By: Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer | jermy@thewoodrufftimes.com
The Woodruff City Council approved requests for more than 20 acres of annexations into the city and gave the go-ahead for the police department to establish guidelines for the future addition of license plate readers in the city.
Nearly three acres at 106 and 200 Phillips Lane were approved for annexation and zoned as Planned Development, and an additional almost six acres on Angells Drive were also annexed. That acreage was zoned R-2 Residential. Both properties were matched in zoning with the surrounding areas. The council also approved the annexation of more than 11 acres on Varner Street to be zoned R-2 Residential.
The council also approved the rezoning of just over an acre at 275 N. Pearson St. from R-1 Residential to R-2 Residential to accommodate subdividing the lot for more than one home. They also rezoned just over four acres on Highway 101 and Old Orchard Road to C-3 General Commercial to accommodate more options for development. Both zonings matched area zonings.
Woodruff Police Chief Greg Ryan appeared before the council to request approval for the department to establish guidelines for the use of automatic license plate readers in the city. The policy would outline what the readers can and cannot be used for.
Chief Ryan explained that the system they expect to bring in ties into national systems to alert police departments when a vehicle with an alerted license plate enters their jurisdiction. The alerts can be for a stolen vehicle, a missing persons alert, or a wanted fugitive, among other things.
The system would help with coordination with other agencies and would be installed at key points around the city to detect any alerts coming into Woodruff. Chief Ryan said the system would only be used for alerts and not for speeding or other enforcement. The Council approved the creation of the guidelines.
As part of the July meeting, Jay Jenkins of OneSpartanburg appeared before the council to present The Woodruff Times with the PowerUp Emerge Award, recognizing the work the newspaper has done to be an informational resource for the community.
The Woodruff City Council meets on the last Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The meetings are open to the public, and the next meeting will be on August 26.
Author: aryanethsales
