Town Council - Regular Meeting

We'll call tonight's meeting to order. Thank you all for joining us. It's really nice to see everybody here. We've got an aggressive agenda tonight with a lot of important decisions that need to be made. So if you have a device, a phone, an iPad, a computer, Anything, a watch that's going to play us a song or interrupt the motions that we're making, would you please turn those to silent? I appreciate it. With that, we as a council will stand for a pledge of allegiance and an invitation.

United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Heavenly Father, we come to you this evening asking for your guidance and your wisdom to be disposed upon us as we make decisions for our community. Thank you for the love that you show us in our community and for the Wonderful blessing that it is to be among each other. In his name we pray. Amen. Council, you have received a copy of our June 2nd Council Workshop Meeting Minutes and our June 8th Council Workshop Meeting Minutes. Are there any changes, deletions, additions?

Hearing none, I move to approve the minutes.

I have a motion for approval.

A second.

And a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, thank you so much. Public comments. This is important for those of you that signed the papers. Pursuant to Section 2-46 of the Code of Ordinances for the Town of Fort Mill, any citizen of the town may appear before council for the purpose of providing public comments on any municipal matter except personnel matters. Those who wish to speak must sign in outside of the council chambers prior to the start of the meeting. Citizens will be given three minutes each to speak. I would like to caution you that I can't head count right now, but there's quite a few folks out there. If three-quarters of you are speaking about the same thing and the person before you said everything, you're more than welcome to come to the podium and say, I agree with what's been said or vice versa. But, you know, we will adhere to the three-minute mark just because we want to make sure everybody has an equal opportunity to speak. With that, we will begin with Herb Tesh. Hi, Herb. Hi. If you'll please state your address. 1489 Mary Ellen Drive.

All right. It's in the township. work at the recreation complex, and I've coached basketball, football, and baseball here for 40 years. So good evening, Mayor Savage and Fort Mill Council. I am Herb Tesh, and I reside in the Fort Mill Township. Worked part-time when it was the Leroy Springs Recreation Complex since 1980. and I've been with the YMCA since the town contracted with the YMCA in 2018. I'm here tonight regarding the contract between the town of Fort Mill and the Upper Palmetto YMCA for the operation of the complex. In that contract that you guys signed on page four, section six of your agreement, explicitly grants the council the right to formally request that the Upper Palmetto YMCA Board of Directors review the conduct of people operating this facility. So I'm asking here tonight, asking you to invoke that right tonight, and here's why I believe you should do that. You each received an email from me that I sent to the YMCA Board of Directors which details conduct issues in question. I think that you explicitly negotiated this contract, negotiated these personal oversight items to protect Fort Mill. Let me switch pages here. Fort Mill citizens and public funds and town assets. Also, there's an issue of community trust. Residents deserve professional, transparent, and respectful leadership at our premier complex hub. I ask tonight that you would vote to formally request this review. have the town managers submit this request to the board of directors, have the YMCA board of directors investigate any conduct that's detrimental to the complex, and report their findings and their corrective action back to the town council. I don't feel like invoking this is an overreach. It's the exact legal tool that was built into your contract to handle this kind of situation. It ensures that the Upper Palmetto Y remains fully accountable to the town leadership and the taxpayers of Fort Mill. Please review the email I sent, exercise your contractual authority and protect the integrity of the complex. Do you have any questions?

As a matter of rule, the only time we speak to people presenting is if there's something that's inaccurate that is shared. However, in this case, I would like to publicly thank you for the many hours of volunteerism and work that you have offered to our community and to our children. That is invaluable to us. We take your concerns very seriously. And we are working to bring resolution to some of the issues that you mentioned. So thank you for what you do and what you have meant to the children in Fort Meade.

Thank you, counsel. Appreciate it.

All right. Chuck Wright. Chuck, if you would state your address, please, sir.

