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Published: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 / Updated: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 01:47 PM

Chamber board ready to back overlay plan

LAKE WYLIE -- 

Business leaders will wait and see what a final Lake Wylie overlay ordinance looks like, but initial indications show support for a process promising to ratchet up architectural requirements, expand the current Lake Wylie area from the existing county development ordinance and create a funding mechanism for future recreation areas and green space.

County councilman Tom Smith, along with York County planning services manager Steve Allen and zoning director Dave Pettine, presented the ongoing plan Wednesday at the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce board meeting.

“I think from what most of us have heard here, we'd be willing to support this plan,” said board chairman Charles Wood.

The overlay plan - which could be complete by the end of the year and heard by Council early next year along with an overall county Unified Development Ordinance – currently expands the coverage area from Three Points to the old Five Points area, requires more green space set aside for new developments and recreational areas, and increases commercial and residential architectural requirements.

“This is where we need help from the community to see what we need to tweak,” Smith said.

However, the most noticeable change, planners say, may be the establishment of a funding mechanism for future park and recreation sites through an off-site mitigation fund for developers choosing to “buy down” their green space requirement by up to 10 percent.

“The Lake Wylie overlay is no longer a sign, tree ordinance,” Smith said. “It's a model.”

Allen agreed saying the Lake Wylie overlay methods could be used throughout the county.

“This will be a great proving ground to see if this works,” he said.

Chamber members were especially concerned about areas including the now vacant Waterside Market Place property near Buster Boyd Bridge. If the new overlay becomes county ordinance, redevelopment of that property would be required.

“It is becoming more and more of an eyesore as it deteriorates,” said board member Don Long.

Architecturally, by requiring more brick, stone or stucco exteriors, the overlay is designed to protect against other past concerns, Allen said.

“It was our concern that the growth was taking place so fast, that there were some less than ideal construction methods used,” Allen said.

Board member Allan Gregory said the new design elements should not hinder businesses building in Lake Wylie, but rather encourage it.

“Having some standards and having a consistency throughout our community will help,” Gregory said. “I think it'll help bring businesses in.”

The new overlay also would allow for small signs on the sides of intersection lots, and would have requirements for where boat and RV storage facilities could be built.

Plus, the 35 percent green space requirement would not only add more land preservation, but also funding. Several possibilities exist for developers – adding trails, connecting to adjacent developments, using grid traffic instead of cul de sacs – to earn points toward lessoning their green space requirement, with one being off-site mitigation. Developers essentially could buy down that 35 percent requirement as low as 25 percent by paying the appraised cost of the difference to a fund for park and recreation use. A local committee would be formed to distribute those funds to various projects.

“We want the Manchester Meadows like Rock Hill has,” Smith said, adding that no current funding mechanism for such a project exists. “We want some of the Springs stuff like they have in Fort Mill.”

“This document is really an expansion of the Lake Wylie overlay not only in geography, but in some of the architectural standards from the Interim Development Ordinance and also some of the elements of the planned development with Crescent,” Smith said.

That agreement, reached by council and Crescent with plans for park and recreation space, school space and lower building densities closest to the lake, remains intact despite Crescent's ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

“We just don't know when, but we'll get there eventually,” Smith said.

As for the new Wal-Mart Supercenter at Mill Creek Commons, plans for a “hybrid” storefront from earlier Wal-Mart models should make the new store appealing, Smith said. Though not required by the new ordinance to meet the proposed architectural requirements, the store would anyway.

“This is what they're doing everywhere now,” Pettine said. “That's why it sat on the shelf so long. They basically went back and completely rebranded Wal-Mart.”

Also, Smith invited anyone interested in helping form the Lake Wylie overly to participate, with possible though yet unplanned community meetings to come.

“This is where we need help from the community to see what we need to tweak,” he said.

For more information on the project, visit yorkcountygov.com or jjg.com/yorkcountyudo