A year ago, it was ‘deader than a doornail.’ Now, Indian Land residents fear it’s back

Residents of the high-priced BridgeMill community generally agree on these points.

▪  They say they knew they moved to the Indian Land neighborhood aware the McClancy Seasoning Co. was operating there.

▪  They say they’re not opposed to McClancy expanding, possibly creating more than 40 jobs.

▪  They’re unhappy the area around McClancy could soon be rezoned from residential to light industrial to make expansion a reality.

On Monday, Lancaster County Council approved the second reading of a controversial ordinance critics say would hurt home values in the 500-plus-home BridgeMill area. Dozens of residents showed up clad in red in a show of solidarity in opposition to the motion.

County officials admit they made a mistake by zoning the spice company as residential 18 years agoand attempted to correct the mistake on behalf of the owner in late 2015. However, that rezone application was eventually denied after strong community outcry from many of the same residents who showed up Monday. They said at the time they felt their neighborhood was threatened.

After 15 months, the issue is back under review.

Melissa Williams says she and her family likely wouldn’t have moved to the area if they had known the McClancy property would be rezoned to light industrial. She said she worries McClancy CEO Reid Wilkerson might choose to uproot the company elsewhere, which could open the door to unwanted development around her home.

One resident said his home was worth about $630,000.

“I don’t look at my home and see dollar signs, but I see my first home,” Williams said. “This is personal to me and my two boys, 2 and 4. I want to live here for the next 30 years, but I’m afraid what this will lead to.”

The company says it hopes to make the change to expand its facility off Spice Road as part of a $3 million project McClancy said will create 42 new jobs.

Council members heard opposition from 20 speakers Monday night, but voted 4-3 to approve the second reading with a stipulation the property stays light industrial only if it remains as a food processing plant.

Neighbor Henry Korff says he can’t count on it staying a food industrial plant. He said the neighbors have considered filing a suit of their own.

“We think that’s a possibility,” Korff said. “We don’t know if it needs to go there, or will go there, but it’s a possibility. It would be nice if we could avoid it.”

The company sued the county after the 2015 rejection, saying they were denied use of their property, said Councilman Brian Carnes, one of the Panhandle’s two representatives. County officials will consider the third — and final — reading of the ordinance at its next meeting.

Should the rezone pass, protestors say the change could be considered spot zoning, which is illegal in South Carolina.

Instead of the change to light industrial, neighbors argued to council they could try to settle the lawsuit with McClancy and find a better option for the company to expand without rezoning through mediation.

“I’m really sad,” Williams said. “I’m anguished by the decision. It’s not about property value, it’s about the value of life. It feels like the blanket was pulled over our heads. We bought very expensive homes in a high-end community, and now they’re fixing a zoning mistake in our back yard.”

Wilkerson is filing the rezone application this time. In 2015, county administrator Steve Willis wanted the county to correct the error rather than wait for the company to apply for the rezoning. The motion was dropped after lengthy debate, leading now former Councilman Larry McCullough, another Panhandle representative at the time, to declare the issue “deader than a doornail.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 3:36 PM with the headline "A year ago, it was ‘deader than a doornail.’ Now, Indian Land residents fear it’s back."