CLEMSON, S.C.  Residents made last-minute arguments to stop a church office and condominium development, but to no avail as the City Council agreed 5-2 to allow the project to proceed.
The vote gave final approval for a zoning change that has packed meetings for months and divided two neighboring churches, according to a report in The Greenville News.
Rezoning the property will allow Clemson United Methodist Church to build a five-story condominium and office building that opponents said would bring traffic and forever change the residential neighborhood behind the churches.
Members of neighboring Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish will "take it one step at a time," said Boo Wilson, senior warden at Holy Trinity.
"We are very disappointed and we are considering what options we do have," Wilson said when asked if an appeal would be made.
Terry Long, the developer and a member of Clemson UMC, said he wants to work with Holy Trinity and the neighborhood to minimize the impact of the $10 million to $14 million project.
The project would be an upscale development and could add about $40,000 in tax revenue to the city and offer alumni and residents a quality place to live downtown, Long told the council during the meeting.
