Would 1,500 new homes make Chester County better? The decision comes due soon
If Chester County is going to allow 1,500 new residences, county officials want to get it right. If they aren’t going to allow them, they want good reasons.
Chester County Council voted Monday night to table decisions on two large, potentially transformative residential projects until June 5.
Homebuilder D.R. Horton submitted four rezoning requests for property south of Richburg, on either side of Lancaster Highway east of I-77. It includes all of three properties at a combined 472 acres, and more than 9 acres of another large parcel at 596 acres.
Initially Richburg Magnolias and now listed as Magnolias Trace, the project could add more than 1,100 new residences.
Builder Fielding Homes has two decisions on the table. Both are rezonings, for a combined 180 acres on Gaston Farm Road, just west of I-77 and north of Lancaster Highway. The rezonings are part of larger properties that total about 287 acres.
Fielding Homes applied for the changes to create a 400-home subdivision called Richburg Meadows. The project would be built out by 2029, according to the rezoning request.
Resident growth concern
Several people who already live in Chester County offered concern about the new projects. Lori Fowler wants the county to address public safety, schools and other issues before turning attention to new residents.
“It is ridiculous and reckless to add more planned developments when this county cannot adequately provide needed safety, medical and educational needs to the current citizens,” Fowler said.
Joan Heid said the $400,000 homes in the Fielding Homes project will be too expensive for many people in Chester County. The homes would be for other people.
“Landowners have rights,” Heid said. “I get that. We understand that. But we have rights too, to oppose high-density housing.”
Roxanne James wants the county to go the route other areas have, in demanding fees for incoming growth.
“Before these two planned developments are approved, I expect development fees to be in place,” James said. “I expect that is the only way our fire, EMS, emergency, county can recoup some of the infrastructure (costs) that we’re going to need.”
Robin Gill believes the county can be selective. Gill said Chester County has something special when residents can feel safe in their homes or with children, now grandchildren, able to ride bikes up and down rural roads.
“I know that’s utopia, and it’s not going to last forever,” Gill said. “But it’s not like we’re begging for people to want to come here. Developers are beating down the doors.”
Need for housing
Troy Karski with D.R. Horton said the Magnolia Trace project is all about fit. It surrounds schools where homeowners can have their children walk to class. There’s access off major roads for commercial pieces that would benefit the county.
“We’re talking about a planned community here,” Karski said. “This is just a perfect spot for a planned development.”
The developments would have expensive homes by Chester County standards, but both projects would have varying price points.
“We’re targeting young professionals,” Karski said. “We’re targeting school teachers. We’re talking also the move-up people as well, looking for their second home perhaps.”
Benji Lehman, civil engineer for the Fielding Homes project, noted traffic improvements required for large subdivisions, too.
“We’ve done the traffic study,” Lehman said. “That was a third party. It has been SCDOT approved. There are improvements that we’ll be making.”
New home growth questions
Council members shared many of the concerns citizens brought to them. Councilman John Agee noted the higher price points than many existing Chester County could handle.
“They can’t afford to buy,” Agee said. “Some of them might. They might have married good. This is all people coming into Chester County from some place else. This is not the citizens of Chester County that are going to be able to buy these houses.”
The biggest concern, the reason why council tabled a decision until at least next month, comes down to financial agreements. There’s been discussion on having builders pay negotiated fees, similar to impact fees elsewhere. Council members discussed $5,000. No set agreement was in place by Monday night.
Councilman Corey Guy said development agreement details need to be finalized before he would be comfortable moving forward with plans.
“If the developers want to come to Chester, they’re going to have to get on the ball and get us what we need,” Guy said.
There’s a sense these two decisions will have even greater impact, some council members said, in what it will signal to other developers who might eye the large tracts of land in Chester County.
“We’re not trying to be tough or difficult,” Guy said. “We just know that Chester is a place that’s going to grown and we want it to be different. We want to grow responsibly.”
Council members talked about development fees and impact fees as needs. They also see an area that’s changing. Large businesses have come to Chester County in recent years. People who work there will need homes. Councilman William Killian acknowledged sticker shock with the proposed homes, but sees similar uptick in other places including just outside the City of Chester.
“They’re building these little teeny houses, and people are paying $200,000 for them,” Killian said.
Agee compared what’s happening in Chester County to high-growth Fort Mill. Once a small town, rural community itself, home prices have skyrocketed in Fort Mill and are routinely some of the highest in the Charlotte metro. With those home sales come traffic, school impact and other community issues that face growing areas.
“We need to get all this figured out,” Agee said, “and we don’t have it figured out.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2023 at 8:20 AM.