Yes, 302 Bank Street, and my name is Chuck Wright, and I have two reasons to be here tonight. I wanted to thank you, Mayor Savage, and the council. I was recently appointed to the Historic Review Board. I've been to two meetings, and I'm working with Penelope and her staff and looking forward to serving as long as possible. you feel like I'm worthy. And we moved into the Ackerman House on Bank Street about a year and a half ago. We feel honored to live in that house. I want to bring up an issue which I think a lot of people are aware of. There's a leaning big giant oak tree right in front of our house, which is in the public right-of-way. And Duke Energy reviewed it. At one point, Jeanette Kettlewell called me about two, three months ago saying the tree was slated to be removed. Well now Duke's changed their mind on that. When that tree does come down, and it's going to come down, is going to take out at least one, maybe two power poles right on the corner of the max property and probably take out half of the golf course. I just think that it would be proactive to maybe group together between DOT, city, and Duke on getting that tree removed. I also noticed in the comprehensive plan of the city that there's potentially going to be a biking and hiking path on Bank Street that would go from Tom Hall all the way down to the river. And if that does go through, well, that tree is going to have to be removed anyway. So I'm just saying maybe proactively think about wanting to remove that tree before anything bad happens like it dropping on a school bus or whatever. A MINIVAN FULL OF KIDS OR JUST EVEN DUKE. IF THAT COMES DOWN, IT'S GOING TO COST DUKE A LOT MORE THAN $8,000, WHICH IS ABOUT WHAT ASPLUND TOLD ME IT WOULD BE TO REMOVE THAT TREE. I DID HAVE A LITTLE LETTER HERE. JEANETTE RAN ME ALL THE EMAILS REGARDING THE TREE. THE IDOT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT IT. WHEN I CALLED THEM ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, HE'S LIKE, DOWN IN CHESTER, OH, YEAH, I KNOW ABOUT THAT TREE. So just my concerns that I wanted to give, and thank you again. I look forward to serving on the review board and working with you in the future.

Thank you, Chuck.

May I just give this to you?

Yes, you can. I used to work for Duke for 25 years, so I'm very familiar with their right-of-way maintenance program and their guidelines. So I will touch base with them and see why they said yes, then no.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

All right, Bridget Grant. All right, Bridget, if you will state your address, please.

100 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina. And what brings you before our count? I'm here on behalf of Classica Homes and TriPoint Homes, who are part of the public hearings this evening. I'm here representing... Larry Burton, Kent Wilson, as well as representatives from ESP, Matt Mandel, and Emily Roebuck. We're really pleased to be here tonight after some collaboration and additional community meetings. We're pleased to say that we have also some members here in support. We are simply here to answer any questions, should you have any, as the night goes on. Thank you.

Great. Thank you. Frank Pope.

Good evening. My name is Frank Pope. I'm a 21-year resident of the Spring Branch Glen subdivision. I previously addressed this council about Ardmill Phase 2's negative impact on groundwater management and flooding due to the loss of trees, vegetation, and the addition of impervious space. I also noted the eliminating nearly 80 acres of mature woodlands will cause the loss of habitat for many native species of plants and animals. While the developer has made changes to his original plan, other members of the community continue to echo these same concerns. Now regardless of your decision on annexation and rezoning, some feel that this tract's development within the town or county is inevitable. If that is the case, then I implore this council to ensure responsible development that protects the environment, minimizes disruption to neighbors, and most importantly, provides for safety of town residents. That is why I'm focusing my remarks on what any development of this tract must consider with regards to safety. First, the developer's plans to limit all construction access to Nims Lake Road will create significant traffic disruption, noise, and safety issues for residents of Nims Lake Road, Fred Nims Road, and the White Grove and Spring Branch Glen subdivisions. Barricading access to the site at the Arden Mill Phase 1 access point will result in heavy traffic volume from construction equipment, material deliveries, and scores of workers rumbling up and down Nims Lake Road daily. Second, after construction is completed, the two access points to Arden Mill's nearly 200 homes and multiple businesses will dramatically change existing traffic patterns. Traffic volume will shift from Dobies Bridge Road and Fort Mill Parkway onto Nims Lake Road as drivers seek to bypass parkway traffic lights and avoid heavy traffic from schools and new retail businesses. Existing residents will find it dangerous to access Nims Lake Road from White Bridge Lane or Spring Branch Road with increased traffic, poor sight lines, and 35 mile per hour vehicle speeds on this state South Carolina DOT roadway. Now the traffic impact analysis did not address Nims Lake Road intersections with White Bridge Lane or Spring Branch Road. The planned subdivision will encompass and realign both state and county portions of Nims Lake Road. After the subdivision is built out, we would expect that the developer seeks council's approval of street acceptance. Will maintenance of Nims Lake Road start with the state, transition to the town within the subdivision, and then end with county maintenance on the remaining gravel portion of the road? To ensure the future safety of town residents, if council decides to approve the annexation and rezoning request, I respectfully ask the council establish conditions with the developer that go beyond the promised remilling and repaving of Nims Lake Road to include posted 20 mile per hour speed limits within the subdivision, roadway and sightline improvements at White Bridge Lane and Spring Branch Road intersections, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements, including side paths or sidewalks along the length of Nims Lake Road, as well as along the site's North Nobe Bridge Roadway improvement area. Thank you.

