunch. They provide lunch for our participants.

Yes, we provide meals at every single group that we have. Okay. And if we have somebody that has a special diet.

As you feed them, they'll come.

Yes, they will. Yes, yes, yes.

Thank you.

So we had a father that was going to come. Unfortunately, that did not work out with his work schedule, but we would have loved for you all to hear someone give any, just a couple sentences about some of the dads you've helped.

Yeah, I can think of one now, Josh, that came to our program. Of course, he was unemployed. He recently moved here to the city of Aiken out of Florida. He was a referral from the Department of Social Services because he didn't have family here and he was seeking employment. He had barriers to that. Transportation was an issue for him. And once we was able to get him a job, he needed transportation. So we were able to get him a bicycle for him to go back and forth to work. And prior to that, he needed work boots or black slip resistant shoes before he could even start the job. So he called me and told me about it. And we didn't hesitate to help that dad get what he needed to get started with his job. And now he's very successful. He's got a job. He's doing good. His children are doing very well in school. So he's made a complete turnaround just in the past five weeks that he has been with our program. We have many other outcomes where a dad has come to our program through the Department of Social Services having to take the parenting classes in order to get his biological son back. So during the whole process, the young man did not know that he was going to actually get not only his biological son, but another child that was in the home that grew up with his son. So through the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition program and services, he was not only able to get full custody of his biological son, but also another little girl that was in the family also. So that was a really big outcome. And also, he was one of those guys that we helped get his driver's license back. When he came to us, he didn't have a driver's license. He didn't have any hope. Didn't know what he was going to do about it. And we connected him to the right sources through the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition. Now he's a very successful dad, working in landscape, getting to drive back and forth to work every day. And he gets mad when he don't come to group. But I tell him, I said, going to work is more important than coming to our class because we can always do a make-up session at another time. So that's some of our good outcomes. Yes, ma'am.

First of all, I want to applaud the two of you for working with this coalition. I always like to know how this got started. Maybe I missed it because I had to go out for a minute or two. There are five counties I just saw in your literature. How did it get started and how did you manage to say we want to include Aiken in this coalition?

All righty. Thank you so much, Councilman Price. That's a wonderful question. The way that that happened was actually through the Sisters of Charity years ago. And then when we started in Richland and Aiken, knowing that we, I mean, I'm sorry, Richland and Lexington counties, knowing we needed to serve the whole Midlands, There was a lot of demand from Aiken. The family court judges really wanted a resource.

This is our former solicitor right here.

Thank you, Councilwoman Morgan. So they really wanted a resource, and they realized the value of what we were doing. And we actually had a presence here. in the early like 2018-19 for a couple years and You know, we had some financial struggles and we had to you know close that office So we but but the demand was still here and it hurt our heart that we weren't in Aiken so we were able to work really hard to get started here and we're back and Obviously the needs there Not only do we get DS, any father with a child under 18 can seek our services. Typically, it is a situation that compels them to come to the office, or maybe the family court judge says you probably should go there. But any father can access our services. So, yeah.

I want to applaud you, given your data in terms of what you've saved. With incarceration savings, that is a huge amount. So I applaud you for that and your services that you're rendering. This is great.

Madam Mayor, if I may? Sure. Hello, Eleanor. Hey. I met with Eleanor for lunch, and we talked for a very long time. Hello, Maurice. Nice to meet you. You know, what you're doing is constructing families, reconstructing families. And we all know how important that is. And the breakdown of our family is the reason that we have so many issues in our society today. So I know you're doing the Lord's work, and we want to help you, support you in doing that. So thank you.

We appreciate that so much, Councilwoman Burrell. And thank you again for having us here, and we're excited to be here.

Thank you for your presentation. Thank you for your presentation. It was lovely.

I had just one question. Are you able to, the men that have successfully gone through your program, are they paying it forward by going and talking to youth or doing programs that help the younger people?

Mostly, our program is designed for the men. We're not really working with the youth. We did have a program that was called Ready for Life. And we get that a lot from the schools, asking if there's any help for those children. Unfortunately, at this time, we're not.

but we love to work with schools and do like donuts for dads or reading with dads and kids to you know let the school know that we're a resource that if fathers need us that we are available and obviously that also encourages you know father child bonding and reading and all the good things so

I know the work that you all have done, and it's impressive, and I was hoping that some of the successes could present to the children. In school. In school, so that their stories, their truth, can motivate younger people. So it's not that you have to provide it, but you could help tell the story, because it's a powerful thing that you all do. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

This next presentation is a status report on Tribute Parkway, also known as the Powder House Connector. Mr. Oliver Weston, how are you this evening? Will you give us your latest updates?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you, Council. Let's see if this is going to work. Perhaps. I didn't break it this time, Gary, I promise. There it is. All right. So we're here to talk about the Tribute Parkway, part of the Whiskey Road Congestion Corridor Relief Program. As you can see there, we've got a nice updated picture of the roundabout that's being constructed. Got some nice grass in there, some asphalt down. This is a picture I have grown overly fond of looking at for the past decade or so. And coming early fall, that picture will be reality for Aiken. The contractor was awarded their contract end of January in 2025, starting just after Masters of 2025. And they're about 85% complete. 95% of the way there with their stormwater ponds. They've completed the stormwater pipe, the water utility. You'll see new mast arm signals out on Whiskey Road at the intersection with Eastgate now. The curb and gutter is all but in now, and the contractor's working on asphalt paving this week. So all that's left is finishing up that curb and gutter, finishing up the asphalt paving, putting down the traffic signing and pavement markings. So here you can see what those ponds looked like in January of this year and what they look like in July of this year. We had our drone pilot go out early July, take some new footage for us. This slide actually shows the ponds doing exactly what they were supposed to. Hold that sediment in during construction, release nice clean water downstream. Contractor is going to be on the hook to clean these ponds out before releasing the project over to the city and retrofitting them back into detention ponds from sediment basins. Couldn't find... A picture-for-picture comparison on this one from January to today, but these are both looking towards Whiskey Road from the roundabout. You can see South Centennial heads off the page to the right, and the Tribute Parkway goes up the page to Whiskey Road there.

