One last chance to weigh in on Rock Hill’s Knowledge Park plan
Residents will have one last chance to have a say on Rock Hill’s agreement with the partnership hired to develop Knowledge Park at the heart of the city’s one-time textile hub.
The Rock Hill City Council will meet at 8 a.m. Tuesday for a final public hearing on the city’s proposed relationship with developer Sora-Phelps, followed by a final vote on the agreement. The council also will consider issuing bonds to pay for the continued development of Riverwalk.
Knowledge Park is the planned residential and technology-based business hub city leaders see as the cornerstone of their downtown revitalization efforts.
The City Council isn’t scheduled to meet in July, so city leaders want to finish work on these items before they take a summer break, City Manager David Vehaun said.
Tuesday’s public hearing will be the second Rock Hill has held on the development agreement. Council members gave their first approval to the agreement following a sparsely attended hearing on June 22. State law requires two hearings on such an agreement before its final approved.
Sora-Phelps is a partnership between Sora Development of Towson, Md., and Phelps Development of Greeley, Colo. The firm was selected in 2013 to be the Knowledge Park master developer.
However, the City Council wasn’t able to nail down the agreement then because York County leaders conducted a lengthy review of the special tax district that pays for the project before the County Council would approve a 10-year extension.
“These have been held up long enough,” Vehaun said. “They’re ready to get started.”
Also Tuesday, the City Council is expected to give final approval to issuing about $8 million in bonds to pay for road work and improvements in the Riverwalk area, using money raised from the Red River special tax district.
Work will focus on Riverwalk Parkway and Paragon Way, but also will affect other “collector roads.”
Bristow Marchant • 803-329-4062
Want to go?
The Rock Hill City Council will meet at 8 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 155 Johnston St.
This story was originally published June 28, 2015 at 12:35 PM with the headline "One last chance to weigh in on Rock Hill’s Knowledge Park plan."