Commission approves MRDP rezoning for 240 homes near Poplar Church and Mount Pisgah despite extensive public concerns on flooding and traffic

The planning commission approved a rezoning to MRDP for roughly 159.76 acres near Poplar Church Road and Mount Pisgah Cemetery Road to allow 240 single‑family homes, staff said. The project incorporates large natural buffers (150–300 feet in places), five pocket parks, sidewalks, and 50‑foot wetland buffers, and applicant representatives emphasized that no wetland impacts are proposed.

David Shore (Diamond Shores) described the plan’s large buffers — including a 300‑foot buffer behind existing three‑acre lots and a 1000‑foot undisturbed buffer along one frontage — and said the development pulls lots out of the 500‑year floodplain and increases stormwater controls. “We pulled every single lot outside of not only the 100, but the 500 year flood zone,” an applicant representative said during the presentation.

Public comment was extensive and largely critical: residents cited persistent flooding on Spring Beauty and Fox Chase drives, beaver dams and blocked ditches, the proximity of schools already over capacity, and potential wildlife impacts. Several speakers urged denial based on flooding risk and inadequate downstream drainage; other neighbors supported the rezoning as a buffered alternative to denser options. Staff recommended approval; the commission voted to approve the future‑land‑use amendment and later the rezoning motion.

The approval conditions include standard development‑plan review, added stormwater analysis, and coordination with SCDOT and county stormwater staff for downstream impacts and potential right‑of‑way improvements. The developer and staff said additional stormwater easements and construction of control structures are part of the proposed mitigation measures.