And here's some drone footage that flies through.

So there's the intersection with Eastgate. There's George's Pond on the right and the new Hotel Hampton. There we go. So as we go down, you can see the old Oak Grove roadbed there continuing all the way to the roundabout. And as we approach the roundabout, off the page to the left is the South Centennial Avenue, and then we'll continue through on Powder House Connector, or Tribute Parkway, sorry. And if you follow that curve around, that'll be where Phase 2 is going, right up next to those ponds there. And here you can see those ponds holding some water after a rain event. And this is South Centennial starting up at the corporate parkway intersection. Flying down, you can see when we took the drone footage, the sidewalk was still being constructed. You can see the asphalt going down, the grass growing. And then one of my favorite shots is coming up. Right at the end here, where you can see the hotel, Whiskey Road, Roundabout, all of it together. Right there. And with that, are there any questions? The developable acres? 400 Stewart? 400 acres. Thank you. Anybody else?

I just want to commend the job that you guys are doing on that project. I know it's well overdue, and I know the community is super excited and eager to have it open so that we can utilize that and take some of that congestion off of Whiskey. So I appreciate you guys for your hard work.

We will be contacting you probably this week, if not early next week, about a date to do some sort of ribbon cutting for the first phase. And we're looking at doing that end of September. And I guess while you're here... Talk for a minute about the phase two, where we are with everything from a scheduling and acquisition standpoint.

Yeah. So the city has is wrapping up the right away acquisition on phase two. There's one parcel left. We're just. dotting I's and crossing T's on that parcel now. So we'll need to, once that's in hand, we'll go through the annexation process, similar to what we did north of Thoroughbred Run. And once it is completely annexed, then we start going through the permit process, get final approvals from DOT. All that's all the fun stuff, I like to say. And then we'll go out to bid on Once that process is done, we'll be ready to bid. Unfortunately, with DOT and permits, it's hard to say exactly when that'll hit the street.

Madam Mayor, Oliver, thank you so much for what you all have done. And I think we had an opportunity to talk the other day. The ponds worked. Yes. And that is, I mean, we had some significant events. And you explained that they worked, they did what they were supposed to do. And could you explain just a little bit more that the contractor is going to clean up the ponds before we get them back?

So during construction, we install what's called a floating skimmer to let the pond drain the clean water off the top while sediment settles out. After construction, that floating skimmer gets removed. The contractor dredges out the sediment from the bottom, leaving us with a final detention pond as designed.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

One question for you, just for the public record. What was the cost for this project for phase one?

Off the top of my head, I'm not sure.

OK. Thank you. Thank you so much. We now open the floor to public comments on non-agenda items. Comments are limited to three minutes per speaker and for a total of 30 minutes. Yes, sir. Good evening, Kirk.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, City Council. How are you? It's been a while. So my name is Kirk Johnson, 111 Stonington Lane, Southwest Aiken. I am the pastor of Lost Sheep Ministry. What we do is we are an outreach for the homeless. And by being that person or this group, we go out and go into some of their encampments, and we work on trying to get them out. We do that. Sorry. We do that by talking to them first. We meet up with them so that they know that we're going to be there for them. Last week, we went to Rural Health, had a great, great outreach.

Some of the other things we do is we allow, we work with other organizations like people in town to get people's dollars. We have a team going on. There's also a place that they can talk. And we've also buddied up with churches in town and other organizations.

But the biggest thing that we do is that we show these people that they are more than what they think they are. And that is a big thing for a lot of people.

They respect us because we respect them.

And this is a community. We've got people that don't believe in what we do.

But we're making a difference. So that I could go to work. But anyway. Want to find out?

Yeah.

And if you have somebody, call me, 505-340-7151. And I'll come out and check on them. So that's pretty much it.

Thanks a lot.

Before the next person comes up, Madam Mayor, our audiovisual expert needs to test the mic.

I'd just like to, can I say something? I would just like to thank you, Pastor, for coming out and representing Lost Sheep. And also, Diane came and represented C4 Impact. And you're right, I can see the trust when the homeless come to your table They listen to you. They talk to you because they trust you. And we are so grateful that y'all joined us as a resource for our Health Care for the Homeless event. And remember, we do that every year, first Monday in August. Same time, same place. And I would also like to thank Sabina. Because we were wondering how we were going to get a lot of people there. You know, the weather was unpredictable. And I had driven around the community and saw some of the homeless in various locations. And I called the city. And I think Jessica was able to arrange for us to have the van, and with the condition that Sabina had to drive it. So I really, really appreciate y'all doing that. That helped us to get the word out to a lot of people, but also allowed them to come and get some resources to assist them in getting out of homelessness. And also I'd like to thank the Salvation Army for providing a meal, a good meal for They not only fed the people that were homeless, they fed our staff as well. And those who came, if they needed a plate to take with them, they were able to get that too. So I thank y'all very much for that.

Yes, sir. Good evening, Lex.

Good evening, Council. Lex Perry, pastor of C4 Impact, 1526 South Boundary Avenue, Southeast. Again, I want to thank you for your continued support. We had a good month last month. We have a good month every month, to be honest with you.

Things are changing.

I want to echo the fact that we are seeing more collaboration from the churches, and I especially want to thank Chief Barranco and the ADPS staff when there are challenges that happen and make no mistake about it folks there are challenges that do happen we're dealing with folks that are our family they're our neighbors but they are dealing with a lot of trauma so yes we do have incidents that happen but because of the support that we have and the fact that we built relationship with them every incident we've happened has been very quiet has been without incident has been now any issue and I think it's because of seeing us work as a community and we have strong support from ADPS and anyone else that's coming there and just simply having their presence and we're saying Listen, they're our friends, they're here because they want to make sure that everything is okay. You're safe, we're safe, and that's it. And there really didn't have to be anything else involved in it. But I want folks to understand that if you ever see a police car by Greenville Street or the area, it isn't because we have to worry about something melting down, it's because we are about preventing issues from happening. And we built really close relationships in order to maintain that. Last month, we were able to provide, well, the community provided 159 meals in our cooling station. We have 41 showers that were offered there. We scheduled 133 rides last month. We're still having some challenges with transportation.

