Fort Mill school board formally opposes 2,900-home development

The Fort Mill school board has come out against a proposal for annexation and rezoning of nearly 700 acres of property that would bring nearly 3,000 new residences into the school district.

In a letter to Fort Mill planning director Joseph Cronin, district superintendent Chuck Epps outlined the effects the development at Spratt Street and Fort Mill Parkway – the largest residential project in recent years – would have on the school district and other infrastructure, particularly local roads.

The proposal, scheduled for an annexation hearing Monday evening, would also include over 100 acres of commercial, recreation and open space and designate a number of residential units as either age-restricted or “age-targeted” to help lessen the impact on local schools.

Using an impact formula it developed, the district predicts the plan could bring 1,888 new students and require hiring 264 teachers at a cost of more than $93 million, including the price of acquiring land and building new schools to house them. The district expressed concern the new construction would bring in only $12.8 million in debt service revenue in the first year and a total of $63.4 million after 10 years – meaning taxpayers would be left to make up the difference by authoring and financing bond sales.

“Our board is very concerned that by placing additional burden on our current tax base, we run the risk of not being able to pass future bonds to support the effort to house additional students,” the letter states.

While per-rooftop impact fees will be generated, they will not begin to cover the scope of this project, Board Chairman Patrick White said.

“We always talk about this, but I don’t think the public understands. While it’s going to cost us $93.8 million to build the seats … the impact fee won’t even cover 10 percent of that cost,” White said.

Another point of interest the board addressed in the letter is the amount of traffic the project would generate, pointing to safety concerns and already congested roads.

“It seems approval of the project would further exacerbate this problem for the school district,” Epps wrote.

At its June 7 meeting, school board members made a few recommendations should Fort Mill Town Council vote to approve the proposal, including increasing the amount of commercial development, ensuring the density of the residences matches infrastructure needs, and addressing traffic concerns.

“I’d love to see a complement to Riverwalk,” board member Wayne Bouldin said, referencing the Rock Hill mixed-use development across the river from the Spratt land.

But though they can offer recommendations, school board members acknowledge that the outcomes of zoning and annexation matters lie in the hands of the town council.

“None of us want to see additional growth, but I’m pretty sure it’s coming whether we want it or not,” Bouldin said. “It’s all a matter of how you control it, and who controls it.”

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Fort Mill school board formally opposes 2,900-home development."