Lancaster County Council delays two major development items amid traffic and EMS concerns

Lancaster County Council on Feb. 23 postponed second readings and further action on two large development items after dozens of residents urged the body to delay votes until traffic, emergency‑services capacity and written developer commitments are clarified.

The council moved to defer a rezoning request that would reclassify about 71.1 acres from low‑density residential to regional business (ordinance cited on the agenda) and to delay final action on a development agreement for the Haven project, a large mixed‑use proposal between Charlotte Highway and Craig Farm Road. Council members said they wanted more time to review memoranda of understanding, traffic impacts and the public‑safety consequences of accelerated growth.

Residents testifying during the citizens‑comment period pressed council members to slow approvals. Jean Doyle and several neighbors said packet materials on the county website did not reflect the developer’s latest concept plans and asked for binding written commitments and stronger buffers. Multiple speakers asked why the county or SCDOT had not required independent traffic studies for residential or commercial rezoning.

Libby Sweat Lambert gave an emotional account of her son’s 2021 diabetic emergency and attributed his survival to timely Lancaster EMS response. “If this situation had happened today, I have no confidence we’d have had the staffing to save him,” Lambert said, urging the council to halt approvals until infrastructure is assured.

County staff and the applicant addressed infrastructure concerns in a long council exchange. Planning staff noted that planning commission and staff recommendations differed on the rezoning: staff recommended approval while the planning commission had recommended denial. Council members questioned whether large retail footprints shown on concept ‘bubble’ plans would be allowed by‑right under regional‑business zoning or would require later conditional reviews and site‑plan approvals.

Developer John Hardy of LAR told the council the Haven aligns with Lancaster’s 2040 comprehensive plan and presented a traffic‑impact analysis done for the proposed 926 homes portion of the project. Hardy said the developer had revised public‑safety commitments after hearing community concerns: proposed changes include higher per‑home impact fees for sheriff, EMS and fire, and offers to donate land for a joint fire/EMS station. Hardy said the developer would be willing to donate a site (described as 5–8 acres in the presentation) and increase proposed public‑safety impact fees, and invited county staff to set up technical meetings with SCDOT and other builders.

Councilmembers who opposed immediate approval said existing infrastructure shortfalls — particularly EMS and fire staffing and station siting — must be resolved before authorizing large new developments. Several council members proposed delaying the readings so staff could present additional information and so council could discuss regional public‑safety arrangements and funding options at the county’s next work session. A motion to reschedule the second readings to the first regular council meeting after the March 11 county work session passed.

What’s next: Council directed staff to circulate the developer’s memoranda of understanding, to supply any missing site plans or traffic analyses to the public, and to place the items on the March agenda after the council work session for further deliberations. The postponement means neither rezoning nor the development agreement were approved at this meeting.