BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood leaders plan to interview two consulting firms to determine which one will help the town rewrite zoning and land development laws.
On Tuesday night, Town Administrator Carroll Williamson told the Blythewood Planning Commission the town’s top picks are Kendig Keast Collaborative and Stewart Inc.
In addition to zoning and land use, the firm Blythewood ultimately selects will also help the town with annexation efforts.
“There’s been desire by council for a long time to do more annexation and so this was an effort to use the same consultants,” Williamson said. “They’re already looking at land usage. We want to also use them to help the town create an annexation policy.”
Interviews are scheduled for Friday afternoon in a council meeting setting, though an exact time wasn’t stated. Representatives from each firm will attend to conduct presentations and answer questions.
Williamson said council members hope to award the contract at the January 23 meeting. They’ll then work closely with the planning commission, he said.
Four firms submitted requests for proposals to the town, with town leaders narrowing the list of finalists to two. Williamson characterized the finalists as “two very good, qualified planning firms.”
Kendig Keast, which has offices in Simpsonville, also has branches in Texas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. The company has worked with the City of Florence on its master plan since 2010, according to the Florence Downtown Development Corporation.
Stewart Inc. has locations in Columbia and Fort Mill, and also several offices in North Carolina. The company states on its website that it previously worked with the Town of Lexington to update its land use plan and ordinance.
Williamson said copies of each of the candidates’ proposals are available at town hall.
