Indian Land, Van Wyck residents say ‘no’ to more homes. Lancaster County council agrees
Lancaster County won’t rezone properties where developers want to put more than 1,000 new homes.
Lancaster County Council voted Monday night against zoning changes for the Nisbet and Asbury Lane properties. Those decisions followed a long line of residents who opposed the new growth, particularly at the Nisbet site.
“The Nesbit property’s development is requesting far too many homes within the community, which is not in keeping with the surrounding area,” said Tree Tops resident Jean Doyle.
Nisbet is five land parcels near 8275 Van Wyck Road. The combined 780 acres came with a proposed development agreement for 1,019 new homes.
Mike Scisciani with developer Landeavor said Monday night that updated plans put the home count at 861 homes. Open space is up to 60%, Scisciani said, compared to 50% in the initial plan.
“This is smart growth,” Scisciani said. “I’m not asking for a high-density project. This is not an urban project. This is low-dense.”
People who live in that area disagreed.
Jeffrey Schwartz said as a retired fire safety director and current volunteer first responder, there’s concern what so many new homes would mean for emergency service.
“While developing land for growing population is an integral part of our freedom, there’s also responsibility in my humble opinion for the developer to help the county build significant infrastructure to ensure the safety of our residents,” Schwartz said.
Rosa Sansbury from Van Wyck said some meandering, country roads in that area weren’t engineered and designed for the type of traffic they would see, and already are in bad shape where they access busy U.S. 521.
“What a terrifying drive it will be for the Indian Land High School students and teachers commuting to the school,” Sansbury said.
Linda Pelletier sits on the planning commission for Van Wyck.
“Not one aspect of the existing infrastructure can support this massive influx of people and cars,” Pelletier said.
Scisciani said the current plan is an improvement on what the land is now zoned to accommodate -- up to a home per acre across more than 780 acres.
“You can do the math and see that we can put a significant amount of houses on the property today without any zoning approvals,” Scisciani said.
Current zoning wouldn’t require buffers, open space, municipal sewer or other features and would create more environmental concerns.
The 158-lot reduction in the current plan, for instance, was to increase buffer areas. Scisciani also pointed to the more than $5 million road improvements, willingness to age-restrict home phases to help with traffic and school crowding, more than $1 million in county services impact fees, and $7.6 million in school impact fees generated.
“We are addressing all the concerns that have been raised,” Scisciani said.
Council Chairman Steve Harper didn’t buy the idea that roughly the same number of homes could be built on the site under existing zoning. Factoring in how much land is able to be developed, needed buffers, a pond on site and other requirements, Harper came to a smaller number.
“Realistically I would say you’re looking at 350 or less lots,” Harper said.
Council unanimously voted down the zoning proposal, though Councilman Terry Graham recused himself. Councilman Allen Blackmon voiced an opinion common to council on Monday.
“I am just totally against this project,” Blackmon said. “You’re still going to be stuck with Van Wyck Road being Van Wyck Road. It’s not going to improve the road. It’s not going to improve the traffic flow.”
Asburn Lane
Council also voted unanimously, this time minus a recused Harper, against rezoning for the D.R. Horton-backed Asbury Lane site. Seven parcels there combine for 96 acres west of the Possum Hollow Road and Old Bailes Road intersection. Submitted plans showed 196 homes.
Conversation from the public and council largely fell along the same lines as with Nisbet.
“I have been to countless meetings over the years where Indian Land citizens have pleaded for the...housing developments and apartment complexes to cease being built or at least to slow down,” said Virginia Cornish.
The response, Cornish said, always has been that developments were already approved and little could be done.
“You can do something about those developments and apartments being proposed,” Cornish said.
Shiloh Woods
A third project did move forward.
Almost 400 homes at Shiloh Woods, on West Shiloh Unity Road, passed the first of three necessary readings for its zoning change. That property is 170 acres.
“There’s plenty of ways to get in and out of that area,” said Councilman Larry Honeycutt. “And no bigger than the development is going to be, traffic should not be a problem at all.”
Monday’s decisions come two weeks after a lengthy conversation by council on the more than 8,000 new homes and apartments that have been approved or permitted across the county, but haven’t been built. That number adds to the almost 20,000 new residents who grew Lancaster County from 2010 to 2020.
