Broader plan is smarter way to protect Lake Wylie

Two times York County officials have stepped back from a quick fix to address cascading development around Lake Wylie. And, thankfully, the decision to take a more comprehensive approach is likely to result in the creation of an overlay district that addresses growth issues while also protecting the watershed that supplies most of the county.

The County Council has considered at least two proposals that would restrict development in the fast-growing communities around the lake. One would have covered only the peninsula of the Lake Wylie community, a plan that arose largely in response to pleas from residents who feared a flood of new residential development.

But the council decided to postpone a decision on that proposal to study a more wide-ranging one. The county Planning Commission then came back with a larger buffer area with proposed zoning changes that would cover more of the property around the lake.

But this time planners decided to step back and take another approach. They shifted from restricting development to emphasizing water quality.

And on Monday, the Planning Commission reviewed a much larger overlay plan that would cover an entire watershed district stretching from Tega Cay on the east side of the lake around to the western shore and then all the way out to S.C. 161. The district would encompass not only the lake itself but also the streams and other tributaries that feed it.

We think this approach makes sense on several levels. Significantly, it directly addresses the crucial need to protect the county’s main water supply.

While planners have not yet developed specific restrictions within the overlay district, the proposal resembles one enforced by Gaston and Mecklenburg counties in North Carolina to cover waterways feeding the Catawba River and Lake Wylie upstream from York County.

Rules include restrictions on septic tanks and limitations on paved areas, including parking lots and driveways, that prevent rainwater from being absorbed and instead allow pollutants from cars and other sources to wash directly into the lake.

The next step is to set up a technical committee – whose members would include civil engineers and scientists, property owners and environmental advocates – to recommend ordinance changes in the district. That process could take six months to a year.

Ultimately, the County Council would have to approve the new standards, and it is hard to predict how council members might view this proposal. It was approved by the Planning Commission by a narrow 4-3 vote.

But we hope that, even if there is some disagreement over the details of the plan, county officials will agree on the overall approach. We think expanding the proposed area affected by the plan beyond just the area immediately around the lake to include the entire watershed represents a farsighted approach.

Protecting the tributaries that feed the lake achieves two desirable purposes at once. It helps ensure that tens of thousands of residents will continue to have access to clean drinking water, and it helps set reasonable standards for future development.

That is not pro-growth or anti-growth. It’s smart growth, in keeping with the comprehensive plan for the entire county.

The process of completing this plan has a long way to go. As noted, developing ordinances for the district could take up to a year.

But we think the county is on the right track in expanding the overlay district and focusing on water quality. We hope county leaders and lakeside residents ultimately will embrace that approach.

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Broader plan is smarter way to protect Lake Wylie."