York County looks to turn public’s concerns into comprehensive plan

In some places, only a few residents showed up to hear about the prospects for York County’s future. In others, large crowds peppered officials with questions and comments about roads, housing, density and the environment.

As planners traveled around the county to assess the state of York County ahead of drafting the county’s new comprehensive plan, whether they met with strong public engagement or not depended on how much local residents felt a need for more planning.

Of the four open houses held in the past month to solicit public comment on the top issues facing the county, the best attended were in Lake Wylie and Fort Mill, which have had the biggest explosion of growth since the last comprehensive plan was adopted a decade ago. Residents in those areas want to see tighter restrictions on the growth they feel is hurting their quality of life.

At meetings held in Rock Hill and York, residents voiced similar concerns, but the turnout was lower and the comments reflected different issues.

The York County government staff that held the open houses is compiling the comments collected at all four sites and will publish the results on yorkforward.com.

“There are a lot of handwritten pages to go through,” said Kate Pearce, senior planner with Land Design, the consulting firm handling the county’s 2025 comprehensive plan. “Some people brought in their own notes and handed them to us, and those will be transcribed.”

Much of the rest of the process, expected to take the rest of the year, will be focused on turning those public comments into a workable plan.

The plan’s citizen steering committee will meet April 16 to review notes from the meetings, followed by a public meeting for staff to present the results and get more community feedback. That meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 5 somewhere in Rock Hill, said Steve Allen, York County’s planning services manager.

“We can say ‘10 people want more bike routes,’ or ‘20 people are concerned about transportation’ and go down a list of what the topics of concern are,” said Michael Kazak, an architect who represents York County Council District 1 in Fort Mill on the review committee.

Those reviewing the documents will weigh the public’s preferences and develop long-range plans for implementation and the potential effects of those choices on the county.

“It’s easy for planners to go into a cold, dark room and find the numbers, but it’s what the taxpayers think that’s important,” Kazak said.

Fort Mill

The Fort Mill township is expected to see the most residential growth over the next decade, and that was reflected in the concerns raised at Springfield Middle School.

Al Rogat was one of several residents concerned about increasing traffic in the area. He expressed the hope that county and municipal governments would coordinate on a moratorium on new development for at least a few years. Linda Matus wants developers to be required to add sidewalks and turn lanes on frontage roads, which she hopes will lead to more walkability and fewer cars on the road.

Lake Wylie

The most common refrain during the meeting at Oakridge Middle School: York County shouldn’t grow so fast.

Residents aired concerns about housing density, crowded roads and increased need for public services. Resident Rob Morris was one of many asking to limit or eliminate new apartment projects in Lake Wylie.

Residents also brought up a proposed rock quarry off Ridge Road in Clover, where last summer York County Council voted against a rezoning request there for about 200 acres. Residents are concerned the plan will resurface.

Rock Hill

Lifestyle issues were an overarching theme for those who attended the opening session at the Baxter Hood Center on the York Tech campus.

Janet Wojcik, a Winthrop University professor active with the Eat Smart, Move More program, said more bike routes are needed along county roadways so residents have the opportunity to lead an active lifestyle. Betty Rankin and Allen Lowrance, who both farm property east of Rock Hill, want agricultural conservation built into any comprehensive plan.

“Leisure and wildlife are growing concerns all over the country,” Lowrance said.

The proposed extension of Dave Lyle Boulevard into Lancaster County is another need identified by several people in the Rock Hill area.

York

Western York County residents at York’s Harold C. Johnson Elementary School emphasized the need for maintaining the area’s unique character. Many had fought for the preservation of York’s downtown courthouse and to keep a county office building downtown.

Betsy Johnson, a member of the Bethany Community Association, would like to see “safe, good-paying opportunities for work. We are opposed to pollution and dangerous jobs,” while York resident John Eakin said he’s concerned about parks and green space.

Previous reporting by Fort Mill Times/Lake Wylie Pilot reporter John Marks and Enquirer-Herald reporter Jennifer Becknell contributed to this story.

This story was originally published April 4, 2015 at 10:29 PM with the headline "York County looks to turn public’s concerns into comprehensive plan."