Rock Hill sees new apartments, commercial and a church building swap in latest plans
New construction at an historic Rock Hill church, apartments, townhomes and commercial space are up next in Rock Hill.
The city planning commission meets Tuesday. On the agenda are new residential and commercial projects. One building would come down and another replace it at a downtown church.
Here’s a look at what is proposed:
▪ Southern Street Builders applied to rezone more than 9 acres at Lee Street, Constitution Boulevard and Hardin Street to allow for new townhomes. The site is the undeveloped portion of the roundabout between those roads, south of Slow Play Brewing. The city’s economic development office and Freedom Temple Ministries are the listed owners of 10 addressed properties.
The plan for the property involves 90 townhomes adjacent to University Center. The area between Constitution and White Street, on both sites of Lee Street, is undeveloped but a portion of it was used prior for city utilities. Possible environmental issues from that prior use may mean the development can’t be subdivided and sold as typical townhomes. Units could be sold as condominiums.
Buildings would be three stories with private alleys in the rear. Each unit would have a driveway and tuck-under garage. Access to the buildings would come off Lee Street. The two-phase development would bring 37 units south of Lee, then 53 more in the second phase.
▪ Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church applied to rezone about 4 acres that would allow the church at 421 Oakland Avenue to demolish its education building and build a new multipurpose building in its place.
The property involves 10 land parcels owned by the church. The main church building dates back to 1912. The church is just south of Winthrop University and east of University Center.
The two-story education building that would come down is 13,700 square feet. It was built in 1963. The new multipurpose building would be 8,000 to 12,000 square feet. The parking lot may need reconfiguration, too.
The size of the church, at more than 300 occupants, means without a rezoning it would take a special exception from the zoning board of appeals for the new construction. Rezoning would allow it without that extra step. The new construction also would need approval from the city historic review board.
▪ Development & Construction Insight of Cary, North Carolina applied for major site plan review for the third phase of Rock Hill Commerce Center. Formerly Randolph Yarns, the commerce center east of I-77 was approved in 2019 for four buildings. Two have been built. A change this summer allowed for one larger building rather than two smaller ones remaining.
Now the developer wants a new building that wasn’t in prior plans. It would be just west of the two existing constructions.
The property at 2501 and 2601 David Hutchison Road is almost 4 acres. The new building would be 50,000 square feet.
▪ Tartan Residential of Charlotte applied for major site plan review for the Johnston Farms Apartments project. The more than 22-acre plan at 620 S. Anderson Road and 1182 Princeton Road was rezoned two years ago to allow for 120 workforce housing apartments. Also planned are a couple of acres for commercial use.
Apartments would come in five, three-story buildings.
