Lexington council hears traffic study, weighs annexation to secure $1M in intersection work for proposed 299‑home Bar Road subdivision

Lexington transportation staff told the council on Dec. 1 that a proposed 299‑unit subdivision on Bar Road would produce roughly 2,700 daily trips at full buildout, projected for about 2033, and would require a set of intersection improvements to maintain acceptable traffic operations.

"At full build, this neighborhood that's been proposed over on Bar Road is projected to generate around 2,700 daily trips," Transportation Director Randy Edwards said, summarizing the traffic impact analysis. The study finds two site access points (Bar Road and West Main), calls for added ingress/egress lanes at both, and recommends a new traffic signal at the Wildlife‑at‑Bar intersection after the development reaches projected volumes.

The study predicts operational gains from the recommended work: adding a right‑turn lane at Bar and West Main would increase intersection efficiency by about 25% in the morning and 11% in the evening peak, staff said. Edwards said the buildout scenario included an aggressive 3% annual growth rate to 2033.

Council members pressed staff on who would be required to pay for the improvements. "Is it correct to say that if this was not annexed into the town, the county does not require any of these road improvements?" one council member asked. Edwards responded that the county lacks a mechanism to require the intersection upgrades identified in the traffic analysis and that SCDOT would require ingress/egress improvements at the site entrances, but not the broader intersection signal and lane work unless the town requires it.

Council members and staff put numbers on the tradeoffs. Staff estimated the on‑the‑ground infrastructure improvements related to the project would range "anywhere from $750,000 to a million dollars" and noted the town's transportation impact fee is $828 per home. At 299 homes, the transportation portion of impact fees would total about $250,000; staff said the overall impact fee is roughly $2,300 per home.

That arithmetic framed the council's options, staff said: if the property remains outside town limits, the county's standards would likely not collect the transportation impact fee and would not legally require the near‑$1 million in intersection work; annexation would give the town authority to collect impact fees and require additional mitigation as part of development approvals. "So, essentially the point I'm making is that the town standards are requiring these traffic improvement projects whereas the county's are not," one council member said.

Council members also debated connectivity between the new neighborhood and the adjacent Yale Road subdivision. Staff said the developer does not intend to create a public right‑of‑way connection and that any future connection would require council direction, negotiation with the homeowners association, possible right‑of‑way acquisition and county coordination. Some council members said they would not support forcing a connection; others urged preserving a potential future pathway for emergency access and long‑term planning.

Council took first reading on annexation related to the proposed Bar Road development (petitioned by Satcher Properties LLC) as part of the evening's business. The item will return for further hearings and votes; staff also noted that DOT permitting and required encroachment permits will govern timing and sequencing of required improvements and that phasing and bonding practices are used to ensure infrastructure is installed by the time accesses open.

What happens next: the annexation and related site plans will proceed through the town's public hearing and ordinance process; staff will also return with implementation details and any proposed ordinance changes to address connectivity and impact‑fee crediting.