Here’s the latest plan for a new waterfront event venue in Fort Mill
A new waterfront event venue could add to one of the fastest-growing parts of Fort Mill.
Charlotte-based Dixie Dog Investments applied to rezone nearly a dozen acres on North Dobys Bridge Road to create Epps Farm at Dobys Bridge Road. About a quarter of that property is a pond. Epps Farm Road would become a private driveway for the project.
A sketch plan submitted to York County shows an event building, covered area, parking and drop off lanes on the northern part of the property. There’s also a garden area overlooking the pond.
The event venue is a departure from prior plans that would’ve included a new grocery store.
Former Crossroads property in Fort Mill
Two parcels of land where the event venue would go were part of an ambitious development plan in Fort Mill just a couple of years ago.
Crossroads Development Partners submitted plans for a 115-acre project on Fort Mill Parkway and North Dobys Bridge Road in 2021. It laid out a 10-year plan for 220 senior living units, 150 homes, 90 townhomes and up to 240,000 square feet of commercial space. Plans showed a 50,000-square-foot unnamed grocery store, too.
That initial proposal was beside, but didn’t include, the property now slated for an event venue. Two years ago, though, the developer asked to grow the Crossroads plan. The 129-acre project would use the existing pond on the event venue site as a stormwater area for the grocery store just east of it. Other parts of the event venue property would become age-restricted townhomes.
Crossroads went through several town votes and requests to extend approvals for when construction would start. Eventually the town stopped extending rights to build the project.
Now, as York County goes through its rezoning process for the proposed event venue, Fort Mill is considering plans for what was the main part of Crossroads. The town planning commission will hear an annexation request Tuesday that’s part of a Mattamy Homes plan for a new subdivision off Williams Road. Williams Reserve would have 220 retirement facility units, 113 homes and 80 townhomes.
A final decision from the town is expected in September.
Event venue details in Fort Mill
Dixie Dog investments bought the two land parcels for the event venue this month from Epps Farm LLC. The $1.3 million deal includes four small homes. Those houses will remain on the property for cottages to use with the larger event venue. Two of the houses have access off North Dobys Bridge Road now, but don’t appear to in the submitted sketch plan.
Two access points, one to a drop off loop and another to the main parking area, will come off Epps Farm Road. The project is listed as a small event venue, with seating of up to 150 people.
Along with the remnants of Crossroads, the area surrounding the event venue is changing rapidly. A quarter mile south of the project, Catawba Ridge Market is under development. It’ll bring a new Harris Teeter grocery store, a retail center and outparcel spaces likely to include restaurants. Massive tree clearing just west along Fort Mill Parkway will reroute Brickyard Road and allow for phase two construction at Elizabeth.
Several large commercial sites there will join nearly 500 townhomes and about 300 apartments there.
