Commission recommends council accept School District 2 concurrency questionnaire for 193-home proposal near South Congaree

The Lexington County Planning Commission voted to recommend county council accept the concurrency questionnaire submitted by Lexington County School District 2 for a proposed single-family residential development on the north side of Edmond Highway roughly between Gator Road and Bluff Ridge Road.

Staff said the proposed development covers about 78.68 acres and shows 193 single-family dwellings, a density of about 2.5 dwelling units per acre, with 35.9% dedicated open space. The project is anticipated to build in four phases over roughly four years, with site construction beginning two to three months after required approvals, staff said.

School District 2 completed the questionnaire indicating elementary, middle and high schools servicing the area as Wood Elementary, Congaree Elementary, Fulmer Middle and Airport High, and provided estimates for how many additional students each school could absorb without adding portables (approximately 300 for Wood Elementary, 100 for Congaree Elementary, 200 for Fulmer Middle, 300 for Airport High). The district indicated portables could be added and provided unit-cost and time-to-serve estimates; operating cost increases were estimated at about $300,000 and staffing needs at roughly 3'4 teachers.

Commissioners discussed inconsistencies in the questionnaire (for example, apparent capacity numbers versus portable needs) and recommended process improvements including adding a question about current portables in use and inviting a consistent district representative to future reviews. After discussion, the commission moved to recommend council accept the questionnaire and forward the concurrency recommendation for council consideration; the motion passed by unanimous roll call.