Hundreds of townhomes could go up across from Northwestern High School in Rock Hill
Property across from two Rock Hill schools once set for a grocery store could now become residential and retail.
Townhomes and commercial space would go up near Northwestern High School, pending a rezoning of more than 40 acres. Halpern Enterprises applied to rezone parcels on Rawlinson Road, West Main Street and Meadowlark Drive. The combined site is directly across Main Street from the high school.
The properties are a mix of city and unincorporated York County parcels. Annexation would bring them all into Rock Hill for the development. There’s a vacant fast food restaurant, a retail center, a home and several undeveloped properties on the site.
The retail site is part of a shopping center partially demolished in 2016. At the time there was a Walmart Neighborhood Market grocery store planned. After demolition began to make way for the grocery store, that plan fell through and the grocery store never happened.
The plan now involves retail shopping and two commercial properties along Main Street with 213 townhomes behind them. The commercial area is about 13,000 square feet. A sketch plan also shows two traffic signal access points. There’s a central amenity area and three retention ponds on the sketch.
City planners recommend in favor of the project. It reduces traffic compared to the prior Walmart plan and fits the area, according to a recommendation that planners made to the city planning commission.
Almost 100 people came out to a neighborhood meeting on the plan. The city also received more than half a dozen emails from area residents protesting the new development. Several brought up not only Northwestern but Rawlinson Road Middle School and the impact development traffic would have on the schools.
The city planning commission will look at the proposal Tuesday night. A public hearing is included. The planning commission will make a recommendation to Rock Hill City Council. Council will have final say on rezoning, which would include another public hearing.
Rock Hill home, business changes
The planning commission also will discuss possible changes to city rules that impact homes, and businesses that go into former homes.
One set of rules involves driveway lengths, fronts of homes, construction materials and other design standard elements for new home construction. It particularly applies with new subdivisions. Another looks at sidewalks, parking and similar issues when a former home or business switches uses.
The only other action on the planning commission agenda is a grandfathered daycare center. The owner of almost 4 acres at 1516 and 1570 Ebinport Road asked to rezone the property that doesn’t match the daycare there now.
The daycare was built in 1976 and later zoned to a district that wouldn’t allow one. The rezoning would allow the daycare outright, not just because it was there prior to zoning rules.