Thank you, Frank. All right, Stu Tadford. That's me.

I'm not going to break a world record here.

I'm not going to go three minutes. I'm going to go about three seconds. Mr. Pope brought, I guess, to everyone's attention that Nims Lake Road, people walk up and down it. Golf carts go up and down it. Plus, the cars from Arden Mills 1 will be using Nims Lake Road as a cut-through. I think it's going to be very dangerous for pedestrians and people in golf carts. People use that all the time, especially young children. And that's really all I had to say.

Thank you. I appreciate your respectful comments.

Thank you.

Stephen Smith.

Good evening. My name is Stephen Smith. My wife Nancy and I live at 2044 Thatcher Way, Arden Mill, for six years. We own a Classica home, and we are in support of the revision of the Arden Mill II plan. I'd like to speak a little bit about Classica. Classica is a first-class builder with integrity. They do what they say they're going to do. They meet and exceed expectations. I'm not familiar with TriPoint. However, if they partnered up with Classica, they must be of high standard character. Classica came to Arden Mill and asked for input. And with that input, we have a reduction in the number of homes from 108 to 88. The home sites are larger, and we've got a preservation of nature. with larger green space and undisturbed trees that will outline the entire neighborhood. So I ask the council for their favorable consideration, and I thank you in advance for your approval to Arden Mill 2. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Steve. Jeffrey Wagner.

Good evening. Address 101 Spring Branch Road. Thank you. So good evening, members. My wife and I and son live at 101 Spring Branch Road. This incredible turnout that we have here tonight is certainly not an accident. It is simply just a continuation of a unified voice that you heard in the public comments back in March. All of those comments back in March were asking you to preserve the town that we all love and to deny the rezoning and the annexation request. When I stood before you last time, I noted that by choosing to preserve this historic building, you demonstrated a deep respect for Fort Mills history. And tonight, I'm asking you to do the same for the natural land of the town. I've heard the updates from the developer's recent community meeting, the reduced lots, the added turn lanes to North Dobie's Bridge Road, but a concession is not a cure. Dropping the density does not change the fact that a mixed-use designation is fundamentally the wrong footprint for this corridor. They're painting a picture of compromise, but in reality, it's all just cosmetic. The traffic that will pour onto Dobie's Bridge after the build-outs of Crossroads and Catawba Ridge Market and Arden Mills Phase 2 will be unbearable. Furthermore, directing all construction traffic down Nims Lake Road deliberately spares the Phase 1 residents while shifting heavy machinery onto our narrow residential street, a street used by families pushing strollers and residents walking dogs, as you heard just a few minutes ago. We're asking you to recognize this immediate safety crisis. The developers claim that their environmental studies found no evidence of protected wildlife, but that does not account for the song of a Carolina wren or a hoot of a barred owl. You cannot clear cut mature canopy at this scale without stripping away and silencing an untouched natural environment. No amount of developer paved asphalt can replace the living infrastructure that prevents catastrophic water runoff and absorbs noise in our rapidly expanding town. Consider the two different lenses viewing these 80 acres. For the residents, our lens is preservation. We're fighting to protect our quality of life. The developers view our community through the lens of a paycheck. TriPoint is a publicly traded company that reported a $3.4 billion in home sales last year. Their primary interest is shareholders. To them, these 80 acres are a line item. Their lens is temporary. Ours is permanent. The out-of-state businesses will eventually pack up and move on, but we are here to stay. And while they have executives to advocate for their bottom line, we have you. We look to you, our elected leaders, to protect the future of the community we all share. Please deny this zoning and annexation request. Thank you for your time and your dedicated service to our towns.

Jennifer White.

Hi, I'm Jennifer White. I live at 125 Spring Branch Road. I thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. I actually have a handout that I would love to give to each of you.

I don't know if I can just. Sure. Casey, would you hand those out? Or never mind. Carrie will. Thank you.