We weren't able to get everybody where they needed to go or continue, but we're still working on that. But that's not bad news. It's because it's improving from month to month.

And again, we just want to thank you and the community for supporting what we do. And there are some people who have misconceptions about what C4 does. We're transitional housing.

And yes, it's not free.

There's nothing for free. The word of God says that I was bought with a price. So if anybody thinks that things are going to be free, it's not. And everyone who comes here, even if they're coming for a shower, there is a payment that they have made, and that is information. If you sit down with us, we're going to say, okay, yes, you can have a shower. We're going to get you something to eat today. You're not going to leave here hungry. But I want to know why you are where you are. We want to get to the root of what's going on. So that's your payment. Nothing is for free. And yes, we are a public charity. People have asked that. Yes, we are. You can look it up. I mean, my books are open. I send a newsletter out every single month to let you know exactly what comes in, what goes out. I'm extremely transparent on purpose. There are no funds that are paying any salaries that are coming from the occupants that live there. We have a grant. And thank God for the grant because I've been able to pay my bills. Again, I'm not ashamed of that. I'm just letting folks know so there's no misconception about what we do. This is a calling. Everybody who gets involved in this, including you, is a calling on your life. If it's not a calling and you try to get involved, I tell you what, the devil is going to eat your lunch and pop the bag. That's what's going to happen. So don't take it lightly. And one of the things we're going to work on now is going to provide training for the churches. And we've had great.

a relationship building with the leaders of the church where it's gonna allow us to come in and provide a training for volunteers to be able to help in this sector.

I wanna make sure that you know that you know what you're doing before you go out here so that you are actually helping and not enabling. That's a big part of what the training's all about. So if you have any questions about it, please reach out to me.

We love you and we thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

Question for with the potential of, I know it was a conversation about transportation. How did that conversation turn out with transportation source from a particular church and area?

Well, we had someone that had a van, but I didn't think that the van was not usable for what we needed. Unfortunately, we're still looking. We were able to purchase another vehicle that replaced mine that killed our tree. So that's okay. But we do still need another vehicle just for, it doesn't have to necessarily be a van. It could be an SUV or a dependable car. Because what we're doing, we're usually transporting maybe one to two people at a time. So even if we had a dependable car as an additional person where I can just have that person just driving, that would be helpful as well.

Like certainly, yeah. I just, commend is not a strong enough word To say how much you all are appreciated. You're basically working for nothing. And certainly blessings will come to you. I don't know how, but blessings will come to you. I don't know how, but certainly you don't speak or work just to be honored, just for show. What you all are doing is from the heart, and you are being led by the Holy Spirit. And I applaud you all without any hesitation every day. We pray that you will get what you need to make this a success. And it's coming. It's not in your time or my time or anyone in this room. It's in his time that it will come. Thank you very much. You're welcome.

Thank you. Anyone else like to speak at this time? Yes, sir.

Good evening and to Mayor and the City Council and all the people in the room here today. My name is Wesley Guyton. I'm a pastor along with the President of the NACP here in Aiken, and I just want to come this evening just to express my appreciation. We got a call this evening from the city storage on Dewpoint Drive, and we had placed an order for a historical marker for here in Aiken, and the marker has arrived. And I just want to express our appreciation for your support for us to have this market, you know, because I know we've been in touch with Stuart, you know, concerning it and everything like that. So we will be getting together and setting up a date when we can place that market in the park. So I just want to come tonight and say that we appreciate your support so very much.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Yes, and I have, and I know the marker, I believe, is going to be, it will be displayed at the annual NAACP banquet at the end of September. And I know we were looking at doing installs and a ceremony approximately a week after that. And from a technical standpoint, I am getting information from people trying to watch our meeting online that they still can't hear from the, at least online, Mr. Gary Meadows.

Thank you. Reverend Guy, one quick thing before you take your seat. I got a text. Your group went up to Chicago for the conference. Yes. So my good friend, Congressman Hodges from Arizona sent me a text. And he said, I just ran into a phenomenal group of people from Aiken. Yes. I said, who are you with? And so he sent me the photo, and it was a full group there. So he said they had a great conversation, and he's looking forward to coming this way pretty soon. So just wanted to let you know.

That's great. Yeah, they talked about the contact you all made in Chicago. And we was there for a few days, and they had a great time. And like I said, we just thank the community for supporting us that we can make those trips and gain education and information about what's going on across the world. Thank you all so much.

Thank you.

Okay, we're going to move on to approval and discussion of appointees to various city boards, committees, and commissions.

Thank you. We have one appointment for consideration, and it is the appointment of Brian Pruitt to the Building Code Appeals Committee. And that is up for consideration this evening, Madam Mayor and Council.

Thank you is there a motion to accept this nomination. I so move man a mayor that a mayor, I second. Councilman role made the motion and a second from Councilman Morgan. Comments from the public. Comments from Council. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you. It is unanimous. Are there any nominations to consider our next meeting?

I'd like to reappoint William Hall to the Airport Commission. Thank you.

I just recently appointed Josh Raines to the Recreation Committee. Was it only for someone else's term? Because he's up again here, and I was just wondering why. I'll be happy to reappoint Josh Raines for Recreation, but I was just questioning why.

That happens.

Not a great time to ask that kind of question. That's fine.

Definitely.

Yeah, we will make those adjustments for those individuals because my understanding is that any appointments, certainly that new council members made on terms that were about to expire, the intention is to fill the unexpired term plus a new term. So we will make that adjustment, and it will be reflected in the next agenda packet.

Okay, thank you. Madam Mayor, that was the same with my appointee. I think we particularly made it for two previously. So when she had not been appointed, I did it for a short term and then the next term.

Thank you. That's fine. Is there anyone else like to?

Yeah, I just pointed at the guy.

That being said. We're finished with that. The next item under old business is second reading and public hearing that an ordinance approving certain economic development incentives for home sites SCLLC. Mr. Bedenboe.

