LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Lancaster County planners have been busy. As soon as one new neighborhood begins construction, developers are asking for approval to plan for more.
The unincorporated community south of Charlotte was last listed in 2016 as having just under 25,000 residents. Indian Land accounts for virtually all of the growth in Lancaster County and has added 15,000 newcomers in the last decade.
On Tuesday night, the County Planning Commission discussed whether to approve two new subdivisions and the expansion of a third one.
The Avondale neighborhood off Calvin Hall Road is already approved for 490 new homes. Developer Dr. Horton is asking for 20 more lots.
Patterson Preserve, which is near Barberville Road is requesting 177 homesites, and Harris Mill, off Henry Harris Road, wants approval for 383 homes.
The area has a lot to offer for residents, including Diane Valdez, who is from New Jersey.
"You see a lot of stores,” Valdez said. “You start to see a lot of corporations coming here."
[YMCA breaks ground on Indian Land facility]
More shops, business and homes add to the traffic on Highway 521, and commuting into Charlotte is getting as bad as dealing with the congestion on Interstate 77. Valdez sees it all the time because she lives in Tega Cay and commutes.
"It's congested,” she said. “You can't get through. If there's an accident, you're there for hours."
The draw of lower taxes and good schools comes at another kind of cost for some people.
Gerry Scanlon has lived in Indian Land since November, and he's moving away.
"I didn't think (Highway) 521 could be that bad, but it is," he said. "I was looking for a quieter location, and I just chose an area that was not what I wanted."
Lancaster County leaders put a hold on new neighborhoods for nine months in 2015 and 2016 to tighten development standards.
The result was a unified development ordinance.
Since then, growth hasn't ceased causing some, including Valdez, to question what's next.
"In order for you to add the homes, you also have to expand. It can't just be about bringing homes here and not expanding the roads," she said.
In July, a large project is up for a vote.
Lennar Homes wants to build 1,850 new homes in a neighborhood called Roseland.
Technically, it's not in Indian Land because it's south of Highway 5, but it will add more traffic on Highway 521.
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