To Whom It May Concern

By Henry F. Cooper…February 11, 2021

342 Sweetwater Road, North Augusta, SC  29860

Since I could not be with you this evening, I want to share a few brief thoughts.

First, I advocate planning to accomplish any important goal. I’ve spent most of my adult life planning to achieve important national security goals, with considerable success.

Second, planning for Edgefield County’s future deserves high priority, given Augusta’s inevitable growth in regional and national importance—and the consequential fallout of that growth in all of Augusta’s surrounding areas. Yesterday’s important announcement of Generac’s new plant in Trenton is an important beginning, in my view—and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Third, I witnessed such evolution everywhere I have lived since I left my Sweetwater farm experience where I learned most of life’s most important lessons from the good folks of this community. I recall when Highway 25 was essentially the only nearby paved road, and it was a significant challenge to drive up and down neighboring unpaved clay hills in a summer rain. Most of the time since then, I have lived in areas where poorly planned growth replaced rural areas. One exception is development along the Georgetown Pike between McLean and Great Falls, Virginia, which was formally declared a Historic Byway decades ago, requiring it remain rural and a two-lane road. That is why I urged at a previous county planning meeting that our planners explore how to make Sweetwater Road a Historic Byway, if South Carolina permits such a possibility. I would also welcome rerouting 18-wheeler traffic to Highway 25 as a priority future planning goal. 

Fourth, whatever the future outcome of the current planning activity, I urge that the rights of all our citizens be respected. Remember that Thomas Jefferson adapted “right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence from John Locke’s “life, liberty and property.” I think owners should have the right to do as they wish with their property, so long as it does not “unduly” infringe on the rights of others. And therein is the rub—and why zoning is important as growth follows from commercial developments, which I believe is unavoidable as our surrounding region grows. Years ago, I recall fierce objections raised when zoning was considered to limit what could be done near Sweetwater Road—and presumably other roads in the county. No doubt, today there are some eyesores that resulted from that stalled effort. Now, Edgefield County “powers that be” are considering new zoning and some folks are rightly concerned.

Fifth, I urge these serious matters be considered with polite deliberations that factually inform and debate possibilities where disagreements exist. I hope that this meeting takes steps in that direction.

Finally, if I were present, I would comment on Tavern Hill, which has attracted significant public attention. Please note that I would much prefer to see only the same open fields where I planted, cultivated and harvested crops as a boy—and joined tens of others in annual dove shoots in the Fall, rather than any housing developments. But that property was inherited by my niece and I could not then afford to purchase it at today’s fair market value. She was well within her rights to sell it and I bear her no ill.  At the same time, I met with the developers of Tavern Hill several years ago and they assured me as they began planning that they would follow architectural designs and roadways that would benefit our neighborhood—I still believe that to be the case.  By the way, widely distributed reports that there will be 212 townhomes are false, as long ago could have been verified by simply checking the County records in Edgefield.  The correct number is zero. It and other unverified claims should be discounted. We owe it to each other to be truthfully informed.

Thank you for your consideration.