Controversial proposal would make quickly-growing Indian Land an official city

Tina Terry
·2 min read

A new planning document lists an option that would make Indian Land an official city as the area continues to grow.

Leaders want to know what the public thinks about one of the fastest growing communities in our area becoming incorporated. Voters said no to the controversial proposal back in 2018 -- almost six years ago.

“Twelve years ago when I came here, there was nothing like this,” said resident Susan Pascucci. “There was no Walmart when I came, there was no Publix. It’s changed a lot.”

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Pascucci said she expects that growth to continue in Indian Land and she’s not alone.

“All signs are we’re going to continue to grow,” Lancaster County Manager Dennis Martsell said.

Martsell said that growth is expected to continue all over the county for the next 20 years. But in the past 20 years, most of the growth has been concentrated to the northern part of the county in an area called the panhandle, which includes Indian Land.

The proposed 2040 Comprehensive Plan for Lancaster County says its growth will place significant demand on infrastructure, public safety, and education. The plan says the county should be proactive about providing services to the panhandle and makes several suggestions, including possibly helping transition the urbanized area of the panhandle into its own city or town.

“I think it probably needs to happen. I think so much development is going on here, especially [Highway] 521,” Pascucci said. “We need some closer representation.”

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County leaders say this is just one of many suggestions in a draft, and they do want to hear what people have to say.

“But for incorporation, it’s a topic we’ll see if anyone is excited about that during public comment,” Martsell said. “And we’ll certainly consider and report back to county council.”

County leaders will host several meetings to hear from the public about the 2040 Plan. The first one is scheduled for Tuesday at the Lancaster County Library in Kershaw. A list of the scheduled meetings is included below:

  • Jan. 23 at 6 p.m., Kershaw Branch Lancaster County Library, 101 N Hampton Street, Kershaw

  • Jan. 29 at 6 p.m., Lancaster County Historic Courthouse, 100 North Main Street, Lancaster

  • Jan. 30 at 6 p.m., Del Webb Library, 7641 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land

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