As you've heard, there's still many concerns regarding the proposed Arden Mill Phase II development. While I appreciate the changes the developers have made to increase or decrease housing density and increase perimeter buffers, I'm still very concerned about the impact of construction vehicles and increased traffic on Nims Lake Road. As you can see from my handout, I happen to be behind a tractor trailer on Nims Lake Road on the morning of May 11th, 2026. The first picture shows how narrow this road is and how the truck seems to be very close to crossing the center double line. Even more concerning is the second picture, which shows the same vehicle attempting to turn right onto Dobie's Bridge Road from Nims Lake Road. The driver is clearly in the opposite lane while trying to make a right turn, presumably to get to Fort Mill Parkway. As you may be aware, Nims Lake Road does not meet North Dobie's Bridge Road at anything close to a 90-degree angle. Due to the acute angles of the intersection, it's harder to judge the speed of approaching traffic. Drivers turning left from Nims Lake Road onto Dobie's Bridge Road have to look farther over their shoulder before proceeding, and it's impossible for a large vehicle to turn right without entering lanes of oncoming traffic on both roads. In addition, Kitty Academy of Fort Mill is located across from this intersection and adds significantly to traffic during drop off and pick up times. These two photos clearly show how inappropriate and dangerous it would be to use Nims Lake Road as the sole access point for construction traffic. I realize that this road is under the jurisdiction of the South Carolina Department of Transportation, and I also understand how slowly they address safety concerns. All we have to do is look at how long it took to get stoplights at the intersection of Dobies Ridge Road and Dudley Drive, as well as Fort Mill Parkway and Nims Village Drive. I would hate for a tragic accident to occur before the South Carolina DOT would consider the needed improvements for this intersection. Nims Lake Road was simply not made to safely handle construction vehicles and the increased traffic that this development will bring. Thank you for your time and your consideration.

Thank you. Will Barbieri.

Good afternoon. My name is Will Barbieri and I live at 610 Nims Lake Road. And I, along with my family, are the owners of the property in question. The decision-making process on how to develop this process has been or this property has been an ongoing, uh, process, uh, for more than eight years, we've been considering how best to utilize, uh, this property in a way that reflects both our values and the values of the town of Fort mill. Um, we've turned down a number of very promising proposals that could have been built on a by right basis, um, working with working through the County over the years, but we didn't think it was a good fit for Fort mill. Um, It has been our strong preference to work with the town of Fort Mill and to have this property contribute in a positive way to the character of our town. It has been our objective to have what is built here provide seamless continuity for the infrastructure, connectivity, public safety, and character of the residential neighborhoods on this side of Fort Mill. With our current development partner, TriPoint Homes, we strongly believe that we have refined a plan and found a partner that will build a beautiful neighborhood with high-quality luxury homes that will advance the stated long-term vision of the town of Fort Mill, and that has been so supported by this council. Therefore, we respectfully stand before you tonight as members of a family with multiple generations of history in this community. and ask that you approve the annexation and rezoning as presented by your planning department in its entirety. We believe in this plan, not only by word, but by deed. I will be staying and living in this construction. This will be my daily life, but I believe in it, and that's why I'm staying. The family and the developer have had numerous community meetings to hear the concerns of the local neighborhoods, and we have been very responsive to that feedback from those meetings and have made substantial changes to the plan. As a result of listening to that feedback, the plan has been amended to include increased setbacks and additional open spaces. The lot count is now down to 88 with a density of approximately 1.2 units per acre. To give that a little perspective, Arden Mill Phase 2 will have 11 fewer houses than Phase 1 did, but those houses will be spread out over almost twice as many acres as were used in Phase 1. The density has allowed for houses to be concentrated in the center of the property, giving substantial buffers to the surrounding neighborhood, and this will not be possible if we're forced to build the neighborhood on a by-right basis through the county. This plan will also provide current residents of Nims Lake Road, such as my family, with an additional outlet and greater connectivity with the town of Fort Mell. Every planning department will tell you that more connectivity is better. Therefore, I again ask the council to approve the proposed annexation and rezoning of these parcels in their entirety.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

I do have a question for you, Mayor.

Sure.

Do you want my property address or my real address?

Whichever one suits you. Okay.

I'll go with 610 Nims Lake Road.

There you go.

