Leaders in Cayce, South Carolina were set to vote Thursday evening on the extension of a controversial moratorium banning a host of new developments within the city. Why would those of us living outside the city care? Because in addition to being an example of municipalities meddling heavy-handedly in the private sector, the moratorium is allegedly gumming up the works of a massive settlement related to the Palmetto State’s NukeGate debacle.
There is also a transparency issue at play: The taxpayer-funded study that officials are citing as the basis for their actions has yet to be released to the public … and may actually be voted on before the public gets a look at the documents.
Wait a minute … shouldn’t that be something the people of Cayce were allowed to look at before their elected officials cast such an important vote?
We certainly think so …
Some background: On December 18, 2019, Cayce officials imposed a 180-day moratorium on “the acceptance, review, processing and granting of applications for approvals, permits or permissions related to the development or construction of (a) single-family residential subdivisions of fifteen (15) residences or more, and (b) multi-family residential housing, including rented or owner-occupied apartments or condominium units.”
Officials imposed this moratorium “in order to have adequate time and opportunity to study, analyze and make recommendations to council concerning the consequences and impact of planned and unplanned large scale residential growth in and around the city.”
In true bureaucratic fashion, officials waited until two months later – February 20, 2020 – to sign an agreement with a firm to conduct the study.
Just in time for a vote on Thursday evening (June 11, 2020), Cayce officials have received the findings of this report – which city documents (.pdf) indicate calls for “use of zoning to guide housing design, investments and diversity” as well as “a strong annexation policy.”
The city also plans on creating a “short-term rental policy” to assist in its new zoning diktats.
According to our sources, the moratorium is also being used to block the sale of certain real estate holdings that have been tied to the $2 billion settlement reached in December 2018 between former crony capitalist utility SCANA and ratepayers.
Specifically, the moratorium is “affecting the ability of the trustee in this case to sell residential property received as part of the settlement.”
“Ratepayers are getting screwed again,” a source familiar with the situation told us.
In an effort to get more information on what is driving this controversial moratorium, our news outlet has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the city.
Take a look …
Developing …
-FITSNews
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