Think an 842-home Lake Wylie project is big? Do the math. It’s just the beginning.

Westport is big. It gets people excited. But it’s hardly alone.

How does 1,700 new residences sound?

As the planning commission in York County resumed debate on the 842-home, 432-acre Westport project along S.C. 274, a variety of other projects continued down the planning pipeline. Seldom drawing as much back-and-forth discussion as Westport. But having, perhaps, as big or bigger an impact.

Decisions just at the June 12 planning commission where Westport was discussed included another 274 residences.

▪ Glynwood Forest will bring 124 townhomes on just more than 15 acres in the Regent Park area. Carolina Development Services will include a 40-foot buffer along Regent Parkway. The project will have almost eight townhomes per acre. A 20-foot easement and parking area will be provided for accessing public trails in the area.

The project is expected to generate 722 new daily traffic trips along Regent Parkway and Convention Drive.

▪ Crescent Communities has a new subdivision planned for the southern shores of Allison Creek, along the Rock Hill side of Lake Wylie. Allison Meadows was approved by county planners in 2015 but that approval expired earlier this month. Crescent asked for another year to get the project going.

Allison Meadows would bring 71 single-family homes on 39 acres, east of Handsmill Highway and south of Allison Creek Road. The project includes pedestrian trails along Allison Creek and Lake Wylie. New sidewalks will connect to existing ones on S.C. 274.

▪ The Ridge at Fort Mill will bring 38 single-family homes on almost 57 acres near Fort Mill. The project along Holbrook Road includes more than 11 acres of open space. Road right-of-way will be donated for a future extension of Holbrook. The 431 new daily trips anticipated by a traffic impact analysis means a 10 percent traffic increase at peak hours for the Fort Mill Southern Bypass/North Dobys Bridge Road/Holbrook intersection.

▪ Henry’s Glen is ready for its second and third phases in Lake Wylie. The project will add 34 single-family homes on 102 acres. It continues the existing development north of Oakridge Road, west of Brandon Road. The low density development includes more than 11 acres of open space.

▪ Owner New Old, LLC wants to add seven single-family homes on more than three acres in Baxter. The project on Camber Woods Drive would be called Bramble. It would average about two homes per acre. It would be a single cul-de-sac created off the existing road.

The projects vary in size and scope, but none would make an agenda unless developers wanted to build soon.

“The average tract size is three acres,” Henry’s Glen developer Tom Smith, with May Green Properties, said of that project, putting it on the low density end of the scale. “The homes will be from $500,000 and up. Mostly custom. We should start construction in 45 days.”

Larry Barnett, planning commission member representing Fort Mill, said the variety of projects isn’t uncommon.

“This past meeting was somewhat typical, except for the Westport development,” he said. “Larger developments like that are often controversial. Occasionally we have a meeting with only one or two items. Yes, the smaller projects attract little or no attention.”

While 842 homes at Westport and 274 residences beyond it may seem a lot of construction, they are just a piece of the puzzle. Those numbers only include projects in unincorporated York County.

The most recent planning commission meeting in Fort Mill included agenda items for 245 apartments and up to 24 homes.

On June 12, the planning commission in Tega Cay met to review a revised plan for Cameron Creek. The group approved changes on alleyways and garages for townhomes, on-street parking and drainage. Changes took out nine townhomes.

“The total number of townhome units have been reduced from 140 to 131,” said Susan Britt, city planning and development manager. “This reduces the total approved density from 317 (residences) to 308.”

This month didn’t bring any decisions in Indian Land, though projects there often involve greater numbers even than in York County.

The result is, a snapshot of residential growth at a given time shows municipalities looking at almost 1,700 new residences. Some of the decisions have been months or more in the making. Some were more formality, like appearance reviews to already approved projects. But all involve new places to live in the area, coming soon.

This story was originally published June 19, 2017 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Think an 842-home Lake Wylie project is big? Do the math. It’s just the beginning.."