Residents say planned RV park in northern Spartanburg County could cause harm to environment

Bob Montgomery, Herald-Journal
·5 min read

Opponents of an RV park say they have no plans to back down from a fight to keep it out of northern Spartanburg County.

The latest efforts concern a contested septic permit that the developer needs from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control before the park can be built.

The nonprofit S.C. Environmental Law Project (SCELP) in Georgetown has agreed to represent four Campobello-area homeowners groups that have filed an appeal with the S.C. Court of Appeals over the septic permit issue.

The appeal seeks to overturn a Nov. 29 S.C. Administrative Law Court (ALC) decision that reinstated the previously DHEC-staff approved septic permit – which the DHEC Board had overturned.

An aerial map of the site of the planned RV park, east of Interstate 6 and southeast of Landrum in northern Spartanburg County.
An aerial map of the site of the planned RV park, east of Interstate 6 and southeast of Landrum in northern Spartanburg County.

The appeal was filed on behalf of The Enclave at Fairview Farm, Golden Hills of Fairview Homeowners' Association, Greenspace of Fairview, and The North Pacolet Association (also known as Caroland Farms).

SCELP claims DHEC staff did not properly notify residents prior to issuing the septic permit, leading to what the ALC determined was an untimely appeal by residents.

"DHEC's actions, solely, shut the public out of the process and prevented their ability to seek legal recourse," stated Leslie Lenhardt, senior managing attorney at SCELP. "The continued lack of transparency by DHEC when it comes to offering public notice of septic tanks continues to be problematic across the state."

SCELP: Septic system inadequate

Lenhardt also believes the septic system planned for the RV park is too small for the anticipated volume of waste, "risking irreparable harm to the Upstate – including citizens' health, drinking water quality risks and environmental damage."

"It will sit just above a creek which flows into the North Pacolet River, eventually reaching Lake Bowen, a watershed that is the primary source of drinking water for the City of Spartanburg," Lenhardt said.

At issue is a proposal by a developer, Blue Sky Associates, to build T. Tree Farms RV Park on a 38.68-acre property at 1970 Landrum Mill Road east of Interstate 26 and southeast of Landrum in northern Spartanburg County.

RV park site surrounded by horse farms, conservation protections

The site is near the middle of thousands of acres of rolling hills, farmland and horse farms protected by conservation protections and restrictive covenants. The mountain views of nearby North Carolina serve as a backdrop.

The scenic mountains of North Carolina can be seen from several vantage points in northern Spartanburg County.
The scenic mountains of North Carolina can be seen from several vantage points in northern Spartanburg County.

The Spartanburg County Planning Commission gave conditional approval on March 2, 2021. The approval required the developer to obtain public water from a new line extended from Interstate 26, a DHEC-approved septic system and a traffic plan approved by the county's engineering department.

At that time, Planning Commission Chairman Whit Kennedy said Blue Sky's plan met all requirements laid out in the county's Unified Land Development Ordinance.

Residents fight RV park plan approvalNorthern Spartanburg County residents fighting approved RV park plan in Campobello

Campobello-area residents mounted a campaign to try and stop the RV park, saying they didn't learn of the project until after it was approved.

They cited the potential for runoff and septic tank overflows from the site polluting a nearby creek that flows into the Pacolet River, a drinking water source for the Spartanburg Water System.

Opponents make caseRV park opposition

Also, the roads leading to the park site are narrow and winding, incapable of safely accommodating the increase in recreational vehicle traffic, residents said.

A traffic study by an engineering firm for the residents in August 2021 concluded that "siting an RV park at 1970 Landrum Mill Road adds additional danger to already dangerous roads."

In addition, Katie Ellis, president of the S.C. Native Plant Society, said the proposed site overlooks Goldmine Creek, which is a habitat for two of South Carolina's rarest plants – the dwarf-flowered heartleaf and the ashy hydrangea.

The Dwarf-flowered heartleaf is a rare plant that exists in limited areas in the Upstate of South Carolina and in western North Carolina, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Dwarf-flowered heartleaf is a rare plant that exists in limited areas in the Upstate of South Carolina and in western North Carolina, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In June 2021, DHEC staff issued a septic permit to the developer. And the four homeowners associations representing more than 100 members and three conservation groups appealed to the DHEC board of directors.

In December 2021, the DHEC board voted to rescind the septic permit that was issued by DHEC staff in June, stating the developer's application was flawed because it proposed an undersized septic system.

Blue Sky Associates then appealed to the state Administrative Law Court (ALC).

Residents take fight with ALC to S.C. Court of Appeals

Nearly a year later on Nov. 29, 2022, the ALC overturned the DHEC board's decision, ruling that the board "acted outside of its authority" and that the residents' request for final review was not timely. The ruling reinstated Blue Sky's septic permit that was originally approved by DHEC staff.

Residents vow to continue RV park fightHere's how northern Spartanburg County residents vow to keep fighting proposed RV park

Then on Dec. 20, 2022, the homeowners' groups filed an appeal with the S.C. Court of Appeals. The case has not yet been heard.

In a related development, Jeff Walker, general manager at Inman-Campobello Water District, said plans to extend a public water line east of Interstate 26 on Landrum Mill Road to the RV park site were scrapped. Having public water was one of the conditions for approval set by the Planning Commission on March 2, 2021.

Environmental attorney Alex Shissias argued the septic tank permit was correctly issued by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, Monday. The DHEC board voted to rescind the permit.
Environmental attorney Alex Shissias argued the septic tank permit was correctly issued by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, Monday. The DHEC board voted to rescind the permit.

Meanwhile, last month on Feb. 8 Blue Sky Associates withdrew the original plan and submitted a new application to the county Planning Commission, which reduces the number of RV spaces from 50 to 49; and states that drinking water will be provided by an on-site well instead of a public water line.

Tuesday night, the Planning Commission voted 6-2 to approve the new site plan contingent on approval of a stormwater permit, and an on-site well permit from DHEC.

Noticeably absent from the conditional approval are a required traffic study and septic system permit – both of which the developer claims have already been met.

RV park opponent Sally Rock argues the case for rescinding a septic tank permit, Monday.
RV park opponent Sally Rock argues the case for rescinding a septic tank permit, Monday.

Meanwhile, Sally Rock, a representative from the Golden Hills of Fairview Homeowners Association, said the fight goes on.

“We are grateful for SCELP’s assistance in protecting the drinking water of our conservation-focused community,” said Rock. “Many citizens of the Upstate stand to be impacted from the harmful and irreversible effects of the proposed RV park.”

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: RV park: Spartanburg County citizens worry about effect on environment