Would a plan to add 265 homes near Blythewood worsen flooding in the area?

A developer wants to build a new subdivision near Blythewood, but locals are worried the construction could worsen frustrations with flooding.

Richland County Council was set to take a first vote Tuesday on developer Ryan Homes’ request to rezone the property to allow for as many as 265 homes on roughly 106 acres on Killian Road. But Richland County Councilwoman Gretchen Barron says the developer has now told her that they will withdraw the application.

There are other potential concerns, such as traffic and animal displacement, but Barron said the problem of water runoff took center stage at a town hall she held to discuss several proposed zoning changes in her district.

According to Barron, that stretch of Killian Road is prone to flooding. And there are no improvement projects in the works for it, according to the state Department of Transportation and documents presented to the Richland County Planning Commission.

“We’re talking about two communities that were majorly impacted by the 2015 flooding,” the councilwoman said. “These are the neighbors that I call and check on to make sure that they’re good because their yards and their streets and their roads flood naturally, just from everyday rain.”

In August 2024, that stretch of Killian Road was closed after a flash flood. The next month, Hurricane Helene flooded the nearby Killian Loop area.

Sandra Sims, a Blythewood resident, told the planning commission at its May 5 meeting she has to use Killian Road to get to most places from her home. Sims said that without major improvements to the road, building a development of this size could have detrimental effects.

“Without the proper infrastructure, we’re gonna have a whole lot more damage to the roads and flooding in that space,” Sims said at the meeting. “We had a really hard rain about two or three months ago. That road was out for 10 days.”

In addition to the flooding, members of a Blythewood Facebook group voiced a mix of concerns, including increased traffic, a lack of infrastructure and the loss of local ecosystems.

The proposed development is north of Crane Landing, a 385-home development under construction off of Wilson Boulevard. Ryan Homes’ development would have a road connection to this subdivision.

Because of the runoff issues, Barron has not approved any rezoning for the area in over a year, she said.

Ryan Homes first came to Barron to discuss the potential development last year, and she brought up the issues involving water runoff and flooding, the councilwoman said. The company understood the concerns and did not send in an application at that time, according to Barron.

About three months ago, Ryan Homes came back with a plan to retain roughly 50% of the water on the property, Barron said.

Barron recognizes the developer’s efforts, but her concerns remain, she said.

“I applaud the applicant for setting forth and really digging deep and coming up with what they believe is a plan for their development,” Barron said. “But we need a plan for not just their development but also an overall plan for Richland County.”

Barron said she is exploring opportunities for the county and state to assess where there are deficiencies in water runoff and storm water drainage systems and provide funding for the necessary repairs – until then, the issue is only receiving patches.

“I just want to have the confidence of knowing that these are not patches, but these are permanent fixes,” the councilwoman said.

Richland County planning staff and the planning commission have recommended that the developer’s zoning request be denied.

Staff detailed that the new development proposes denser housing than Richland County’s comprehensive plan recommends.

NVR, Ryan Homes’ parent company, declined to comment on the development.

The planning staff’s report on the proposed rezoning also called into question the area’s designation as a mixed-use corridor in the comprehensive plan. This label would support a mix of dense residential space, retail space and other commercial uses. But recent denials of rezoning requests that would fit these guidelines, combined with the lack of plans to improve the road’s infrastructure are reasons to reevaluate that definition, staff said.

This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 9:14 AM.