Hundreds of townhomes could go up across from high school in Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Land across from two Rock Hill schools once set for a grocery store could now become residential and retail property, according to our partners at The Rock Hill Herald.

Pending the rezoning of more than 40 acres, townhomes and commercial space are expected to go up near Northwestern High School, at West Main Street and Rawlinson Road. The newspaper reports that Halpern Enterprises applied to rezone the parcels.

Channel 9′s Tina Terry learned a petition has been circulating with signatures from 300 to 400 people against the development. Some will voice their concerns at a hearing on Tuesday night.

The properties are a mix of city and unincorporated York County parcels. There’s a vacant fast-food restaurant, a retail center, a home, and several undeveloped properties on the site.

The plan would bring retail shopping and two commercial properties to the spot along Main Street, with 213 townhomes behind them. The commercial area is about 13,000 square feet.

Sketch plans also show two traffic signal access points. There’s a central amenity area and three retention ponds on the sketch.

The City Planning Commission told the Herald that they were in favor of the project. They said it would reduce traffic compared to the prior Walmart plan, and it fits the area.

However, the city also received over half a dozen emails from area residents protesting the new development. Several of those residents brought up not only Northwestern, but Rawlinson Road Middle School and the impact development traffic would have on the schools.

Bob Kneeland said that new development will replace a wooded area that’s been in front of his home for 23 years.

“It could certainly affect property values,” he said. “It could certainly increase congestion of traffic for emergency vehicles.”

He’s led a charge to collect hundreds of signatures from neighbors who, like him, are opposed to the project.

“You got another 400 people driving and the potential is there for danger for sure,” neighbor Chad Gerrald said.

“There’s no advantage of any of the homeowners,” Kneeland added.

Halpern Enterprises said there will be undisturbed buffers between the development and single-family homes to the east, but neighbors say the plan is just too large for the space.

“I’m hoping the planning commission will listen to us now that we have wildlife in there, and listen to the citizens who’ve been here as long as everybody’s been here,” Kneeland said.

The City Planning Commission told the Herald that it will be reviewing the proposal Tuesday night before making recommendations to the Rock Hill City Council. Residents will get the opportunity to voice their concerns in a public comment period.

A spokesperson for Halpern Enterprises told Tina Terry the homes will sell for market value at roughly $300,00 to $400,000. He thinks the project will breathe life into that part of Rock Hill without lowering property values for current residents.

The retail site is part of a shopping center that was partially demolished in 2016. At the time, there was a Walmart Neighborhood Market grocery store planned. After demolition began to make way for the grocery store, that plan fell through and the grocery store never happened, according to the Herald.

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