Thank you. This is titled an ordinance authorizing certain economic development incentives pursuant to ordinance number 08132018 of the City of Aiken. Code of ordinances for a project developed by home sites SCLLC approving an economic development inducement and incentive agreement and other matters related thereto. This is not to, the fee reimbursement would not exceed $20,000. It is for the Kershaw Street redevelopment project, and it is a project that's been long coming. The funding, a portion of this funding was appropriated by council funds in terms of for this Kershaw Street development, for developers to do these projects for these entry-level homes. This is before council for second and final reading this evening.

Thank you. May I have a motion for this, please?

So moved, Madam Mayor.

Councilman Waldo? Second, Madam Mayor. A second from Councilman Price. Are there any comments from the public? Comments from Council. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you. Anonymous. The final item under old business is second reading of an ordinance to amend Chapter 38 of the Aiken City Code to collect a 2% hospitality tax. Mr. Beaton, though.

Thank you. It is an ordinance amending Chapter 38 of the Code of the City of Aiken to adopt the local hospitality tax for the full 2%. In 1997, the legislature adopted Act Number 138, which allows for municipalities and counties to impose taxes not to exceed 2% on the cost of prepared foods and beverages. Revenues are mostly restricted to tourism and infrastructure expenses. To give a little background, in March of 1999, council approved an ordinance to establish the tax of 2% and it was repealed in February 2001. after the voters of Aiken County passed the first capital project sales tax in November 2000. In May of 2015, council, concerned about economic stagnation, authorized an ordinance reestablishing the hospitality tax at 1% with the intention to be used on infrastructure and economic development projects. And at that time, it was also talking about a potential parking deck. That was before the ill-fated Renaissance Project, followed by the ill-fated Project Pascalis. The hospitality taxes remained at 1% for the last 11 years. During that discussion in the winter and spring of 2015, the council contemplated several options for revenues. They looked at full hospitality tax. They looked at a millage increase. and the council at that time also looked at a hybrid where a modest millage increase with a modest h tax increase of as i recall uh half a percent half a mil added to the tax bills plus half a percent hospitality Since January 2025, so that's with the prior council, councils contemplated increasing the hospitality tax to the full 2%. We have had these discussions at the last two New Horizons retreats in January 2025 and January 2026. Passage of this would generate an additional $2.4 million with approximately $2. Three-fifths or 60% of the proceeds minimum would be used for city park facilities and entryways. The remaining balance would be used to finance the construction of a parking deck for our downtown as committed to based on the December 2025 passage of a development agreement with Oliver Hospitality Group. After first reading on June 22nd, council charged us to spread information out as widely as possible about what the tax could be used for, what would it be used for, plan and so forth. We communicated this through all available streams. Probably one of the most effective is just one-on-one conversations with individuals, but we also put out press releases to our media partners in print, radio, and television, which resulted in multiple stories printed and distributed across multiple means of broadcast. whether on paper, physical paper, radio airwaves, television airwaves, and within the cyber realm. A video describing the uses of the proposed tax was distributed on our various online platforms, including our Facebook and Instagram pages and our Explore Aiken app. We had a comment form that was accessible through our city website, cityofaconsc.gov, and our Explore Aiken app. The video was also shown on our For Aiken streaming platform, which you can access through Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and BreezeLine Channel 4. And the video was shown in heavy rotation on Channel 4. Council hosted a public comments meeting on July 27th where 14 citizens commented about the proposal. Many citizens commented through our online portal about the tax. Comments received through late July were placed in the July 27th agenda packet. So We have a lot of the background material in this iteration of the agenda packet. And if the tax, if council chooses to pass this hospitality tax at second reading, the thought is it would be going to affect October 1st, 2026. that would give us time to communicate this effectively through the multiple streams that were announced that I described several moments ago plus we would notify all of the entities that would be impacted to to collect the fee for us which which I think there's a little over 200 entities that collect it. I know at a past meeting we discussed it ranges everything from the convenience stores to chain restaurants, to mom and pop restaurants, to the grocery stores that serve prepared foods, which is most stores where they have a deli where they'll slice up various types of sandwich meats and sell prepared things like, say, the rotisserie chickens and other things. So this is before City Council for second reading this evening, Madam Mayor and Council.

Thank you. May I have a motion to accept this ordinance, please? Councilman Messina made the motion, and I need a second from. I'll second, Madam Mayor. Councilwoman Burrell. Thank you. Any comments from the public? Comments from the council?

I just want to commend the city for the job that they did getting the video out to the public. I think that was extremely helpful. Mary and Gary, y'all did a great job putting that together, so I just want to be sure to commend them for the job well done.

Thank you for that comment. Okay. Anyone else? All those in favor, please. Oh, sorry.

Madam Mayor, I wanted to also thank the process that we had a public hearing, that people came and spoke and were able to be heard. I think that was something that was really important for all of this. For the record, I think the online total, it depends on how you do it, there was like 68 opposed. That includes the actual people that showed up, 17 for and seven, I call them the, I'm not sure what they were for or against. But I did think that's important for us to know that there were people who wanted to to have their opinion heard. A lot of the no's, I think, related to the transparency and accountability and how we're doing what we're doing. And that's why I joined Councilman Waldo in essentially talking about that we have tried to communicate better, explaining to the people what it's going to be used for. and that I'm not sure, some of my constituents have said, and I wanted just to make this public, our obligation is to understand what they're doing. There's a general list out there, but have we really prioritized it? have we prioritized what we're going to spend it on? And I just urge council to come back, especially after the PRT information, and really do the work to prioritize what we're going to use the hospitality tax for. I think that will address a lot of the concerns that I have heard out in the public with not just my constituents, but the people that have signed petitions that are concerned about what we're doing and how we're doing it. And I think that will make a big difference. And I just think we owe it a gratitude that our process is working. You mentioned some ill-fated situations. I don't think this is ill-fated under the circumstances, and I just felt that needed to be said.

