Planning commission recommends council move large Pleasant View development forward, postpones Walkers Trail decision for more school-capacity information

The Lexington County Planning Commission on April 2025 reviewed two concurrency sketch plans and split its actions: it recommended that a large Pleasant View/Bluff Ridge project be allowed to proceed to county council while postponing action on Walkers Trail Phase 2 pending more information from Lexington School District 1 about capacity and potential rezoning.

Planning staff described the Pleasant View/Bluff Ridge submission as a revised concurrency application covering 221.17 acres with 624 proposed dwelling units (424 single-family and 200 duplex units) and about 39.97% dedicated open space (approximately 87.08 acres). Staff said the developer—s submission is an expansion of a June 2024 concurrency approval (which had been for 316 single-family units on ~81.15 acres) after the developer acquired additional parcels. Staff said the project is expected to be built in roughly six to 12 phases over an estimated six- to 10-year build-out, with site construction beginning after detailed land-development approvals.

Representatives of Lexington School District 2 provided a questionnaire-based response prepared by Matt Warren, deputy superintendent, stating that the schools that would serve the location include Congaree Elementary, Wood Elementary, Fulmer Middle and Airport High School. District 2 estimated that an additional 308 dwellings would add about 85 students using a district multiplier of 0.6 students per dwelling and said portable classrooms could be added at a cost the district estimated at about $120,000 to $150,000 per portable and that installation would take roughly 12 months from decision to readiness. The district said no new construction was predicted solely as a result of this development but noted that continued area growth could require new capacity.

After discussion, a commissioner moved that the commission recommend to council that the Pleasant View/Bluff Ridge project be allowed to proceed; the motion passed on a roll-call recommendation vote.

On Walkers Trail Phase 2, planning staff said the submission is for 118 attached townhome units on 37.41 acres, with a density of about 3.154 dwelling units per acre and roughly 58.03% open space. Lexington School District 1 supplied a detailed questionnaire estimating that the phase could generate about 177 students (the district used a planning assumption that 75% of units would be occupied by families with two children) and reported that Lexington High School is currently about 321 students over capacity. District 1 said portable classrooms could be added but that, like District 2, it would take about 12 months to procure and install them; the district also noted no bond referenda or construction projects were currently planned that would add capacity in the attendance area.

Commissioners debated whether the county should permit the project to proceed given the reported high-school overcapacity. Several members expressed concern about repeatedly approving development while nearby school capacity remains constrained. Planning staff offered to return to the commission with additional information from Lexington School District 1 about long- and short-term plans to address overcapacity and whether rezoning might be used as a mitigation tool. Commissioner Pike moved to postpone any decision on Walkers Trail Phase 2 until staff receives and provides that additional information; the motion carried on a roll-call vote.

The commission—s actions were recorded as: a recommendation to council to allow Pleasant View/Bluff Ridge to proceed with the concurrency review process; and a postponement of Walkers Trail Phase 2 pending follow-up information from Lexington School District 1. Staff said it expects to bring the requested additional school-capacity information back to the commission at its May meeting if the district provides it in time.

Key technical and fiscal details read into the record from the school questionnaires included the student multipliers (0.6 per dwelling for Lexington School District 2; District 1—s planning assumption that 75% of units have two children), estimated costs to acquire and set up portables (roughly $120,000 to $150,000 each), estimated additional operating costs (District 2 estimated possible total operating cost of approximately $1,184,000 in salaries and benefits; District 1 estimated approximately $828,433), and suggested methods for tracking cumulative development impacts (District 1 uses demographic consultants; District 2 reported no cumulative-tracking method at this time).