Personal Injury Attorneyin Holly Hill, SC.

The town of Eutawville currently does not have its own sewage and uses a septic tank system.

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — The town of Holly Hill is entering into a shared agreement with the town of Eutawville to share sewage costs.

The plan would allow Holly Hill to run sewage pipes from Eutawville along Eutaw Road into the town of Holly Hill and treat its sewer system.

“It’s a game changer for eastern Orangeburg County," said Holly Hill Mayor Billy Chavis.

Chavis says this partnership will help prepare both towns for growth coming to Eastern Orangeburg County, by increasing its sewage capacity.

RELATED: New annexation in Holly Hill to bring 74 homes to town limits

“It made sense for us to at least reach out and get down to the bare bones of this agreement see if its once again financially feasible for us to give sewer to them so that Eutawville can express the same growth that Holly Hill’s gonna have," said Chavis.

The town of Eutawville currently does not have its own sewage and uses a septic tank system. Eutawville resident Melissa Garing says she would prefer to keep things how they are.

“I’m against it simply because we live in a small town. I like the small town feel, I like my well water. Septic tank is kind of a pain when you have to pump it out but it’s a small price to pay for not having so much growth and so much city life around us," said Garing.

It will be equally funded by both towns' general funds. Currently, the town of Holly Hill is under a one-year short term utility agreement with Envirolink. By the first quarter of next year, Mayor Chavis is hoping the town will receive South Carolina Infrastructure Improvement Funding to decide their next steps.

RELATED: SC town looks to make agreement with NC based utility company

Eutawville resident Jerry Robertson says he moved from Charleston seven years ago to escape urban development.

“The cost of a sewer plant is gonna take our valuable farmland which is currently growing food, textiles, lumber, soy products, it’s gonna take that farmland and it’s gonna turn it into subdivisions, it’s gonna get paved over, and built over," said Robertson.

American Engineering Consultants, LLC will conduct a feasibility study by the end of the month. This will determine how both towns will proceed with this partnership.

The Mayor says he's confident the company will help guide the town in the right direction as it takes steps to improve its infrastructure.

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — The town of Holly Hill has signed a partnership with American Engineering Consultants, LLC.

This Columbia-based group will be designing the town's sewer system.

Earlier this year, the town entered into an agreement with North Carolina-based utility company Envirolink to start treating its water and sewage systems.

“With us bringing another professional to the table, they will help guide Holly Hill, and I can only speak for Holly Hill and make sure that we know the best route with Envirolink to take us to the future," said Mayor Billy Chavis.

Mayor Chavis says this is a part of the town's plans to push for receiving more federal COVID recovery funds for rural infrastructure projects.

RELATED: Free food boxes for individuals and families coming to Santee in August

“We’re trying to be on the cutting edge so that we put ourselves on the front of that list so when the state of South Carolina hands down money we’ll be one of the first ones in line to get it," said Chavis.

RELATED: New annexation in Holly Hill to bring 74 homes to town limits

He says he is confident the company will help guide the town of Holly Hill in the right direction as it takes the necessary steps to improve its infrastructure.

"We're putting the best people at the table who can direct us on what's our best next move. Everything we're doing right now is about the next move to go get this ARPA money," he said, “Help us build our foundation on solid rock instead of sand so that this time around Holly Hill will endure for many many years and be a viable option for industries and developments in the future," said Chavis.

A new plan that would reshape much of the Mt. Holly and Albright roads corridor with new homes, apartments and business is on its way to Rock Hill City Council.

The city planning commission recommended a sweeping zoning change on Tuesday night. The decision now goes to council on Sept. 25.

York Capital and Albright Corners applied to rezone 127 acres at Mt. Holly and Albright roads, just south of Saluda Street. Two separate areas are located on either side of the Southland Park neighborhood off Pearson Drive. The properties are a little east of Rock Hill Country Club.

The zoning change would allow a mixed-use property combining residential and commercial. A submitted proposal shows 475 new homes, townhomes or apartments. The project is broken into two pieces, Albright Commons East and Albright Commons West.

Albright Commons East is the larger piece. At about 71 acres, it’s east of Mt. Holly Road and south of Albright Road. The southern portion would have 174 townhomes and 150 apartments. A portion along Albright would have about 150,000 square feet of office, retail or commercial space.

Albright Commons West would be about 50 acres on the west side of Mt. Holly Road. It would add 250 apartments, 40 townhomes and 35 homes. Immediately north of the apartment area is commercial property owned by Walmart.

City planner Dennis Fields said there at one point was movement there to locate a new Walmart.

New public streets and private alleys would be built, with on-street parking and sidewalks. The proposal would limit commercial buildings to 50,000 square feet.

The intent is to attract businesses that serve nearby neighborhoods, rather than creating larger regional draws or companies that would detract from existing or coming homes.

Two separate apartment areas would each have their own amenity areas, per the plan. Townhomes could be up to three stories, with four to six units per building. The 35 homes would be adjacent to the Country Club Estates subdivision on lots comparable in size to the Holly Hills and Taylor Oaks subdivisions.

Albright Commons West would include a clubhouse with a pool in the apartment area and at least two more amenities in common open space for the new home area. Albright Commons West would have a recreation or gathering room, resource center, fitness and laundry facilities in the apartment area and at least four more amenities in common open space areas.