Thank you. Madam Mayor, I'd like to sort of piggyback on some of the things she said. A lot of my constituents thought that maybe it was— If it was just for the parking garage, yeah, that was a bit much. But once I sat down and talked to them and let them know this is more than about a parking deck. We're talking about entryways into the city from north, east, south, and west. And first impressions are the best impressions. When people come into our city, what do they see? Some of the things they see is not pleasant. Might make them want to turn around and go somewhere else. But some of that money will be used in those areas. The upgrades for parks and recreation. I was talking to some co-workers today, and they had several that participate in parks some of the programs here with Parks and Recreation, and one in particular was telling me that her child plays soccer with Aiken Football, and they go to facilities, different facilities, and they always compare them with us. And for them, it's sometimes a little embarrassing. They see the inequities. And when I'm thinking about all of that, you know, no, I don't have my grandchildren here. But I think about your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And I want our city to be able to to compete with other cities as far as our recreation centers are concerned, but also some of the tournaments that we are able to host here. That brings a lot of money into our city. So it's more than about a parking garage. It's about amenities that we can bring to the people that are here and things that's going to make them want to raise and keep their families here. I know a lot of people I talk to always say, we don't have a lot for the children to do. And we want to change that. even though we do have good recreation facilities, they can do better. We can do better. And this will give us the opportunity to do better. So those are my thoughts.

Thank you for your comments.

And I do want to add to that. The points have been excellent. And yes, we, if assuming this passes, what council will see and the public will have input on is how this money will be spent because it we will have to make should it pass an amendment to the city budget which will lay out and there can be the discussions based on the documents and the and the listing of what we would spend this on and get that input of the council and community members so it's a budget that reflects the goals aspirations and values of the public should it pass

And I think one more comment I want to add to Councilwoman Diggs point of us, you know, creating more things here to be able to attract the tourism. I think that's a big key that you mentioned with, you know, tournaments and everything else. But also one thing I would love for us to focus on with this two percent is the investment into public transportation. Whatever that may look like. I know there's a wide variety of different public transportations, but I think that is something with the way our city has grown. We really have to take an investment and look into that. So open to that conversation as well. Just want to put that on the record.

Thank you. Good point. Madam Mayor, I have just some comments from our previous meeting afterwards. You know, no one likes the idea of paying any more at the register. No tax is ever a happy thing. Inflation's rising. We all of us have to watch our budgets and our pennies. However, I think we need to think about and look closely at who actually pays this tax and who benefits from it. And unlike a property tax that falls entirely on the shoulders of the local residents, a hospitality tax shifts a major portion of the financial responsibility onto the visitors, tourists, commuters, and those who eat and shop in Aiken. These individuals use our roads, our parks, and our infrastructure every day. And this tax allows them to help pay for the wear and tear on those specific items. So I look at this not as a burden, but an important investment. It's a strategic way, in my opinion, to leverage tourism dollars to improve the daily lives and quality of the people who live here.

Very well put. Thank you.

Madam Mayor.

Yes, ma'am.

I don't mind saying that I supported overwhelmingly the 1%, the initial 1% tax that we had. The second time around with our discussion, I came without hesitation with supporting this 2%. The calls that I have been receiving from individuals, and some of us are doing very, very well in our lives, are coming from folks who are on fixed income. Fixed income. And although we're trying to convince them this is not going to impact you at all, you're going to be okay, they're looking at the bigger picture of how of the other things that are coming at them. Even though we can tell them that this is not going to impact you, it's going to impact those folks who are visiting us. They're the ones that are eating. They're the ones that are paying and dying in hotels. They do not see that. So I have a heart for those individuals in terms of knowing how they feel. And they're asking, let's see if I'm hurting, how does the city help me? You tell me that there's been no increase in our millage rate, all these things, but yet there's an increase in my water, sewage, and it goes on and on and on with increases. What they're asking for us, from us, is how can we be creative and innovative that when the city is hurting, that they're not always going to the taxpayers? That is what I'm hearing. How can we be creative and go after other things? And we had a meeting before this. Many of the things that was mentioned here was already discussed in the room in back of us in terms of what we needed for our children and our citizens. And parks and rec is when we discussed that wholeheartedly, how that can be a great revenue source for us. But there are other things as well. And until we put on our creative and innovative hats, people are going to ask, what are you doing, council, to bring innovation and creativity to gain additional revenue without always coming to citizens for tax increases on water, sewage? And then you can say, well, you're using it. Why shouldn't we tax? It's going up everywhere. But that is not what they're seeing. When you're on fixed income, you're asking, how can you help me

home to reduce this I will support this but I don't have a good feeling but I will support this thank you thank you anyone else okay well I'm going to take the vote all those in favor please raise your hand thank you it is unanimous We now move to new business. The first item is first reading and public hearing of an ordinance to approve a concept plan for property at Whiskey Road, Stratford Drive, and Mammoth Pass Southwest. Mr. Biedenbaugh.

