Lexington County approves variance to relocate Sunset Royal Court, extend private road past 2,000-foot limit

The Lexington County Planning Commission on a unanimous vote approved a private road variance that will let the county relocate Sunset Royal Court and create a private road longer than the 2,000-foot maximum in the county policy.

The variance, moved by Commissioner Haddai and seconded by Commissioner Pike, was approved after staff read a letter from Lee McIntyre, director of solid waste for Lexington County, explaining the land exchange and the benefits to county operations.

The request centers on an exchange with Lucas Estates LLC. Lexington County staff said the county now owns roughly 185 acres that are separated from the main landfill property by a flag-lot driveway owned by Lucas Estates. Under the proposal, the county would receive the driveway portion of the flag lot and, in exchange, construct and transfer ownership of a newly built private road to Lucas Estates LLC and grant an easement to Kenneth James Lucas that will allow him continued access to his property.

Why it matters: County staff told commissioners that consolidating the parcels would make all landfill property contiguous, which they said would reduce permitting costs and increase available landfill space. Staff also said a road built to current standards would improve emergency vehicle access for residents on Sunset Royal Court and for the Lucas Estates properties.

Key details and staff statements - Staff said the existing Sunset Royal Court is approximately 3,000 feet long and the proposed relocation would increase that length to about 4,300 feet, exceeding the private road policy limit of 2,000 feet. Lee McIntyre read the department's letter into the record, saying, “Lexington County Solid Waste Management is requesting a private road variance for a road more than 2,000 feet long.” - McIntyre's letter, included in the planning packet as Exhibit D, described exceptional conditions related to the landfill configuration and said the driveway portion of the flag lot is not in use by Lucas Estates LLC because of elevation changes and because the driveway connects within the landfill perimeter gate. - Staff said the proposed exchange involves no money changing hands. When asked, McIntyre replied, “No.” - The county said a road maintenance agreement has been sent to Lucas Estates and that the property owner has agreed to it.

Commission action and vote Commissioner Haddai made the motion to approve the variance and Commissioner Pike seconded. Commissioners recorded affirmative votes as follows: Commissioner Price — yes; Commissioner Cox — yes; Commissioner Beatenbaugh — yes; Commissioner Pike — yes; Commissioner Otto — yes; Commissioner Hutto — yes; Commissioner Frost — yes; Vice Chairwoman Mitchell — yes; Chairwoman Jordan — yes. The motion carried; staff asked that the department letter and its stipulations be made part of the motion.

Materials and next steps Staff said site photos and exhibits showing the current and proposed road alignment were included in the packet (Exhibit A and Exhibit D). The planning commission’s approval incorporated the conditions described in McIntyre’s letter; staff did not describe additional procedural steps in the meeting beyond incorporating the letter and executing the property exchange and construction as described.

Lee McIntyre, director of solid waste for Lexington County, and planning staff were present during the discussion and responded to commissioners’ questions about property ownership, existing residences on the affected parcels, and the maintenance agreement.