My name is Fred Nims, and I was born and raised in Fort Mill, South Carolina. As Will stated a few minutes ago, our families had multiple generations where we've made decisions, where we've tried to contribute to making this a better place to live. And we believe this plan and this development with this development partner is just one more step than that. We've been working on this for eight years, and we think that the developer and our family has listened to the concerns of the surrounding neighborhood and that we've made great refinements. In fact, we think so highly of this. We're staying. Will is staying and is committed to raising his family there. My brother has renovated his home and will live out his days there, probably the next, what, 50 years or something, the way things go. My sister is going to stay there and live there. In fact, my wife and I have an option to buy one of the first homes in the development. If we didn't think this was a good plan and we didn't think it was the right thing to do for Fort Mill, we would not be acting in deed. We were just speaking in words. So let me go over a few of the particulars of the plan. As Will noted, the lot count is down. We're down to 88 lots. The surrounding neighborhoods are all in town of Fort Mill. And so this piece of property is what is known as a donut hole development. So everything around it is in the town. And we want to create a seamless infrastructure in the town of Fort Mill. And so we've listened to the concerns of those neighbors in those neighborhoods. And I appreciate them being here today and speaking their mind and being honest about their concerns. I think it's an appropriate thing for them to do. And I thank them for that. We've taken those into consideration. They've made alterations. The plan we have now, we really like it. This plan is 55 targeted in age group. Targeted, not restricted, which means The town gets the benefits of the impact fees without the impact.

Mr. Nims, I'm going to interrupt you. I said earlier that if anything was incorrect, that I would correct it.

Thank you, ma'am.

I am a real estate agent by trade. There is no such thing as targeted. There are only two sections within the South Carolina legal authority out of Columbia. You're either restricted or you're not. The only class that is allowed to be restricted is 55 and older.

Let me rephrase that. Sorry. I know. It's a nit. It's a nit, but I hear it all the time. Thank you for that. These homes and the developer has developed this system to market these properties to people who are 55 and up. Look at me. And I'm not being mean.

No, I'm the guy. I just don't want anybody to think that they can keep it to 55 unless you're restricted by law. They have to sell it to whomever is interested in the property and can buy it.

I misspoke. Thank you. Now, with a balance of my time, I will list a few things that they're willing to pay for. They want to re-engineer the intersection of Mims Lake and Dobies Ridge, square it up, and add a turn lane. That is vital. The current intersection at Mims Lake Road and Dobies Ridge Road was engineered 100 years ago so Model Ts could get up the hill. And I think we might need to move on from that. I think y'all would agree with that, okay? They're also willing to support a traffic signal at the entrance of Arden Mill 1 and the bypass as soon as the South Carolina Department of Transportation will authorize that. And the additional homes on this site will give us a rooftop count, if you will, to support that action. And I was there the other day trying to turn left, and I get it. I think it would be really great to have a traffic light there. And last but not least, they're willing to mill and repave Nims Lake Road all the way to WS Bridge. They are not required to do that. That's above and beyond. And so let me stand here before you right now and say, if our family, who's been here a long time, did not think this would enhance the quality of life in Fort Mill and be a great addition to Fort Mill, I would not be standing here. We can do other things. But we're here respectfully asking you to approve this plan in its entirety. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Nance. We appreciate it. Yes, ma'am. The next one is Jim at 146 Spring Branch. Jim?

Good afternoon. I'm Jim Boyd. I live at 146 Spring Branch Road. I've been in Spring Branch for 20-something years. My brother was actually one of the developers that helped build houses in that neighborhood. I'm a retired forester, and two things are really dear to me. One is trees, as you would think, and the other is water quality. And so tonight, my focus is mostly on water quality. I believe that the adjustments that have been made are doing a fairly good job of ensuring that we have clear water maintained in our ponds and our creeks surrounding that property. One concern I have is that there was something that I read that... basically say they may work within that right-of-way, that easement area. And soil disturbance is one thing that can degrade water quality very quickly. And we should restrict that as much as possible to those areas that they're going to leave natural. The other thing is concerning me. My wife and I are hikers. We like to get on the Greenway and hike around. And we hike behind the complex. Well, there's Paradise Loop right behind the complex. It's a four-mile hiking trail. And it was quite disturbing to see the property adjoining the Greenway is being developed. And it was right disturbing to see the creek on the trail turn red. And you walk over there and look at what was done, and they had their silt fences and everything like that, but it doesn't take much for something to fail. I would encourage us to be diligent in watching what is going to be done, make sure we are following the rules and the guidelines that are set before us through the Clean Water Act of South Carolina. The other thing is trees. In my profession, I had the opportunity to develop the best management practices for water control and water quality for the state of North Carolina. And that undisturbed surface is very important. It slows down the movement of mud like nothing else will. So I encourage you all to consider that in your considerations. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Gordon Howard? Good evening. Good evening.

