Lancaster County planning panel denies "Project Magic" rezoning after residents raise traffic and drainage concerns

At its March 17, 2026 meeting, the Lancaster County Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny a staff recommendation to rezone a parcel for RZ20260152, known as Project Magic.

Staff told commissioners the request would change the site from Low Density Residential to Regional Business and that the proposal met the Unified Development Ordinance and the comprehensive plan designation for a growth area. The applicant's representative, Jerry Gronski of Unique USA Inc. (rugs.com), said the company planned to consolidate three locations into a single warehouse/fulfillment center and estimated normal daily truck activity as "4 to 5 trailers in a day and 3 that leave." He said the operation would not run 24 hours a day.

Residents who live on nearby roads told the commission they're worried about traffic, drainage and being surrounded by commercial development. Chad Boyles, who lives on Lodge Road, said the unpaved, downhill gravel road his neighbors maintain already suffers washouts: "We're just kind of concerned about all the land movement, the grading, the land clearing, and how that would affect water flow, and kind of worsen any issues" and asked the commission to ensure stormwater studies and defined responsibility for damages.

Neighbor Becky Droz said staff documents failed to note single-family homes on Dogwood Acres Road and warned residents'front yards face the project site: "If the Point and Project Magic become reality, our community on Dogwood Acres becomes a group of homes swallowed up sitting in the middle of a business park." Jeanie Saner, another resident, said she and neighbors deliberately moved to LDR property for a rural lifestyle and urged adaptive reuse of existing industrial sites instead of rezoning: "Don't steal our residential land where we can have chickens and goats."

Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on map clarity and consistency with the comp plan. One commissioner said the request "jumps from low density residential all the way to the highest level of commercial when we're skipping right over neighborhood business" and that the parcel is "completely surrounded by residential use," arguing the uses allowed under Regional Business do not match the adjacent pattern.

After discussion, the commission took a roll-call vote and the clerk recorded each commissioner as voting against recommending approval; the motion was denied 4'to'0 and the item was referred to county council for final decision.

The planning commission noted the applicant may pursue council consideration; staff and applicants will be notified of the council hearing date.