It hasn’t been determined, according to the zoning application, which areas or property uses would be developed first.

The plan shows three new entrance or exit points each off Mt. Holly and Albright roads. There are two more connection points to the existing Southland neighborhood.

There are portions of Albright Commons East that are within the property up for rezoning, but aren’t included.

“There is a bakery,” Fields said. “There is a self-storage facility and then there is another parcel that is in the middle.”

City staff have referred to the area up for development as a food desert because of the scarcity of grocery stores. There have been studies and past community efforts aimed at bringing new investment and development to the area. The properties are now zoned for commercial use, but adding residential is a step the city and developers see as crucial to attracting commercial development.

“This area...is definitely a bit of a food desert, a bit of an opportunity area for some homes, population growth, retail growth, commercial growth,” said Taylor Seeloff with The Nichols Company, representing York Capital on Tuesday night.

“We tried to lay out this plan to best meet those needs.”

Fields said the zoning change isn’t the typical sort, where a property zoning changes to allow a set list of land uses. Because the zoning is to a master plan, it would lock in approved development conditions with the change that are specific just to that site.

“This one does have a plan that is approved along with it,” Fields said.

The developer asked for a host of tweaks to what city zoning typically would allow. They relate to buffer distances, driveway dimensions and other features. The city still will see and ultimately have to approve project details when it returns for major site plan or preliminary plat review.

Fields said any deviations from city code due to soil conditions or other factors at the property wouldn’t open the city up to changes for other zoning districts or projects.

“Master plans lock it into only this development,” Fields said.

This story was originally published September 6, 2023, 12:35 PM.

A tree stump still sits in front of a church in Holly Hill, the scene of a huge downed tree during storm winds. On Sunday church members gather to give thanks.

HOLLY HILL, S.C. — When a large tree fell in front of the Holly Hill Methodist Church during strong winds, the Rev. John Elmore wasn't sure if Sunday's church service would go on; however, with the community's help, the church is fully functional and giving back to others.

A song of praise and thanksgiving was sung inside Holly Hill United Methodist Church on Sunday. The view is a stark difference from the one on Thursday after Tropical Storm Idalia ripped through the area. Elmore said he was cleaning up some flooding inside the church when his week changed instantly.

"My wife actually heard something. She said, 'What was that?' I said, 'I don't know, come on, let's move some chairs.' When we walked outside, the mayor and city workers were here and the tree was laying across the street," Elmore said. "We got it to where they could use a tractor, and of course, they pushed it and blocked about two-thirds of the front of the church."

A News19 crew was in Holly Hill Thursday to see the tree completely turned over in the street, with church members using chainsaws to break it down.

On Sunday, no tree remained in front of the church, and the road was open to normal traffic. The Rev. Elmore said the trials of the storm were a key part of the message of his sermon.

"Some of the illustrations that we used in the sermon were tied to the tree and tied to the storm because we all had lived it," he said. "And so, we can speak into that reality of the scriptures and how they relate to us."

A small crowd gathered inside for the church on Sunday. According to Elmore, many helped get the church operating that day. He said that, in the coming week, his church will have the opportunity to help others in worse situations through the Methodist church's emergency response team.

"We have 10 to 12 trailers that are fully stocked to do tarping, muck-outs from flooding homes, [and] tree removal equipment," he said. "We've received an invitation to go to Ray City, Georgia."

Elmore said he's seen God work through people locally and nationally during the storm, giving more opportunities to spread the gospel.

"It's always people trying to help us in the time of storms, and we should always be willing to be that," he said. "Because when we do, people get to see our love for other people, and I think the scripture is always about loving other people."

Shop manager on Old State Road in Holly Hill says he and others are still seeing flooding, mold and financial loss.

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Hurricane Idalia may seem like old news by now, but some Orangeburg County residents are still struggling with the damage it left behind.

Shawn Olsen is the manager of the Majestic Pineapple, a shop on Old State Road in Holly Hill. He says they’re still recovering from the physical and financial effects of Hurricane Idalia.

“When the storm was over, lo and behold, I came and I had a mini flood that then damaged a lot of property,” Olsen said.

He says they lost between $3,000 and $4,000 in inventory. Now, the shop is having issues with flooding and mold that they didn’t have before.

“It just comes in now,” Olsen said. “Now it- it comes in through the walls.”

Olsen says other businesses in Holly Hill are in similar situations.

For other Holly Hill residents, evidence of Hurricane Idalia is just about gone.

“In general in town, we are pretty much back to normal,” said John Elmore. “A little bit of debris here.”

Reverand John Elmore is the pastor at a church where a large tree fell during the storm. He says the clean-up and repairs throughout the town were ‘seamless’.

“Even in the midst of the storm, when the tree fell here at the church, our city workers and the mayor responded great and I ended up being out there with them,” Elmore said.

The director of Orangeburg County’s Office of Emergency Services, Billy Staley, says they encourage residents to report damage.

“The county is still doing damage assessment as we get damage reported,” Staley said. “After the storm the county went and combed the areas looking for damage from the storm and our flood prone areas. We had several homes that had low levels of water in them but that were impacted.”

He says the damage is not severe enough to access FEMA resources.

“We don't meet those thresholds,” Staley said. “But we are trying to connect with our partners, our volunteer organizations to help those families who may need help, who had damage to their structures.”