Rock Hill soon may grow by almost 2,500 acres. Here’s where, and what’s planned
The Southside Redevelopment Plan in Rock Hill has thousands of acres along I-77 in line for annexation.
When the city planning commission meets Tuesday night, members will hear 20 cases centered mainly in the Porter Road interchange area. Those cases combine to include almost 2,500 acres. Most of them aimed for future industrial development.
The largest project involves 825 acres at Porter and Hawkfield roads. The site is just off the Porter Road exit at I-77. Martin Marietta Materials Real Estate Investments of Indiana operates a granite quarry and two concrete plants. The company plans to expand the quarry, according to its application to the city, and add a third plant.
Company officials asked to annex the three-parcel property into city limits. Rezoning with that annexation would allow the expansion. City planning staff recommend in favor of both moves, noting the project would bring jobs along the interstate and provide materials for future development like granite for roadbeds.
City planning staff recommends in favor of all 20 submissions. Properties there are part of the Southside Redevelopment Plan, which has a public hearing planned when Rock Hill City Council meets Oct. 11. The plan would invest public money in infrastructure to spur revitalization that would in turn increase tax revenue through higher property values. It’s the same thinking behind recent plans for downtown redevelopment and the Carolina Panthers headquarters.
Other projects set to appear before the planning commission include:
▪ Johnson Realty Company applied to annex and rezone 495 acres at 2044 Ablewood Road. The property would get a heavy industrial zoning to market for future development. The property runs on both sides of I-77, Long Meadow Road and Ablewood near Mount Holly Elementary School. It’s mostly undeveloped but has a cotton farm and some timber. The property is south of the existing granite quarry.
▪ Near the Johnson Realty site, and just north of Mount Holly Elementary, is a more than 51-acre site BRICO LLC wants to annex and rezone for general industrial use. The south has frontage on both Long Meadow and Porter, but doesn’t include the intersection. The site is wooded.
▪ Judson Lawrence has another property, at almost 114 acres, up for annexation and rezoning. The site is at and north of the Porter intersection with Barringer Road. Largely wooded, there is a portion of the property to the south used now to store rock and gravel.
▪ Almost 17 acres directly across Porter Road from Mount Holly Elementary is up for annexation and rezoning to industrial use. The site is wooded. The site would be marketed for future development alongside the Judson Lawrence property.
▪ A separate Judson Lawrence property north of Oak Pond Road, at the end of Interconnect Drive, is almost 20 acres. An annexation and rezoning request there also would allow industrial use. It too could be marketed along with other properties for future development.
▪ Norman Development Company asked to annex and rezone 130 acres along I-77, just south of the existing quarry. Plans are to rezone as heavy industrial to market the site for future development.
The property includes the southbound on ramp from Porter Road to the interstate. Less than two acres of the site sit on the opposite side of I-77, near Yorkshire Road. According to the annexation application, part of the reason for the heavy industry designation is potential concrete or asphalt plant use that’s only allowed there.
▪ Another 14 acres near the Norman Development property is likely to be developed along with it, according to city documents. Rock Ridge #3 LLC applied to annex and rezone the 847 Hawkfield Road site for heavy industrial use.
The undeveloped site has what remains of a prior building, its foundations still in place after demolition more than a decade ago. There is environmental contamination on site and a mitigation plan to fix it, according to city documents. The annexation and rezoning would allow the site to be zoned for development along with the Norman site. It too could have a potential concrete or asphalt plant use, pending rezoning.
▪ The CATO Corp. of Charlotte applied to annex and rezone almost 187 acres at 1841 Oak Pond Road. The site would allow general industrial uses. Plans are to market the wooded site for future development.
▪ A Georgia company applied to rezone almost 181 acres, most of it between Castle Heights Middle School and I-77. All but about eight acres sits east of the interstate. The changes would allow general industrial use.
▪ The owners of 108 acres on Taylors Creek and Fire Tower roads applied to annex and rezone the site for industrial use. The site is south of Castle Heights Middle School. The site is likely to be marketed, along with nearby properties, for future development.
▪ WFRI LLC asked to annex and rezone more than 88 acres at 1990 Oak Pond Road. The property is mostly north of Oak Pond, but a small portion sits south. It too would have a general industrial designation for future development.
▪ Commercial Development Holdings has 47 acres near the interstate up for annexation and rezoning. The wooded site is along Marine Drive and the Norfolk Southern rail line. The industrial zoning would help market the property for development.
▪ Johnson Farms wants to rezone 47 acres, which include separate sites at 900 Anderson Road and 860 Marine Drive. The more southern of those two sites has frontage along Fire Tower, near I-77.
The change would allow commercial and industrial uses. The property between Anderson Road and a Norfolk Southern rail line has a paintball course on about half of it. The paintball setup is expected to stay. Wooded portions of the property will be marketed for development.
▪ Owners of more than 29 acres at 2080 Fire Tower Road want to annex and rezone that site to allow a 276,000-square-foot industrial building. The property runs along I-77, near Rock Hill High School and Castle Heights Middle School. A shared access drive off Fire Tower would serve both the new building and expected future development on an adjacent site. Office portions of the industrial building would face the interstate.
▪ Tyco Electronics Corporation applied to annex and rezone 22 acres north of Interconnect, just east of the I-77 northbound on ramp at Porter Road. The general industrial designation would allow the owners to market the property for development.
▪ Almost 15 more acres at 2061 Oak Pond Road are up for annexation and rezoning, to allow industrial use.
▪ State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance Company asked to annex its almost 39-acre site at 1550 Porter Road. There aren’t new development plans there. State Farm already has a 465,000-square-foot claims service center there.
▪ Omeli Development doesn’t have stated plans to change the 27-acre property at 200 Interconnect Drive. The site, east of I-77 between Interconnect and Oak Pond, already has a 100,000-square-foot industrial building on it.
▪ Almost seven acres west of Rock Hill High School could be annexed and rezoned for future industrial development.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 2:08 PM.
