Why one of two new York County private school plans will wait on someone to count trees
The path toward one new private school site in York County ran into some big trees, while another awaits a key county decision.
On Thursday night the county zoning appeals board put off a decision until August on the new York Preparatory Academy site. York Prep applied for and received an appeal board approval earlier this summer for a new school at 3090 Mt. Holly Road in Rock Hill. The 21 acres there are part of a larger, 258-acre mixed-use project called Kettlesong.
The York Prep portion, a dozen miles from its current site, would be 99,000 square feet for grades K-8. It involves a two-story school and single-story gym, at another 20,000 square feet.
The project came back to the zoning appeals board Thursday night asking for the removal of 31 grand trees — trees with 24-inch or greater diameter — to allow the access road. County rules under some circumstances protect large established trees from being removed.
In March submitted plans arrived that didn’t identify any grand trees. County staff asked for the information, and in May revised plans showed 56 grand trees in need of removal. Staff and the applicant continued discussions on the location and design of the road. In June the number was down to 37 grand trees, though the route hadn’t changed.
By mid-June the number was down to 19 trees in fair to good health, due to an arborist assessment of tree health. The applicant also offered a plan to replant many smaller trees to make up for the ones the road would take. Yet staff went out with the arborist and found eight more healthy trees unaccounted for, up to a 40-inch tulip poplar.
Staff thus recommended the decision be tabled until August, until a full and accurate count can be established. Councilwoman Allison Love posted on her Facebook page update on the issue that the appeals board met until 11:30 p.m. Thursday night and talked extensively about the tree issue before tabling it.
“Long night for our volunteer board members,” she posted.
Two new roads for the project, New Indigo Street and Rattlebush Road, were on the county planning commission agenda when that group met July 12. Also on that agenda was a zoning request for five land parcels related to Lake Pointe Academy.
The 16-acre site on South Shiloh Road and Carolina Crossing Drive in York involves a plan to convert a former Upper Palmetto YMCA site and golf clubhouse into a private school.
The former YMCA building is 20,000 square feet. The clubhouse was part of the Carolina Downs golf course. It has smaller buildings on site, too.
The planning commission will make a recommendation on the rezoning for Lake Pointe, but York County Council will cast the final vote.
