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Ashley Circle rezoning DA proposed for 99 homes; applicants promise buffers, cemetery protections and turn-lane work
Summary
Developers seeking MRD rezoning for ~91.2 acres on Ashley Circle propose 99 single-family homes, larger-than-required lot minimums, substantial buffers and a fenced, nonprofit-maintained cemetery parcel; residents raised flooding, traffic-safety and unmarked-grave concerns during public comment.
Planning staff presented a development agreement (DA) tied to an Ashley Circle rezoning that would limit the project to a maximum of 99 single-family detached homes, cap building heights at 35 feet and require minimum lot sizes of 12,000 square feet — larger than the 7,000-square-foot minimum allowed under MRDP — as written into the DA.
"The developer states that they will have a maximum unit count, of 99 total single family detached residential homes," a staff member told the commission. The DA also commits to a black aluminum fence around the existing cemetery and to transfer ownership of that fenced parcel to a South Carolina nonprofit for perpetual maintenance.
Rob Wilfong, representing the applicant (Development Resource Group), said the project covers about "91.2 acres total" and emphasized large buffers and open space: 200-foot streetscape buffer along Ashley Circle, a 100-foot perimeter buffer (about 23 acres set aside for buffers), more than 49 acres of open space, and about 2.5 acres of parks. He said the DA requires a left-turn lane on Highway 66 and includes a 50-foot wetland buffer and stormwater easements through Alligator Swamp.
Residents repeatedly challenged drainage and safety assumptions during public input. Michelle Smith, an Ashley Circle resident of more than 25 years, asked for a more robust traffic study and a stormwater plan and warned of flooding on the one-way-in/one-way-out road. She also told the commission that "there are bodies there in unmarked graves," urging further investigation before locating playgrounds or other improvements adjacent to the cemetery. Other residents described recurring flooding on a curve and questioned whether drainage will be adequately handled downstream.
Why it matters: The DA includes specific, legally worded commitments (unit caps, lot-size minimums, turn-lane installation and cemetery fencing/transfer). Those commitments will be weighed against resident concerns about flooding, traffic safety and unmarked graves. Staff said no final vote will occur at this workshop and a public hearing is scheduled next Thursday at the planning commission meeting; the DA will later go to county council on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. for consideration.