Thank you. You read the ordinance title, and I do want to stick to the memo script because I do think it's important given this property. The the history on this. The applicant has requested a concept plan approval for approximately 2.63 acres on Whiskey Road between Stratford Drive and Mammoth Pass Southwest. This is a concept plan for a commercial development with possible retail service and restaurant uses on the southwest corner of the intersection of Whiskey Road and Stratford Drive. The property is included in a planned commercial development originally approved for both residential and commercial development in 2003. At that time, there was no opposition to the rezoning plan. that was noted, but instead access management was what was focused on Springstone Villas. The residential component of the original concept plan began construction a few years later. The approval ordinance at that time required additional concept plan review for the commercial portion. Alulu's car wash facility was approved in 2020 and constructed. All further development of the commercial areas such as this proposal requires the submittal of a concept plan for review by the Planning Commission and City Council. A concept plan for a proposed Parker's Kitchen on this property was denied by council in 2023. Since this is a planned commercial zone, a concept plan must be reviewed. by the Planning Commission and approved by Council. The parcel which is being considered is currently undeveloped and wooded. A narrative that provides an overview of the development as well as a concept plan and architectural rendering has been submitted. Two commercial buildings are proposed. The larger building has two suites totaling approximately 7,386 square feet. The smaller building is shown as a drive-through facility. The application narrative denotes possible retail service and restaurant uses with a 100-seat sit-down restaurant and a 4,000-square-foot medical use building. The concept plan proposes 64 parking spaces, which is 15 more than the denoted minimum amount. The concept plan shows two access points, from adjacent private streets which connect to Whiskey Road, Stratford Drive, and Sizemore Circle. Improvements to the intersection of Whiskey Road and Powder House Road are scheduled to take place beginning in 2028. The proposed development will be required to comply with landscape and tree preservation requirements. The development will access existing private streets in lieu of direct access to Whiskey Road or Stratford Drive. The concept plan locates a stormwater detention facility in the southwest corner, which has the lowest elevation of the property. The property is surrounded by commercial development or undeveloped commercial property except single-family residences across Whiskey Road in the county. The concept plan shows one-way traffic movement for the proposed drive-through facility, but also provides for two-way circulation around the site for the other proposed uses with sidewalks around the buildings with extensions in parking area islands. The design of the parking lot drainage and utilities must meet our zoning ordinance requirements and the city engineer during site and landscape plan approval. This concept plan denotes that planting areas will provide 53% open space. However, the planting areas include a detention pond, which cannot be counted as open space unless it is shallow enough to be planted or designed as an amenity pond. The concept plan provides for a 10-foot structure of any kind which will be erected within 15 feet of any other single-story structure unless granted by the building official where public safety concerns exist. The building official notes that the buildings can be permitted closer than 15 feet. With mitigating measures such as fire-rated materials, the architectural rendering and concept plan orient the proposed one-story buildings towards Whiskey Road. Planting strips with trees are required along the property lines adjoining Whiskey Road and Stratford Drive. A traffic impact analysis has been provided for review by the city's Traffic consultant, the property is adjacent to Whiskey Road to the east and Stratford to the north and initially part of a larger 11.80-acre tract. In 2003, this property was part of the planned commercial concept plan, as noted in the introductory paragraph, that was approved by Ordinance 08-112-0038. Since no building permits were issued within five years of the original plan, commercial component of the concept plan approval the 2003 approval of the commercial component expired in 2020 as noted council approved the development of the car wash on approximately 2.71 acres of that larger tract on the southern side of the parcel adjacent to size more circle the decision was appealed in 2021 by a citizen and heard in Aiken County General Sessions Court, the name of the case, Jean Greenwald v. City of Aiken. After oral arguments, Judge Clifton Newman upheld counsel's decision to allow the project and denied the petition of the appeal by declaring, quote, the appellant failed to meet her burden of approving The City Council acted outside its authority to amend and or repeal the former ordinances, nor does it appear their decision to adopt the September 28, 2020 Ordinance 09282020 was done in an arbitrary, capricious, or unreasonable manner. Subsequently, most of the parcel was considered for development for the convenience store, and as noted in 2023, it was not approved. The Planning Commission reviewed this request at their July 14th meeting and by a vote of five in favor and two opposed, the Commission recommended approval with the following conditions. One, that the provision of water and sanitary sewer services shall be contingent upon service availability. Two, that this development shall comply with the City of Aiken tree preservation and landscape requirements. Three, that the development shall comply with the open space standards of the zoning ordinance. Fourth, that the internal and frontage sidewalk shall be provided to connect the proposed development to the Whiskey Road-Stratford Drive intersection per the Safe Streets for All for pedestrian safety. Fifth, that the traffic impact study shall be approved by SCDOT and the city's traffic consultant. and that the developer constructs any traffic mitigating measures that are identified as necessary. Sixth, that the applicant shall submit a revised concept plan stating the conditions of approval. And seventh, that the applicant sign an agreement stating those conditions. This is before you for first reading this evening.

Thank you. Is there a motion, please?

Mayor, so moved.

Councilman Messina.

I'll second, Madam Mayor.

Second from Councilman Broll. Are there any comments from the public? Yes, sir. How are you?

Good evening, Council. My name is Ben Dingus. I'm with Holt Barrett. We represent the developer on this project. John Engler with the developer wanted me to apologize on his behalf for not being here tonight due to a prior commitment. We have requested approval of this conceptual site plan with only those conditions identified in the Planning Commission's recommendation of approval, and I just wanted to make myself available for any questions that anyone had. I know there were some questions initially about traffic analysis, but that was it.

Thank you. You want to ask him any questions? Thank you.

Anyone else?

Comments from Council?

yeah i have comment a couple comments about this particular project because it borders uh district five uh right on right on the border my issue with this project is that the sedot with intersection won't be completed until 2028 this project will be constructed completed in 2027. i think that is a tremendous concern for me definitely with a congested area already like Whiskey Road right now at the moment so that is my concern with this project in particular at that location you want to address that I can there was a extensive

traffic impact analysis study done by Kim Lee Horn and I think the city traffic consultant has reviewed that as well and identified a mitigating measure that was acceptable to the developer. And that was the construction and installment of a median on Whiskey where there's a current suicide lane and that's shown on the site plan that was most recently submitted.

I BELIEVE THAT WAS SATISFACTORY TO THE CITY AND THE SCDOT AND THE KIMLEY HORN CONSULTANT GROUP MADAM MAYOR IF I MAY UM I WATCHED THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING AND IT WAS UH NICE I THINK THIS HAS BEEN BEFORE THEM MAYBE This started back in 2003, and I remember that time. And I see most of the people that were there were okay. There was no one upset. They had questions about what was going on. And the fact that that intersection is being studied right now as we speak and is supposed to be reworked, as my colleague said, allows me to understand that any problems will be mitigated. And I know what you're proposing, a dentist office and the other things are not big problems. traffic generators. And rather than hold this up, I think It's been evident in watching that meeting that you've done everything you can. I commend you for talking with the homeowners association, trying to answer all their questions. It's been how many years, 20 years? I think I'm going to be supporting it.

Thank you. And the tenant composition of this project was strategic and selected for that exact purpose. So thank you.

Thank you. If there's no more comments from Kent. I just want to ask Maria.

Okay. Can you tell us a little bit about the analysis that he was speaking of?