Appreciate what you guys do. I've served on a planning commission and a planning board my prior lives, so it's not easy sitting there and listening to all of this information at a meeting where you're about to make a vote, so I wish you the best of luck. Trust me. I live in Arden Mill, 2020 Thatcher Way, with my wife, Diane, who will be speaking right after me, I think. We are big Classica Holmes fans. Own a classical home. We've owned it since 2018 or 19. We only moved into it about two years ago from Weddington, North Carolina. In Weddington, I served on their planning board for a few years and also their Board of Zoning Appeals Board as the chairman. Stafford County, Virginia, where we moved from, I was the chairman of the planning board there for five years. So I have a lot of land use experience. I'm at a loss to understand why the rezoning is required. Personally, we don't support the mixed-use rezoning. We think the residential by right zoning that exists is perfect for that development. It's what it should be. It's what your master plan called for, and it's really... I've been involved in writing a 20-year plan with Stafford County, and I know you want to annex it into the city, but I believe it's what the future was 10 years ago for Mill. Living in Arden Mill today, Arden Mill 1, A couple of things. One is you change the Fort Mill traffic for the schools to police officers, which was great. Perfect. And it's really helped, I think, reduce a lot of issues. The problem is we have an unintended consequence. We're home. Vehicles do come into our roundabout to get out now because they can't make that left-hand turn out of the schools, which is fine. But the width of that, the roundabout, is 13 feet at one point. If you include the little cement on the sides, it's 14 and a half feet. So for a school bus, which is about 8 and a half feet wide, not including the mirrors that extend, right, it just compromises that whole process. To think another 100 homes or 88 homes could come in and out of that traffic circle, and I know there's going to be other access elsewhere is going to cause a lot of congestion to begin with. But I know I'm a property rights guy. By right, residential is allowed to occur. That's cool. But I think you've got to think about all these unintended consequences as you think through your decisions tonight. And again, I support classical homes. I love what they've built. We live in a beautiful home. We're lucky. We're blessed. Fort Mill's a beautiful town. Appreciate everything all of you do. Tough decision tonight, but I just, from my perspective, I don't get the mixed-use designation, particularly because it allows the developer to do many other things, like mixed-use. There could be apartments. There could be condos. There could be other types of dwelling units that could really dense up Fort Mill, and I think we have a lot of density occurring there. at the moment, especially on Fort Mill Parkway, when you look at those new apartment buildings. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Diane Howard.

Hello. Diane Howard, 2020 Thatcher Way. I am a resident of Arden Mill. While we are happy that the builders have agreed to reduce the number of homes proposed for Arden Mill 2 and have increased the home's wooded buffer between the neighborhoods, we feel that there are important issues that will affect the residents of Arden Mill 1. These concerns include the area being rezoned from residential to mixed use. The reason I was given for this is to match Arden Mill 1 zoning. While Arden Mill 1 has a commercial area, that makes sense for it to be a mixed use. Arden Mill 2, from my understanding, is supposed to be just residential. So there is no reason in my thought process as to why it should be a mixed use unless they are planning commercial apartments, townhomes, or something to such. If it is just residential, then a residential zoning would be appropriate. There's one entrance exit for Artemille 1, which the 100 homeowners as well as the commercial properties use. This area and the streets in Artemille 1 are not very wide. It is hard for the homeowners living there to navigate the neighborhood without backups or Pulling over if somebody is parked on the street and having one car pass while the other. Adding an additional possibly 100 more homeowners, or 88 as it is standing right now, really does almost double that traffic. The exit currently at peak times backs traffic up not only into the neighborhood but onto Fort Mill Parkway. Should there be an emergency, there is not an adequate ability for residents in a timely manner to exit. My other concern is the ability of school buses to traverse the neighborhoods. I don't know if you all have consulted with the school board to see if that is even possible for the school buses to traverse both those neighborhoods in and out, and the capacity of the school boards. For these reasons right now, I am not in support of Artem Miltu.

