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04.20.2018 | GREENVILLE JOURNAL | 11
Ordinance change would allow Spero’s Pete’s Original Too to rebuild Rebuilding of Spero’s Pete’s Original Too, a restaurant left in ruin by an explosion that followed a 2014 flash flood, would be possible under a proposed change to Greenville’s stormwater ordinance. Members of the Greenville City Council on Monday, April 9, gave initial approval to amending the city’s stormwater ordinance to allow reconstruction of structures located in a regulatory floodway under certain circumstances. A storm in August 2014 parked over parts of Greenville County and dumped up to 6 inches of rain in a matter of hours, bringing flash floods that destroyed businesses, damaged homes, shut down a portion of Interstate 85 for hours, and caused the deaths of two people who were swept away by floodwaters. Spero’s Pete’s Original Too was subsequently leveled because of the damage from the explosion. After the August flood, the Federal Emergency Management Agency changed the designation of owner Spero Conits’ and surrounding property from floodplain to floodway. When Conits sought a permit to rebuild, it was denied because the city’s stormwater ordinance prohibited new construction in a floodway and reconstruction of a damaged building if the damage is greater than 50 percent of the building’s market value. The amendment, which must receive one more vote before it takes effect, allows a preexisting structure destroyed by casualty to be rebuilt if denial would result in unreasonable hardship, and if no piece of the property was located within a regulatory floodway at the time the owner purchased the property or the building was originally constructed, and the building was continuously in use until it was damaged or destroyed. Greenville’s Engineering Services Manager Dwayne Cooper said the change would affect a handful of properties, including Conits’ property. The rebuilds would still have to meet FEMA regulations, Cooper said. Conits appealed the building permit denial. His attorney, Pat Paschal, had said there were no encumbrances or ordinances preventing either construction or modification, and the
Spero’s Pete’s Original Too was destroyed by an explosion that followed a 2014 flash flood. File photo
restaurant was destroyed through no fault of Conits. Denying Conits the ability to rebuild amounted to a regulatory taking of property without compensation, Paschal had said. At the time of the flood, experts said decades of growth, much of it predating stormwater regulations, contributed to the flooding. As rooftops, roads, and paved parking lots have replaced green space, there’s less ground for the water to seep into. Instead, rainwater is sent straight into streams, creeks, and rivers. Richland Creek, which runs behind the property on which Spero’s Pete’s Original Too stood, overflowed during the storm. Since 2005, the city has spent more than $15 million on stormwater projects in floodprone areas of the city: the Henderson basin in the Parkins Mill area, Chick Springs, White Oaks, Broad Street, and near McAlister Square. In some areas, such as an area up from Bennett Street, flood elevations were reduced by 5 feet and quite a few houses were removed from the floodway, Cooper said. The city is now working on Stormwater 2.0, a new plan that looks at regional detention as well as focuses on water quality. Streambankbank erosion reduction is also a priority. –Cindy Landrum