Opinion: They keep cramming people into the sardine can

The one tenet I hear that crosses over almost every situation in life is moderation. Moderation in eating, drinking, exercise, leisure, work and pretty much all activities one can think of.

But apparently to some in York County, moderation shouldn’t be observed when it comes to developing open land.

There’s a very strange premise circulating around Fort Mill that freezing residential development would send a signal that new business is unwelcome here. I’m not really sure how that is gaining traction. We aren’t a sleepy farm community that is adding a couple extra silos to feed the livestock. We are a bulging suburban outpost that is growing faster than the infrastructure can handle.

I don’t know if it is greed or stupidity that keeps county leaders from realizing this. You can only cram so much hot air into a balloon before it bursts, and that’s where we are heading right now. The amount of development along S.C. 160 and Springfield Parkway is taxing the roads, and trying to drive from I-77 to Tega Cay between 4:30 and 6:30 in the evenings has turned ridiculous.

I’d like to know exactly who the business leaders are that think curtailing residential growth is bad for the future health of Fort Mill. There are more than enough residents who need to shop and eat to support businesses for years to come. The only message that slowing down residential development sends is that we need to come to our senses on how to strike a balance between cramming people in like sardines and having the right mix of services to support them once they pry themselves out of the tin can.

Ironically, the traffic issues actually drive me away from Fort Mill at times. Instead of sitting in a parking lot to get to businesses near Gold Hill Road and 160 West, I will head to Ballantyne or the Audrey Kell area in Charlotte. Not only am I leaving the town, I’m even leaving the state. I will sell my firstborn child rather than sit through the nightly backup on Carowinds Boulevard heading up U.S. 21. These situations aren’t going to magically disappear by adding more residents to the mix.

I really shouldn’t have to point out that more people equals more vehicles and congestion, but frankly, I’m not sure I trust those in charge to understand this rudimentary calculation. As it is, they are building two-lane roads and bypasses that assume we are still on a lazy, rural drive away from the big lights of Charlotte. County Councilman Michael Johnson seems to understand the plight facing us, but he’s having a hard time convincing his peers to see the forest for the trees.

No worries. Soon there will be neither.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Opinion: They keep cramming people into the sardine can."