Thank you. Thank you. Charles Huffman.

Hello, thank you for having us. My name is Charles Huffman at 6028 Holden Court in Arden Mill 1. My wife Barb and I live directly adjacent to the new Arden Mills 2 project. So while selection of the development parameters of this property are important to all of us at Arden Mills, it's particularly important to us and our neighbors along Holden Court. It's actually the longest stretch of homes that back up to this property. After several community meetings with Classica and TriPoint Homes representatives to hear our points of view, to which many were addressed, we ardently support their selection for the development of this property for several reasons. Their plans are consistent with the character and quality of the surrounding neighborhoods. The homes being proposed are comparable in design, construction quality, and overall value to the existing homes in the area. And that compatibility is important for preserving neighborhood cohesion, protecting the investments current residents have made, and ensuring the development remains an attractive asset to the town of Fort Mill for many years. We believe this proposal represents a thoughtful, long-term addition to our community and respectfully ask for its approval. Thank you. Thank you.

Gordon, you and Diane signed two times. Did you get your comments in? Got it. Thank you. I just wanted to make sure. Scott Kokenauer.

Will we defer until after the presentation? From the billboard?

If you want to speak on what you signed in for. Okay.

Board, I applaud.

Come on. I'm trying to do it by the book.

Scott Cochran, hour 122, West Oak Street in beautiful Whiteville Park neighborhood, downtown Fort Mill, 34-year resident. Thank you for everything you do for us and everything. I did go to one of the meetings at the elementary school that we had a couple weeks ago, so I just didn't know if there were any updates from that plan to this plan, so that's why I asked for it to defer that item. It was the last meeting I was at. There was no public knowledge. We could see where we were and stuff like that. Anyway, from a stormwater standpoint, this would be a whole lot better in the town. The county stormwater would just be ditches along that line with mailboxes. So from a stormwater standpoint, annexing into the town, bringing to the town would be a good thing from that standpoint. There were some green spaces back there. If they could be – it goes into Jared's property and Sean Thomas' property on Bank Street. If that property could be put in the Nation Forward Land Trust versus just left out there. you know, maybe it could be developed, maybe it couldn't be developed. So there were some things along that line that I wish that we could all see and see where we were and things along that line. So donut holes, I'm not a fan of, so this would alleviate the donut holes. Anyway, and by right, the great state of South Carolina property owners do have rights to sell their property, too. But thank you for everything y'all do.

And we will have a public hearing for each of these, so if you want to speak again after you hear something different, raise your hand.

Thank y'all again.

Thank you, Scott. Dora Perry. Hello, Ms. Dora. Hello.

Hello, my name is Dora Perry. I live at 1349 Banks Road. I have a question. There is a little zoning sign that's on the Banks Road side, and it's a little narrow piece of property there. So I was concerned about what you were changing from an R15 to a mixed use and how it would impact Banks Road.

Penelope, would you like to? Yes, ma'am.

That little piece, the sign on Banks Road, the property is in the town, and so it's for the open space of the MXU. There's no development on that side of Banks Road.

Okay. Thank you. That's all I wanted to know.

Thank you, Dora. Thank you, Penelope. Glasses back on. Frank Pope? I'm good. You're good? All right. Ryan Newkirk?

