600-home Windhaven vote tabled in Tega Cay

Tega Cay residents had a consistent message for their City Council on the 600-home Windhaven project – wait.

So, Council did.

City leaders voted Feb. 16 to table a decision on Windhaven until at least their March 3 meeting. The Windhaven proposal would bring the residences, recreation space and a new school site to more than 120 acres north of Gold Hill Road, across from Tega Cay Elementary School.

An earlier proposal from developers had more than 700 residences, including more than 500 apartments. Discussions with the city led to the current 600, with no apartments. City leaders say the decision is a balance of property rights, where existing county zoning allows more new homes than would come with annexation – and smart community growth.

Resident John Sherwood said he’d like to see a destination site created with the commercial space there. But with one school there and land for another, it could be difficult drawing new restaurants due to alcohol licensing restrictions. With York County Council looking at a possible housing freeze in the area, he said, Tega Cay may have more time than usual to see if the Windhaven plan can be improved before annexing it.

“With them doing that, we might want to consider waiting a little bit,” Sherwood said.

Resident Vincent DesRosiers wants the city to look at how all those new homes fit into what Tega Cay wants to do, without leaning on the idea of what developers could do on county property.

“That’s the underlying fear that people have on the board – if we don’t do it, someone else will,” he said. “That’s no way to plan.”

Other residents say the new homes are simply too much. Having moved to a city known for its trees and landscapes, resident Jackie Travieso said the addition “doesn’t represent to me what Tega Cay is.” Frank Sabato said the larger trend of bringing in so many new homes is a concern.

“One of the reasons we’ve moved here is the exclusivity of it all,” he said. “But ever since we’ve been here, it’s kind of been a race to the bottom.”

Frank McCollum looks at the tax revenue from homes added in recent years, but also the significant increases needed to fund public services.

“I see a lot of really large increases in expenses without the requisite increases in revenue,” he said.

McCollum also feels the more residents there are, the more diluted the voice of residents already here. He sees a new development bringing in more voting age people who often vote in local elections.

“I already feel like our voice is a little strained,” McCollum said.

Several residents said they aren’t opposed to any community growth, just not on so large a scale or without further planning or infrastructure improvements. There are parts of the Windhaven project both residents and city leaders see as positives. One is the 20 acres for recreation.

“It would cover all of our active recreation needs probably long after all of us sitting here,” said Charlie Funderburk, city manager.

The larger Catawba Park is planned for 61 acres, but 39 of them belong to Duke Energy and won’t include active recreation space like ballfields. There wouldn’t be any such restrictions on the new space.

The property also includes road connections, including to the Zoar Road area.

If the annexation passes, clearing for Windhaven could begin in the fall of 2017.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 1:56 PM with the headline "600-home Windhaven vote tabled in Tega Cay."