New homes and townhomes on prime property, big business sites pitched for Rock Hill
Rock Hill City Council took up plans Monday night that could add more homes and townhomes in the Waterford Park area, allow for a $4 million investment in TechPark, and assist with redevelopment of a former mill along the Catawba River.
Here are the details:
▪ Mattamy Homes applied to rezone 64 acres at Sturgis Road, Waterford Park Drive and Dave Lyle Boulevard for residential development. Rock Hill Economic Development and a private owner are the current property owners. The undeveloped, wooded site is south of Dave Lyle, north of Sturgis and west of Waterford Park.
Plans submitted to the city show 207 new residences. There would be 116 homes. They would be two stories, with almost 100 of them having access from rear alleys. Another 91 townhomes would border two sides of the existing Waterford Terrace Apartments.
Council gave initial approval Monday night, but also voted to extend the timeline for final approval to give planning staff time to review and potentially improve the plan. Council member Kevin Sutton called the area a significant piece of property for the city. He’d like to see a plan for that area, related to coming development.
“We have the Panthers coming,” he said. “We have some other development around the Galleria (Mall) that’s coming. We see a lot of property changing hands along Red River (Road) and anticipate development there.”
The multi-phase development plan discussed Monday shows eight amenity areas to include a dog park, community garden, fire pits, recreation field, covered pavilions and trails.
“All of the amenities that are shown within each of the phases would be done as part of that phase,” said Dennis Fields, city planner.
The first phase involves single-family homes along Sturgis. Second and fourth phases include townhomes near existing apartments. Third phase work has more single-family.
The site would have road access off Waterford Park and Sturgis. Future development nearby could involve connection to Dave Lyle or Red River Road. The residential plan now would require a new southbound right turn lane from Waterford Park to Flatiron Drive and a left turn lane on Waterford Park at Flatiron.
Council approval on the plan Monday came after unanimous recommendation in favor of the plan from the city planning commission.
▪ Council approved first reading of a property sale that could spur a $4 million investment from a local business. ITS Properties is in Rock Hill Industrial Park. The company wants to buy the 382 Anderson Road site in TechPark from the city, plus a small parcel on Lake Shore Parkway.
Plans involve construction of an 80,000-square-foot, multi-story building there.
The proposed agreement would sell four acres from the city to ITS Properties for $232,000. The company also would have the right to additional property there at $58,000 per developable acre and $5,000 per floodplain acre.
▪ Council also passed first reading on a decision that could help with redevelopment of a former mill site. Former mills are eligible for varying regulations, tax credits and benefits for the sake of redevelopment. Rock Hill and other area municipalities sometimes, often at the request of a property owner or developer, put ordinances on the books to formally classify former mill sites in effort to aid in revitalization.
The first reading Monday updates a prior such certification from 2019 for the Randolph Yarns Mill site at 175 Cel-River Road. The move recertifies the site under the South Carolina Textiles Communities Revitalization Act.
According to the ordinance Monday, a new business park is planned that would qualify for income tax credits given the mill site status. Land clearing has begun.
The site on the Catawba River includes an old mill and pump house. The abandoned mill hasn’t been in operation since at least 2000. The site was used prior for textile manufacturing, dying or finishing operations.
Rock Hill has had success of late with redevelopment of former mill sites in the city, including Knowledge Park and other projects in the downtown corridor.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 11:04 AM.
