The Proposed Keowee Trail Student Housing Project

The plan calls for 1,325 beds but only 613 parking spaces for residents. 

This assumes that only 46% of the residents will have cars.  In the South an average of 66% of students have cars.  Most believe the percentage is even higher at Clemson.

Where will the rest of the residents park?  At area businesses?  Along the residential roads?

The proposed development will not have any detention pond system.  The runoff from all of the cars, asphalt and concrete will run into Lake Hartwell at Abernathy Park.  This is a narrow shallow cove with little water movement to disburse pollutants.  DHEC may approve the plan but they do not have the best record in protecting South Carolina's waters: Toxic Chemicals in Virtually Every South Carolina River

The proposed building is 7 stories.  The width has also been described as wider than a New York City block and nearly as wide as 2 Chicago city blocks.

Abernathy Park - the city's ONLY lake front park - will be taken over by the 1300 residents of the new apartment complex and their visitors.  In addition, parking for residents will be moved much further from the shore and the number of spaces will be more limited (and likely taken over by the 50% of students who won't be able to find a resident parking space).

The City of Clemson has been losing its community-wide shopping and dining at an alarming rate.  Places like the Blue Heron have been replaced by student apartments.  Now comes another development that will displace another community restaurant - the Pot Belly Deli.

Five of the six city council members were personally sued by the owners of the property along Keowee Trail when they (Keowee LLC) sued the city.  The lawsuit has been paused until March 31, 2024 while the voting takes place (so the pause date will likely be extended).

Per a recent article in the Post and Courier, “Those city council members named in the lawsuit should recuse themselves from voting because they have a potential financial stake in how this vote goes,” Nancy Spitler said in the email. “I am copying the city attorney on this and ask that it be explored legally. We will do so as well on our end.”

It would appear there is a conflict of interest when you have been personally sued and the lawsuit is paused pending your vote.  The implication being, if you vote in favor of the entity suing you they will withdraw the lawsuit against YOU as well as the city.  A quote in a Post and Courier article dated March 19, 2024, appears to confirm this apparent quid pro quo: "According to Keowee Trail attorney Rivers Stillwell, the lawsuit is ready to go back into action if yet another development fails to gain city approval".

Ask 10 lawyers if this is a conflict of interest and you'll probably get 10 different answers.  If these council members don't recuse themselves it may come to the SC Ethics Commission or the courts to decide if voting while being personally sued over the same matter your voting on is illegal.

Regardless of whether or not their voting would be legal, is it right?

One side of Keowee Trail is bordered by Abernathy Park. The other is side of the street is lined
with single family homes that are mostly abandoned and previously were primarily used as
small businesses. The current zoning for this property is Commercial Mixed Use.

The City’s Zoning Ordinance for Commercial Mixed Use (19-401 B)
“The purpose of the CM, Commercial Mixed-Use District is to serve as the gateway to
downtown Clemson by providing a transition between the downtown, the commercial corridor
on Tiger Boulevard, and adjacent residential neighborhoods; encourage the horizontal and
vertical mixing of compatible uses; place a special emphasis on protection of adjacent
residential neighborhoods, attractive streetscape and building wall patterns, pedestrian access,
on-street and public parking, and reducing curb cuts on College Avenue; encourage intensities
and amenities that support pedestrian-oriented uses; and promote the establishment of small
businesses.”

Note that the description “transition between the downtown, the commercial corridor on Tiger
Boulevard” perfectly describes the location of Keowee Trail and is consistent with the plans for
Uptown (which encompasses Keowee Trail) as described in Clemson NEXT. Other elements of
the current zoning important to residents include:

• “Pedestrian access, on-street and public parking”
• “Emphasis on protection of adjacent residential neighborhoods”
• “Amenities that support pedestrian-oriented uses”

The City’s Zoning Ordinance for Planned Use Development (PUD) (19-501 B and C)
“The PD designation allows a developer and the City the opportunity to execute a well-
integrated design that is responsive to the unique location and the physical features of a site
while providing opportunities for public input” and “the ultimate purpose of a PD district,
pursuant to the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of
1994, is to allow flexibility in development that will result in improved design, character, and
quality of new mixed-use developments and preserve natural and scenic features of open
spaces.” Elements of a PUD important to residents include:

• “Responsive to physical features of the site"
• “Public input”
• “Preserve natural and scenic features of open spaces”