Assisted living site sought for Haire Road, Fort Mill bypass

An assisted living facility, including a memory care component, is nearing approval on Haire Road and the southern bypass.

Haire Village would include up to 200 age-restricted units, along with between 10,000 and 36,000 square feet of retail or office space. Plans already include a speech and occupational therapist office. Up to 46 of the units will be for memory care residents, such as Alzheimer’s patients.

More than 13 acres need annexation into Fort Mill, and a development plan has to be reached. Both got favorable recommendations last week from the town planning commission, but they must be approved by Fort Mill Town Council.

While most of the businesses haven’t been determined, the assisted living facility could begin quickly following needed approvals.

“It’s the key to the whole project,” said Chris Blanton, whose family owns the property. “It’s ready to go now.”

The current proposal involves just more than 13 acres, but a larger plan involves 46 acres. In the spring, the planning commission deferred action on a plan for 305 traditional apartments and 80 age-restricted senior units. A traffic study was needed, but traditionally, those are done when school is in session to get the most accurate counts. With traffic on the bypass a major factor, getting the study before school ended wasn’t an option.

“The road is not open yet, so there’s no traffic count,” said Joe Cronin, town planning director.

An assisted living facility generates about a fifth of the daily vehicle trips a single-family subdivision would. The newer plan is expected to generate far less traffic, though some number of apartments will be proposed once the bypass is open and school is in session to allow for a traffic study.

“I’ll do a separate application for that after we get the traffic study,” Blanton said.

On its own, the assisted living site has advantages for town planners compared to other residential uses allowed in current zoning. It wouldn’t add new students to local schools, yet still would contribute residential impact fees for school use.

“I’d need that to be in the agreement to be in favor of it,” planning commission member Tom Adams said about the impact fee component.

Also, the for-profit business would be taxed at 6 percent rather than a lower residential rate.

“From a tax standpoint it would all be taxed at the same commercial rate,” Cronin said.

With businesses, and with the possibility of future apartments, traffic will remain a concern. Even without the project, Adams sees Haire Road taking on much more traffic in coming weeks and months than it traditionally has.

“It’s going to be bearing a lot of traffic once the bypass opens,” he said. “A lot of people are going to use that as a cut-through to the bypass.”

With the higher traffic commercial components to the projects, the current plan would add an estimated 2,800 daily vehicle trips.

This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Assisted living site sought for Haire Road, Fort Mill bypass."