The Stonecrest Planning Commission on Jan. 6 voted to defer consideration of a proposed subdivision on Panola Road after multiple nearby residents raised concerns over traffic, stormwater and property impacts.

The request (RZ25‑013) sought to rezone approximately 3.06–3.7 acres from R‑100 to RSM to build a 12‑home single‑family community with minimum lots of about 10,000 square feet. Daryl Johnson of JDM Consultants described site plans showing an internal road, a detention facility designed to empty within 24 hours and an offer to provide a 20‑foot access easement to address a neighboring landlocked parcel.

Residents, including the homeowners association president and several neighbors directly behind the site, objected to the proposal’s density, the detention‑pond location and the potential for increased congestion on a narrow stretch of Panola Road that has a history of crashes and is under study for future widening and a municipal water‑main project. “We’re concerned about traffic,” Hilton Head HOA President Lewis Anderson said, noting a costly city–county traffic study and an upcoming Panola Road water‑main expansion that could complicate construction and access.

Commissioners said they needed clearer materials — including floor plans, elevations, and either a traffic analysis or an explanation of why one is not warranted — and more direct community engagement. Chair Eric Hubbard moved to defer the application for a full cycle so the developer could meet with staff and residents and return with the requested documentation. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: The applicant will be expected to meet again with the community and the planning staff, submit additional materials (architectural elevations and a traffic study if required), and return to the planning commission at the end of the deferral cycle.