Greenville County Planning Commission Says 'No' to Eastside CVS

*Edited 8:54 a.m. to correct vote count.

Residents of an Eastside neighborhood won a small victory Wednesday as the Greenville County Planning Commission denied the request of a retail pharmacy to move in to their neighborhood by a vote of 5-2.

Fred and Doris Youngblood have lived in their home at Pelham Estates for 42 years. Both are relieved that at least for now, the idea of a CVS Pharmacy being constructed at the corner of Pelham and Hudson roads has been halted.

"It's a delightful place to live," Doris Youngblood said. "We are delighted that the commission has denied the request."

The proposed location is across the street from Greenville Hospital System's Patewood Campus and it's not the first time the neighborhood has lobbied to keep the space residential.

In 2006, the county adopted The Pelham Road Corridor Plan, which allowed single-family residences on the north side of Pelham Road and west of Hudson Road. In 2008, CVS made its first attempt to put a location in the area, but residents united and County Council denied the request with a 6-5 vote.

On Wednesday afternoon, Planning Commission members analyzed each part of the newest CVS plan. They looked at a newly designed intersection, which the company would pay for, that could alleviate congested traffic in the area, the permanent conservation of 12 acres of land surrounding the property and asked questions of SRS Engineering, which completed the traffic study.

Commission members discussed the property for about 45 minutes, weighing the pros and the cons for rezoning the property for commercial use. Included in the discussion:

• The possibility of the City of Greenville annexing the property.
• How rezoning would effect the Pelham Road plan.
• Establishing that some of the things promised by the developer are not things that Greenville County could enforce.

"It feels like we are doing the city's dirty work by allowing this land use to be approved," Commissioner Todd Ward said.

Anthony Copper moved in to the neighborhood just six years ago. It's not that he's against commercial development, he just would prefer it not be in his backyard.

"We enjoy our quiet neighborhood and our close proximity to Haywood Road and to Woodruff Road," Copper said. "Those are commercial districts and there's plenty of areas for commercial development and we don't want another Woodruff Road on this section of Pelham Road."

Copper said this type of activity outside of long-range planning is exactly how Woodruff Road happened.

"One parcel at a time and it starts the domino effect," Copper said. "As soon as one property falls, and the next one and so does the next. And if it's not a CVS, it's a McDonald's or you name it."

Copper said the effects are irreversible.

"Land is finite and once it's converted, it doesn't go back," he said. "So these are very important, very weighted decisions."

Copper said he prefers to look at how the decision to re-zone looks in the future and says there is no shortage of commercial space or development in the area.

"Typical commercial use runs 15-25 years. The Youngbloods have been in their house for 42 years. We are looking long term," Copper said. "It's important to the sustainability of Greenville to stand our ground and encourage businesses to thrive in the areas that we've set aside for commercial development and protect our neighborhoods at the same time. It's an important balance to make Greenville a great place to live for the long term."

Copper said the proposed development is not a service to his neighborhood as it is not walker-friendly, nor is it bike-friendly, for neighbors living nearby to the site. He said the residents of his neighborhood would still have to drive to the location and if that's the case, he could drive further up the road to shop.

"There's no commercial advantage to developing that property that's across the street," Copper said.

And if the property were to be rezoned, Copper worries about the impact it will have on his own home.

"What happens on that property directly will affect the property that wraps around my property on two sides," Copper said. "And the precedent set here is going to jump across the street and that property directly wrapping around my backyard is going to be next."

The Planning Commission will make their recommendation to the County Council. A date for Council to take up the matter has not been set.