Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission approves waiver to let Fort Mill development share driveway near Highway 160
Summary
The York County Planning Commission approved waiver 26-3 on June 8, 2026, allowing applicants to use an existing shared driveway near Dam Road and SC 160 with reduced separation requirements; staff cited an approved traffic impact analysis and SCDOT review, while commissioners noted left-turn and large-truck safety concerns.
The York County Planning Commission on June 8 approved a land-development waiver allowing a Fort Mill property to use an existing shared driveway near the intersection of Dam Road and South Carolina Highway 160 rather than creating a new curb cut closer to the intersection.
Staff said the applicants requested waiver 26-3 from the county's 325-foot minimum driveway separation standard to permit use of an existing access point 125'128 feet from the intersection; staff recommended a 200-foot waiver as the appropriate accommodation. "This presents a really good option that maximizes that distance, creates a shared drive and eliminates one access point," a staff representative said during the public hearing.
Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on traffic-safety issues. One commissioner asked whether the TIA investigated left-turn stacking and turning-radius problems at the adjacent signalized intersection. The applicant's engineer, Kevin Garten, said SCDOT reviewed the traffic impact analysis, requested the driveway be configured from separate left and right lanes to a single combined lane for left/right movements and that the TIA projects traffic 10 to 20-plus years into the build-out. "SCDOT didn't request or require any kind of other modifications to Highway 160; they just wanted that one change of the driveway," Garten said.
Other commissioners and members of the public raised concerns about large vehicles (including fuel tankers) maneuvering at the single access point and visibility where traffic can back up during school peak hours. Staff acknowledged those concerns but repeated that the TIA had been completed and approved and that mitigation measures identified in the study would be addressed through SCDOT and site review.
After public comment closed, the commission moved and seconded approval of the waiver; the chair called the vote and the waiver was approved.
The county will proceed with any required SCDOT and site-review steps as the applicant advances permitting; the transcript does not list a roll-call vote tally.
