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Awendaw, SC -
The town of Awendaw is on the verge of change. A developer is presenting its plans for what should be built on more than 300 acres of land. The developer, Siemens Whiteside and Associates is asking the public what it wants to see put on the land known as the Nebo tract. Most residents want to know what will go on the land and how big the development will be. “I am concerned because this land is literally tucked into the Francis Marion National Forest,” Awendaw Town Councilmember Sam Robinson said. “I believe it is bounded on three sides by the national forest.”
The Nebo tract surrounds Mt. Nebo Church along Highway 17 and it is attracting growth because of its location and prime real estate. Some folks who call Awendaw home are not on board with the plans. “It would impact the quality of life,” John Brubaker, an Awendaw resident for ten years said. “It would devastate natural creatures and natural systems.”Nature is not the only concern; some say once the houses more in, the less fortunate will have to move out. “Poor people are always the victims of development. Poor people are never considered in the matrix and poor people suffer the results of development,” Robinson added. ‘We don’t want another Four Mile, Six Mile or Seven Mile. We don’t want another situation where taxes are driven up by large developers and developments.”Neighbors now want to speak up about what should go on the land before it is too late. “I would like to see low density development and maybe residential development on the Nebo tract,” Brubaker added. Some residents are also concerned about another 7,000 acres of land called the Fairlawn tract being encroached upon. The owner of that land plans to try to annex it into the town soon. The developer will hold a public input meeting at Awendaw Town Hall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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