York County BZA approves family-focused outdoor venue at 3286 Highway 160 West with noise, hours and security limits

The York County Board of Zoning Appeals on June 12 approved special-exception application Z25-6SE to allow a family-oriented outdoor recreation and small performance venue at 3286 Highway 160 West, with conditions that limit outdoor sound to acoustic-only performances, require outdoor activities to end by 9 p.m., and require a functioning security system with cameras and motion detectors during business hours and public events.

The special-exception proposal, presented by county planning staff, described a roughly 5,000-square-foot building on a combined lot, a proposed 2,000-square-foot outdoor seating/play area and a platform-style gazebo of about 16-by-16 feet for small performances. The applicants, Erin Cola Curcio and Tony Colacurcio, told the board the project is intended as a family-focused venue with grab-and-go food, rotating food trucks and limited beer and wine sales. “Our biggest thing this is driven around families,” Erin Cola Curcio said during the hearing.

Staff review noted the property is zoned RUD and that approval requires findings on adequacy of water and sewer, impacts on public services and compatibility with surrounding land uses. Planning staff said on-site septic and well service are proposed and that a traffic impact analysis was completed and is under concurrence with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). Staff recommended approval based on those findings.

The proposal drew both support and opposition from neighbors. Supporters — including Dr. Dawn Martin, owner of Palmetto Pet Hospital, and several nearby residents — said the venue would provide family-friendly outdoor space currently lacking in the fast-growing area near the Fort Mill border. “We need this kind of development in the area to bring it up to a little bit more family friendly,” Dr. Martin said, noting a wooded buffer behind her veterinary office that she said would remain undeveloped.

Opponents raised concerns about traffic, safety on Highway 160, noise and long-term enforcement of the applicants’ stated operating practices. Several neighbors described difficult vehicle access at the intersection and said the nearby trailer park was a public-safety concern. “It is a bad location to put something like this where you’re going to have parents who are bringing their little ones,” one neighbor said, citing worries about vehicles turning onto a busy stretch of road.

After public comment and board discussion, a board member moved to approve the special exception with conditions that the board said were designed to limit the proposal to the family-oriented concept the applicants described. The motion — seconded by another board member — limited outdoor entertainment to acoustic-only performances with no amplified music or public-address systems; required that all outdoor activity, including performances, cease by 9 p.m.; and required a functioning security system with cameras and motion detectors during business hours and public events. The motion passed by voice vote.

The applicants had proposed hours of operation of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; staff’s earlier summary used 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and suggested Wednesday through Sunday. The board’s motion specified outdoor activity to end at 9 p.m. and referenced operating hours in the motion; the record shows the applicants’ preferred hours were 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and the board’s conditions focus on outdoor activities and amplified sound. The final permit and county licensing processes will capture the precise hours and other building-permit requirements.

The board’s approval does not remove state or county permitting requirements: the applicants will still be required to meet local building, health and alcohol licensing rules for grab-and-go food and beer/wine sales, and any SCDOT approvals for driveway and turning-lane adjustments. If the applicants exceed the limits set in the special exception, county code enforcement can pursue compliance actions.

Implementation and enforcement issues raised by neighbors — including how to ensure the site remains acoustic-only and the long-term consequences if the business changes ownership — were not resolved during the hearing. Several residents said they wanted written conditions recorded to make enforcement clearer; the board adopted the stated conditions as part of its approval.

The venue will next proceed through the county’s permitting process. Planning staff said they would monitor compliance and follow up on any complaints related to the approved conditions.

Votes and motions on related items at the June 12 meeting included approval of the April 10, 2025 minutes and other agenda items; the special-exception approval was the primary substantive land-use decision on the evening’s agenda.