What was mentioned is correct. I mean the the What's actually happening on the site? They're not huge traffic generation generators However, SCD ot has looked at the traffic impact analysis. So has our city can traffic consultant they both agree right now turn lanes are not warranted simply because those traffic generation is not high enough yet and However, we have requested, and so has SCDOT, that they extend the median on Whiskey Road, a full concrete median. So right now they have a right in, right out on Mammoth Drive. And so we know people notoriously, they just ignore those. So we were actually telling them they have got to put in an elongated concrete median so people cannot do that. So that's a real safety issue. So that's something they will do. We've also requested sidewalk connectivity. Obviously, until the intersection is completed, those things will not connect. But there is current sidewalk in front of the hotel. And so we are asking the developer to also look at the sidewalk connectivity to their site so that we can make sure that as that area develops, we'll have those pedestrian connectivities. And that's been agreed to? That's correct. In fact, they submitted today a revised plan showing the sidewalks as well as the concrete median extension.

That's correct. Acceptable to the developer, yes, ma'am.

Can I ask a question? So that was today that they filed that, Mara? Correct. OK.

So that wasn't in our packet?

No, ma'am. OK.

We'll have that in the next iteration of the packet should this pass first reading.

That was what I would help for those of us because there was a lot, I mean there were Almost 500 pages we had dropped on our, but I'm trying to understand it. And those of us want to make the right decision, want to help the balance of growth and development appropriately for the area. So I just ask that the next time we have a better understanding of what we're voting on,

Thank you very much. Any other comments from Council? If not, I'll ask you all to raise your hand if you're in favor.

All those in favor.

All those in favor, raise your hand. Okay, that is, okay. I have, so all those opposed. Okay, I have three. Yes, ma'am.

If a council member were to vote in favor of the adoption of this ordinance tonight, that would not bind their vote on second reading.

Right.

In any way.

So. I have. I'm just waiting on it. I have Councilman Messina in favor and Councilman Breaux in favor.

Passing it on first reading.

And how do you vote? In favor? All right. I vote in favor of the first reading. So four, aye, and three, nay.

Thank you. So it's, yep, Council Members Messina, Broll, Diggs, and Mayor Milner in favor, and Council Members Waldo, Price, and Morgan opposed.

For the second.

That is correct. That's all is, yes.

Correct.

We'll take this information that was shared and place it in the packet, and certainly any other comments or questions that may arise can be brought forward.

It also may be a good idea to help the process if we knew the reasoning, the three council people did not vote in favor. If they have any questions, maybe the applicant can have the answers for them at the next meeting.

Correct.

Do we have any questions? I don't have any questions, but I am particularly not in favor of any new development on the Whiskey Quarter right now until we get the traffic situation addressed. And that is something that I will stick with until we get the traffic situation addressed on Whiskey Road.

Do you have the traffic impact study? We can provide that.

Please, yeah, that'd be fine.

Okay, thank you guys.

The next item is first reading in public hearing of an ordinance to annex 1121 Conger Drive and zone at residential single-family RS-15. Mr. Bedenville.

Thank you. This is the first of multiple annexations for consideration. This is in the Aiken Estate subdivision. It's approximately three-fifths of an acre, and the Planning Commission at their July 14th meeting unanimously recommended annexation zone RS-15.

Thank you. Is there a motion for this? I so move, Madam Mayor. Thank you. Councilwoman Morgan made the motion. May I have a second? I second, Madam Mayor. Thank you. Councilwoman Breaux made the second. Comments from the public? Comments from council? All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you. Unanimous. The next item is first reading and public hearing of an ordinance to annex 108 Smallridge Street and zone it residential single-family RS-10. Mr. Bedenbill.

Thank you. This is approximately 22 hundredths of an acre, and the recommendation is to zone it RS-10 residential single-family. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended at their July 14th meeting to annex the property and zone it RS-10 residential single-family.

Thank you may have a motion policed I so move man a man thank you Councilman Morgan made the motion. Second from. Price Councilman price comments from the public. Any comments from Council. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you. Anonymous. Next one is a first reading and public hearing of an ordinance to annex 505 Chatham Street Southeast and zone at residential single family RS 10 bill.

Thank you. This is approximately 34 hundredths of an acre in Virginia Acres neighborhood, and the Planning Commission at the July 14th meeting unanimously voted to annex and zone this property, residential single-family RS-10.

Thank you is there a motion to accept this ordinance. That's a move that a man and Morgan made the motion. Councilman price seconded comments from Council. I mean a sorry comments from the public. Or comments from the Council.

All those in favor.

Thank you. Yet again unanimous. The next item is first reading and public hearing of an ordinance to annex 608 Timberlane Road and zone at residential single-family RS-15.

Thank you. This is approximately 3,700ths of an acre located off the lower end of South Boundary. The Planning Commission at their July 14th meeting met and unanimously recommended annexation of the property and zoning it residential single-family RS-15.

Thank you again. Is there a motion for this one?

I so move.

I second, Madam Mayor.

All right. Councilwoman Diggs made the motion, and Councilwoman Morgan seconded it. Comments from the public? Comments from council? All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you. Unanimous.

And all those will be on the consent agenda for second reading.

Yay. Yay.

unless anyone objects.

That's right. That didn't take so long. The next item is first reading in public hearing of an ordinance to rezone property at 1213 Park Avenue Southeast from light industrial to residential multifamily low density. Mr. Beanbow.

Thank you. The applicant has requested rezoning of a portion, approximately five one-hundredths of an acre of 1213 Park Avenue Southeast southeast from light industrial li to rml residential multi-family low density on the south side of park avenue southeast mid block between berkeley street and buford street this partial rezoning is for the purpose of adding square footage to the rear of adjacent parcels for proposed single-family residences rml zoning permits single-family detached and duplex dwellings the applicant has received design review board approval for single-family dwellings be constructed on the three existing lots to be expanded by the additional acreage the comprehensive plan future land use map designates this property as commercial however the proposal is for a minimum minimal transfer of about 2028 square feet from li light industrial to rml residential multi-family low density This block is undergoing a transition from industrial to residential uses, and the sole purpose of the request is to increase the lot depths of adjacent existing parcels proposed for single-family residences. The Planning Commission reviewed this request and voted unanimously to recommend this rezoning, and it's before council this evening for first reading.

