Scale it back: Town near Lake Murray seeks changes to plans for nearly 400 homes
A nearly 400-home development in Chapin remains mired by concerns over density and traffic.
The long-gestating Brighton development off of Columbia Avenue is still slated to open with around 390 homes in the northeast of the town, close to Chapin High School and on the way into town from Interstate 26. But at a hearing Tuesday, members of the Chapin Planning Commission expressed continuing concerns about how the neighborhood would impact the town of roughly 2,000.
Developer Austin Monts with Mungo Homes told commissioners the project could move forward as soon as January if Brighton receives town approval. With a planned 36-month construction process, the 161-acre project could be completed in 2029.
Monts said the developers have made changes in an attempt to meet the town’s concerns. They have spent the last year going back and forth with the planning commission, this time presenting a plan to cut 14 lots from the eastern wing of the development, which was slated to be the more densely packed section of Brighton.
Other features set to be included are interconnected walking trails, “pocket parks,” and outdoor amenities like playgrounds and fire pits, even designated stops for school buses. The development would also include copious amounts of open space, including 51% of the east side, Monts told the planning commission.
The development would also feature a business and professional district that will include space for restaurants, retail, office space, even potentially a hotel, hospital, religious services or a school. Brighton would be attached to the underutilized Chapin Business and Technology Park, which has yet to attract a tenant to its 220 acres despite opening in 2018.
The planning commissioners said they still wanted to see a more scaled back version of the Brighton project before it moves forward.
“I don’t know whether to be angry or sad,” said Chairman Caleb Pozsik. “There’s not been that much change since last time,” he added, noting that the latest planning documents submitted still make reference to “DHEC,” a state agency that was broken up last year.
Although the latest proposal includes replacing attached garages with detached rear parking structures, commission members were still concerned about the amount of parking available, especially if visitors from outside the residential neighborhood are expected.
Plans currently call for three parking spaces per unit, up from two, with other spaces required for business parking. A restaurant must have one space for every four seats plus one per employee, for example, while a retail shop must have one for every 200 square feet. At least 20 parking spaces will be available for visitors to the outdoor recreation areas, Monts said.
Town Administrator Nicholle Burroughs told the developers the town still wanted to see more detailed plans on landscaping. A site plan with more tree mitigation would be helpful, for example. The developers are still in discussion with the S.C. Department of Transportation over potential road improvements connected to the new subdivision.
The largest homes on offer would be priced at more than $600,000, Monts said. Those would include five bedrooms, a three-car garage and a double front porch. Some units are also planned to be limited to buyers aged 55 and older.
Commissioners asked the developers to make more revisions that they can review at their next meeting in August. Commission member Erin Wessinger told developers the scale of Brighton would still need to be ratcheted back.
“You could just have a smaller house on a bigger lot,” Wessinger said.
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