Lancaster County planners rejected new homes. Why they still might get built
The Lancaster County Planning Commission denied two large subdivision projects on Tuesday night. But developers still have opportunities to make them happen.
The commission voted unanimously against a rezoning for 160 acres off Old Hickory Road. G3 Engineering and Old Hickory Hill applied for that change to create a 310-home subdivision. But that vote is a recommendation, with Lancaster County Council set to make the final decision next month.
Tuesday’s decision comes after the project was deferred in April. The site is southwest of Van Wyck, with proposed homes feeding into Lancaster High School. It’s between the Roselyn neighborhood and Landsford Canal State Park in Chester County.
County planning staff recommended that the commission deny the request due to future land use maps and utilities. The developer asked for a change from a rural designation to a growth area one on county maps.
Council will hear that request next month, too, but the commission recommended against it two months ago. Planning staff also had concerns that public water is available for the project, but not sewer service.
The planning commission also unanimously denied a subdivision approval request at 4602 Riverside Road. Coulston Development and B&C Land Farming applied to put 133 homes on more than 250 acres there.
Unlike the Old Hickory Road request, the planning commission has final say on the Riverside Road project.
But the developer can make changes to the proposal and return to the commission. Changes were already underway ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting, according to property representatives and county planners.
School capacity, lot size, fire service connections and traffic were cited as reasons why the commission denied the project.
Residents share growth concerns
New subdivisions in Indian Land have been common for decades. More new homes though, like both projects on Tuesday night, are beginning to go in central or southern parts of Lancaster County.
The level of growth in Lancaster County worries some residents.
“We don’t have the resources right now in this county to address what we’ve got right now, that’s already been built,” Indian Land resident Barbara Scannell told commissioners Tuesday night. “Much less that’s already been approved, much less what’s coming for new development.”
As of February, Lancaster County had about 45,000 housing units and more than 26,000 lots approved for a home that hadn’t been built on it.
The South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office estimates that Lancaster County will have nearly 130,000 residents by 2035, compared to nearly 112,000 now. That means a faster growth pace that what the county has already seen since 2000, where it’s been one of the fastest-growing counties in the region.
Some residents have big picture growth concerns, while others look closer to home.
Riverchase resident David Basri didn’t see turn lanes proposed for the Riverside Road project, like his neighborhood has. He and others on Tuesday talked about high speeds and dangerous intersections near the proposed homes.
“There are hills coming from both directions,” Basri said. “You’re going to end up bringing 60-mile-an-hour traffic to a screeching halt if there’s a car coming the other way, so that car can turn left.”
While the Old Hickory Road project awaits a final decision from Lancaster County Council next month, the Riverside Road project can return to the planning commission with revisions at any time.
