Editorial: County council majority gave up on housing freeze
Michael Johnson and two other York County Council members fought the good fight for managed growth in unincorporated Fort Mill, but it appears they are just going to be outnumbered.
After voting 5-2 in a first reading in April to temporarily freeze residential growth by banning the county from considering new residential rezonings in six separate zoning classifications in Fort Mill Township, or from accepting new preliminary plats or site plans for single- or multi-family housing until the beginning of 2017, Council reversed itself. A 4-3 vote last week turned the measure back and judging by opponents’ comments, it seems unlikely anyone is changing their position.
Johnson, who made the proposal, said he wanted to use the time to have a study group of building industry representatives and residents come up with specific concerns the council can address with an ordinance. Other council members said they have more ideas on how to control growth that would make the housing freeze unnecessary.
It was disappointing that Councilman Chad Williams, who along with Johnson and Christi Cox represent Fort Mill and Tega Cay, voted against the freeze. Cox voted with Johnson in favor of it.
Growth in the area, which surged for decades until the 2008 recession then picked up again around 2011 to surge back to pre-recession levels, has impacted public services, most notably the Fort Mill School District, and created daily traffic jams. York County reviewed 1,855 residential building plans in 2014 and another 2,534 in 2015, according to figures cited in the draft ordinance. The county received six separate apartment plans last year, and seven the year before that – compared to three in 2013 and one in 2012.
Residents don’t need to see the numbers to know that – ask anyone who has experienced the frustration of sitting in their car for 20 to 30 minutes just to make a 5-mile trip. Overcrowded schools force the school district to regularly go to voters with hat in hand to ask approval for financing the acquisition of new property and building new schools.
The only thing that tempers our disappointment is knowing that the town of Fort Mill and city of Tega Cay, which continue to grow through annexation of unincorporated county real estate, have no intention of enacting a freeze of their own. Two new Tega Cay City Councilmen, David O’Neal and Ryan Richard, based their platforms on those issues, but never gained any traction. Fort Mill’s council seems similarly disinclined.
Without the city and town buying into a slowdown of residential growth, a pause on the county level probably would have minimal effect. It was still worth trying, however. Any dent in the growth rate couldn’t be a bad thing.
We also reject the premise, brought up at the county council meeting, that a residential building freeze would send the signal that new business is unwelcome here. That’s ridiculous. Lancaster County placed a moratorium on rezonings in an attempt to slow residential growth in the Indian Land panhandle and new commercial and retail projects flourished – and continue to.
At least Johnson and Cox have the good sense and courage to stand up for their constituents. If the Council majority has a better plan, we hope they get to it soon. In the meantime, our community, the school district, and residents who are fed up with the congestion continue to suffer.
This story was originally published May 23, 2016 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Editorial: County council majority gave up on housing freeze."