Thank you. Do I have a motion for this?

I so move.

Okay.

Was you go ahead but go.

Councilman digs made the motion and a second from Council right size. Comments from the public. Comments from Council.

Madam mayor, I I just know that this this is the David Sachs and Sam are project and we've seen some of what they plan to do and where I think all councils excited to see what they're going to be able to do.

Thank you for that comment. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you. It's unanimous. The next item is first reading and public hearing of an ordinance to amend the concept plan for 199 Willow Run Road.

Thank you. This is an ordinance amending the concept plan for property located at 199 Willow Run Road and owned by SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Wellness. This applicant has requested an amendment to their concept plan to permit a detached accessory structure for primarily residential use as well as meeting space on their approximately 9.98 acre parcel at 199 Willow Run Road. The primary structure on the property is used for veterinary care and affiliated accessory uses. In accordance with the planned commercial zone, a concept plan must be reviewed by the Planning Commission and approved by Council. Currently, the property contains an occupied commercial building that is used for veterinary care and affiliated accessory uses. The concept plan shows the applicant proposes to continue the primary use as a veterinary care center and add a manufacturer building for a residence and meeting space for staff, veterinary students, and traveling veterinarians. The structure would be approximately 16 feet by 72 feet and located in the side and rear yard of the property. Veterinarian use is classified as a personal service oriented retail sales and service which requires one parking space per 200 square feet of the building area. The proposed residential use will require two additional parking spaces. The existing access to the site will be maintained. The current access consists of a driveway on the southeastern side of the parcel fronting Willow Run Road. The landscape and tree preservation plan will be reviewed once the site will be maintained. The current access consists of a driveway on the southeastern side of the parcel fronting Willow Run Road. The landscape and tree preservation plan will be reviewed once the site and landscape plans are submitted. No proposed changes to the existing freestanding signage on the property. The comprehensive land use and transportation future use map identifies this property as public and institutional. The property is currently incorporated in zone PC plan commercial. The proposed residential use on the property is permitted in the PC district provided the residential development is part of a larger project and that the residential component doesn't exceed 50% of the land area of the project. The proposed accessory use is consistent with the PC zoning and compatible with surrounding uses and zoning and the property has access to public water and sewer. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval with the following conditions. First, that the provision or extension of water sanitary sewer services shall be contingent on service availability and civil review. Second, that the exterior design of the proposed accessory structure complements the primary veterinarian facility as determined by the plan director. Third, that a revised concept plan listing conditions of approval and any changes required by City Council shall be submitted within 180 days. And fourth, that the applicant sign a an agreement stating conditions of approval within 180 days. This is before you this evening.

Thank you. Is there a motion to accept this ordinance?

Motion to approve.

Councilman Messina made the motion. And a second?

I second.

From Councilwoman Diggs. Any comments from the public? Comments from council? All those in favor? Thank you. Unanimous. The next item is first reading and public hearing of an ordinance to amend section 4.5.1 of the zoning ordinance regarding parking space requirements in multifamily properties. Mr. Beanbow.

Thank you. This is an item the Planning Commission met about on July 14th, And the proposed amendment requires one and a half parking spaces for each one-bedroom unit, two parking spaces for each two-bedroom unit, two and a half parking spaces for each three-bedroom unit. LIHTC projects can follow the state housing authority's requirements of one space for each one-bedroom unit, one and a half for each two-bedroom unit, and two for each three-bedroom unit. And this is before council this evening.

Thank you. Do I have a motion, please?

I'll make that motion. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you. Councilman Messina made the motion. I'll second. Madam Mayor? Second from Councilman Broll. Any discussion from the public? Any discussion from council? All those in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you. Motion passed the next item is first reading in public hearing of an ordinance to amend the zoning ordinance regarding historic property designations. Mister being bill.

Thank you. This is an ordinance to amend Section 5.2.2 of the City of Aiken Zoning Ordinance regarding historic property designation. The Planning Commission, July 14th, considered this request of this amendment. In March 2026, the Design Review Board requested that the Planning Commission consider this amendment to 5.2.2 of the Zoning Ordinance to streamline the process and provide relief to property owners seeking certificates of appropriateness from the DRB for undesignated properties. At a joint work session on July 9th, the language was modified to address the concerns of the Planning Commission, and the Planning Commission July 14th unanimously voted to recommend this approval of the text amendment and is before council this evening.

Thank you. May I have a motion, please?

So moved. Second.

Councilman Morgan made the motion, and Councilman Waldo seconded. Any comments from the public? Yes. How are you this evening?

Hi, Linda Johnson, 515 Parkside Drive. I highly encourage you to pass this amendment. Mr. Plyler has worked very carefully with the Design Review Board and Planning Commission to come up with something that will work well. This will address an issue that's been a big problem for the last several years. It's a problem, though, that started 35 years ago. But in the last couple years, it's just created a problem for applicants. It has cost them four to six months on projects. sometimes, and it's caused a couple of high profile dramas that didn't need to happen. So if this can be put in place, it bypasses that four to six month delay and allows applicants coming to the design review board to move forward. So thank you.

Thank you for your comment.

Ben Lott, chairman DRB. So thank you. It's a great opening. You know, we have had several applicants come over the past couple of years where they've had to wait extended periods of time due to the way the ordinance was written back in the early 90s. And we felt strongly back when Council Member Morgan was on the board, we felt very strongly that we needed to do some kind of stopgap measure to help alleviate the applicants from being delayed unnecessarily by...

way the ordinance was written.

I've had several people say, well, we're about to do the new survey. Why don't we do a 100% survey? And we are. But I have absolute full confidence that even with the 100% survey, that something else is going to happen. There's going to be a house built or something, and that we're still going to have a gap. And I think we will always have a gap until we eliminate this kind of what I call a loophole in our current ordinance. So I think it's best for the city of Aiken that we close this loophole so that DRB can actively work on applicants and people in the neighborhoods can proceed with their lives and move on with their lives and not be held up by an ordinance that was passed many years ago.