After blocking subdivision, Lexington County approves 3 other housing projects
The latest round of housing development to come before Lexington County Council will move forward, after the council voted down a previous housing proposal over concerns it would overwhelm local schools and infrastructure.
The county council voted down the 83-unit Avanti Townhomes at its last meeting three weeks ago, marking the first time Lexington County has explicitly blocked a planned development because of the county’s concurrency rules adopted last year.
But on Tuesday, the council waved through three smaller neighborhoods projected to have less impact on the community, based on the rules adopted to measure how growth impacts public services in the quickly-expanding county.
Discussion of all three projects voted on Tuesday focused on what effect they would have on surrounding schools. The largest is a subdivision that will add 34 homes on 11.5 acres east of Edmund Highway and west of Hayes Lucas Road, about two miles north of Pelion.
While the new neighborhood would not require any new school construction and the projected number of students could be added to existing schools, the Lexington 1 school district may have to hire an additional one or two teachers to cover the growth in the student body, as well as raise an additional $84,000 in tax revenue.
Council ultimately didn’t feel that was enough to justify turning down the proposal.
“If it meets concurrency, we need to vote on it,” Councilman Darrell Hudson said.
The proposal was approved unanimously, although Councilman Larry Brigham expressed concern that, when green space and infrastructure are excluded, there are nearly five homes per acre, with some lots barely exceeding the minimum size at 9,001 square feet.
“What the public sees is that they still put them on top of each other,” Brigham said, imagining a constituent saying, “I thought you fixed this.”
Two smaller developments also sailed through Monday.
One was Rocky Point subdivision, with 15 homes on 7.7 acres, west of North Lake Drive, south of Rocky Point Drive and east of Palm Point Drive. That’s close to Lake Murray west of Irmo, near the Lake Murray water treatment plant.
The Lexington-Richland 5 school district did not predict having to make any additions to nearby Irmo schools, which the district said could still accommodate hundreds of new students.
Likewise, Rutledge Place Townes, with 10 houses on 2.5 acres, will go up west of St. Andrews Road and Carriage Lane, north of Rutledge Drive. Lexington-Richland 5 reported that its existing facilities could accommodate any students from Rutledge Place in the Seven Oaks area near Saluda Shoals.
All three projects are expected to begin construction toward the end of next year, with completion expected by the end of 2027, said county Community Development Director Robbie Derrick.
One larger project avoided a vote Tuesday. Developers of the Enclave at Woodtrail pulled the proposal for a vote for consideration of possible changes.
As submitted to the county, that development would add 318 houses on 205 acres south of Woodtrail Drive, west of Boy Scout Road and west of Casa Dell Road near Gaston.
That construction would have a significant impact on surrounding schools. Adding the necessary portables would cost $1.75 million at Lexington 4 elementary schools, and $2.5 million each at the middle and high schools, according to a submission from the district.
Any new construction would cost the Gaston-Swansea school district $37.25 million. An additional 40 teachers, 12 other staff and eight bus drivers would be required to meet the needs of the subdivision, Lexington 4 said.
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