A shopping center, private school and nearly 200 homes proposed for Lancaster County

A new shopping area, a private school and more new homes could be on the way in Indian Land.

The planning commission in Lancaster County meets Dec. 19. That group will hear requests for several projects, including some that county planners don’t support.

Here are the latest development plans, which include combined requests for the potential for 187 new homes:

▪ Waxhaw, North Carolina, company Building Bricks applied for a road name change as part of plans to add new retail space in Indian Land. Building Bricks bought property in August behind ALDI, QuikTrip, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dollar Tree along U.S. 521. The almost 5-acre property at 9571 Charlotte Hwy. is east of Lengers Way and Sharonview Federal Credit Union.

Building Bricks paid almost $1.4 million for the property. A new shopping center there with three buildings would have access from the KFC parking lot and from the private road connecting ALDI and QuikTrip to the neighboring McGee Brothers property.

A sketch plan submitted with the road name application shows three retail buildings at more than 45,000 combined square feet. The largest, at more than 28,000 square feet, sits behind and is oriented parallel to the KFC and QuikTrip.

The next largest building is almost 13,000 square feet on the McGee Brothers end of the property, beside a drive now used for truck parking. The sketch plan shows two small offices but labels most of that building as merchandise sales.

A third building on the northern end of the property, close to Caliber Collision, includes three spaces at a combined 5,000 square feet.

▪ The owner of 34 acres at Pettus and Barberville roads in Indian Land applied to build a 75-home subdivision. The undeveloped property on Barberville has Pettus run through it. It’s adjacent to the Barber Rock development.

A sketch plan shows two access points across from one another, both off Pettus. Each side includes homes with privately maintained streets and two cul-de-sacs.

The property is near several active developments. A 512-home plan and 224 separate townhomes on Sugar Creek to the north are under construction. A Redwoods plan for 155 residences to the east was approved in 2021 but hasn’t begun construction.

▪ The back and forth on whether Marvin Academy should set up a private school on property in Indian Land comes back to the planning commission. County staff and the planning commission recommended against the plan in September. Now, Lancaster County applied for a land use change to allow the school, but county staff still recommends against it.

Lancaster County planners oppose new subdivision requests to add nearly 270 homes

The property owner at 1662 MacMillan Park Dr. applied for a zoning change this summer to allow a school there. That address is part of the 85-acre MacMillan Industrial Park. It’s zoned for light industrial use on property the county acquired in 1997. Planners and the planning commission had concerns since there aren’t many light industrial properties in the area for future growth, but the property owner saw the school as the best opportunity now.

The county-introduced application would change its comprehensive plan listing for the property. A mixed-use listing would allow the school. County planners, though, recommend against that move since many businesses that would be allowed in the industrial park have distance requirements separating them from schools. Future growth could be limited.

Staff also has questions on how the change might impact economic incentives set up for the larger industrial park, if a parcel essentially is removed from it.

Marvin Academy is a Christian school that began in 2016.

▪ County staff continues to recommend against a plan for new homes on the southeast corner of Fork Hill Road and Little Dude Avenue. Coulston Enterprises returned with plans for The Sands at Kershaw after planners and the planning commission recommended against it this summer.

Coulston wants to put 76 lots on almost 40 acres just outside of Kershaw. The property at one point was zoned to allow worker housing for Haile Gold Mine. The property was rezoned last year to allow medium-density residential construction.

Staff notes concerns with fire access and wetlands on the property. Neighboring property owner SMC Global asked to the county not to approve The Sands at Kershaw, citing traffic concerns and availability of water supply.

▪ Edgewater would grow by 19 homes on 9 acres under a new proposal. It’s at the intersection of Bethel Boat Landing Road and Spinnaker Way. True Homes is the applicant. Edgewater is a much larger development that came from the massive Bear Creek development more than two decades ago. The Bear Creek project was created in 1999 at more than 6,200 acres, but has been broken apart and developed separately since.

▪ Coulston Enterprises applied to put 17 homes on almost 12 acres in Lancaster. The property is off the west side of Cane Mill Road, and on both sides of Sienna Lane. Boone Village, as its called in a submitted sketch plan, would put homes off a horseshoe road with two entrances on Cane Mill.