Ansley Park could add 309 Indian Land homes

More than 300 new homes are coming to Indian Land.

The Lancaster County Planning Commission met Feb. 16, where members approved Ansley Park. The project would be 309 single family, detached homes on almost 156 acres. The property is located near the intersection of Henry Harris and Marvin roads.

Forestar Real Estate Group is behind the project.

The area was zoned into a planned development in early 2005. The property lay dormant until a developer approached the planning commission more than two years ago. The commission then approved a subdivision of a larger property along the U.S. 521 side only, adding buffer requirements and removing a bridge crossing a creek.

Ansley Park will provide $1,000 per house to the county for public safety and $500 per house to the county school district. The South Carolina Department of Transportation recommends a new left turn lane from Marvin Road as part of the project. The developer plans to build and sell 62 homes per year until full buildout, in five years.

The county has received comments from residents, mainly focused on concerns with overall community growth.

“I have a lot of concerns regarding school overcrowding that this and other neighborhoods currently in construction will cause,” wrote resident Jeff Greenwald, asking the county not to approve Ansley Park.

“I’m also concerned with traffic safety and excess traffic on the roads that this neighborhood will utilize on a daily basis.”

Resident Paul Myers shared those concerns.

“The traffic on Marvin Road, particularly the section leading into (U.S.) 521, is already unacceptable,” he wrote.

Myers noted he isn’t opposed to community growth in general.

“I do support growth (in) our end of Lancaster County – it just needs to be done in a more controlled and planned manner if we are to achieve the best success,” he wrote.

Sun City change

Another item for consideration at the Feb. 16 meeting was a wording change involving Sun City, which could mean fewer residences there. In 2004, the county passed an ordinance calling for a minimum of 400 townhomes and 200 condos as part of Sun City. With completion close, Sun City has 275 townhomes and 78 condos sold.

With developer Pulte Homes consenting, a change would be made for the 400 townhomes and 200 condos to be the maximum allowed, not the minimum.

“This ordinance seeks to amend the prior ordinances so as to insure that the language in the documents is not in conflict with the construction that actually has occurred,” reads the county staff recommendation.

It notes Pulte has agreed to the wording change.

The planning commission made a motion to approve the change but, with no second, it failed. The issue will go to Lancaster County Council.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Ansley Park could add 309 Indian Land homes."