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Planning commission approves Meritage development agreement with acreage, EMS and habitat protections; rezoning fails
Summary
Lancaster County Planning Commission approved a voluntary development agreement from Meritage Homes that includes commitments for a school site expansion, a roughly 2-acre EMS site and required buffering for the Carolina heelsplitter; commissioners then rejected the rezoning request for the same tract by a 7-0 vote.
The Lancaster County Planning Commission on Nov. 18 approved a development agreement with Meritage Homes that formalizes a voluntary dedication of land for a future elementary school and commits to setting aside roughly 2 acres for a fire/EMS site and buffering to protect Carolina heelsplitter habitat.
The development agreement — offered as part of a package connected to related petitions on adjacent parcels — was approved unanimously after the commission added language to ensure the full acreage needed by the school system would be provided if the companion Lennar petition failed to move forward. Commissioner Jason Cavalier moved and the commission carried the motion by roll call.
Commissioners and residents then debated a related rezoning request that would change roughly 355 acres from rural neighborhood to medium-density residential, increasing potential buildout from a use-by-right estimate of about 355 homes to 578 homes under the proposed MDR density. After public comment and…
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