Thank you, Mayor. Ryan Newkirk, 116 East Close Street. Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you tonight, granted to me by Code 2-46. I really believe that this particular issue boils down to a question of who and not if. The property in question is currently in the county, and if this council votes against annexation and rezoning, then the Barbieri family can pursue approval through York County. And let's be honest, if the county council will approve a chemical plant near one of our schools, I'd imagine they'd approve this. If we can agree that this development is likely to happen, then the question becomes who should benefit, and the answer should be Fort Mill. If the county approves this project, the homes will be built, people will live in them, their children will attend the schools, use the parks, and drive on the roads. But the difference is that Fort Mill will miss out on the municipal impact fees that help support projects like the Millstone Park refurbishment the operations center, the Bank Street gym, and even our new fire truck. Ronald Reagan once said that government does not solve problems, it subsidizes them. And I'm afraid that that's what could happen here. If the vote fails with the town, it will go to the county council, and the house will be built anyway, and Fort Mill will lose. And I cannot stand the idea of Fort Mill losing. In my home, I have a framed 2007 Festa Fund poster. At the bottom are the sponsors. Fort Mill Times, Town of Fort Mill, Baxter Village Clear Springs, and Springfield Crescent communities. To me, it's a reminder that Fort Mill has successfully worked with developments much larger than this one before. The poster also bears the town's old logo and the words progressive and friendly. And I've always liked that motto because it captures the Fort Mill that I know. The application was filed before the moratorium, and I appreciate the council, in your own words, commitment to responsible growth, thoughtful planning, and preserving the character of our community. And that brings me to the applicant, the character of our community. Today I attended the funeral of Tony White, Fort Mill High School class of 76. The pastor spoke about the generations of Fort Mill High family gathered there, and Will Barbieri and his family are part of that same long blue and gold line that stretched through our town's history, from Medal of Honor winner Tom Hall, class of 1916, to Tony White, to Will and I, class of 2005, and now to our children, mine class of 2040 and 44, and Will's daughter, class of 2046. Will is a proud Yellow Jacket and a Fort Millionaire and his family are characters of the community. They have been here for generations and he wants to continue raising his daughter here and be able to tell her their family did right by the town they love. Please don't make them crawl to the county for approval that you could grant today. So I ask respectfully in the spirit of progress and friendship and the character of our community to approve this annexation and rezoning. I believe a vote no is a vote against all of our history and against our town character and our character as Americans. Thank you for your time, and as always, go Jackets.

Thank you. All right. Will, do you want to speak again, or are you good?

I'll just add a few little things.

Okay.

In the spirit of what I believe has been our entire desire in this process is that I've listened to what's been said here tonight, and there's just a couple of things that I wanted to address because, as I said, I live in this very situation. And there was a comment made about stroller pushing, and that's me. I'm the one that's pushing that stroller down Nims Lake Road because I like to walk into Spring Branch Glen with my family because it's beautiful and it's a wonderful place to walk. But I will be honest that as I walk there, there is traffic that comes flying down there that is phenomenally dangerous. I have many times had to swerve the stroller off the road in order to avoid oncoming traffic. That 35 is not adhered to. It's often blown through. And what this development will allow is for a better policing, and traffic management of Nims Lake Road. You transition to the gravel, and the gravel's a dust trap. Every person that drives through there kicks up a massive cloud of dust, cakes my house. It's miserable. But the builder is committed to fixing the road and fixing the intersection with Dobie's Bridge because I 100% agree that that is a phenomenally dangerous turn. It is very dangerous, and I hold my breath every time I'm leaving out of there, especially with how tall that grass can get up on the side of the road there. And with a right turn there, a right turn lane, that would alleviate that problem. And finally, it was brought up that Arden Mill 1 only has the one entrance, and that too gives me consternation because And pause because I don't know if you all remember when there was a gas main break at the entrance to Arden Mill 1 and there was no traffic allowed in and out. That felt phenomenally dangerous to me. That gave me serious pause that if there was an emergency situation in the back of Arden Mill when that was going on, that somebody could have been hurt. But this allows for another access point so that if there's a dangerous situation, people can get out of there safely. So, again, I would just echo, I understand the concerns, and I live those concerns. And we would, again, just ask for the approval of this project. Thank you.

Thank you, Will. Mr. Nims, would you like to speak again?

Briefly. We've heard a number of comments this evening, and we really appreciate people being honest. But Will has just laid out what his life is like there on Nims Lake Road and made it personal. We've had a number of folks from Spring Branch Glen who have spoken and have raised some issues that they're concerned about. The developer and the family met with the surrounding neighborhoods numerous times and heard everything they had to say and incorporated those changes into this plan. Let me tell you something about how our family views development and stewardship of the land and how we feel about this community. All these folks, and including perhaps one person on this council, lives in Spring Branch Glen.

I openly live in Spring Branch Glen. Yes, ma'am. And I recuse myself from the voting as I believe that I should.

I know, I know. I'm making a... I don't hide it. I'm getting to a point.

Okay.

They live there. And there's a subtle thing about that road. When you go down the hill and up the hill and you look down the road, it's not straight. It has a slight arc or curve to it. The engineers originally put a straight road right there. And since I was the developer, I looked at that and I made a subtle change. I put in that arc. And that arc and curve as the vegetation grew in and the landscaping developed, would create the sense of a terminal vista as you look down the street and look down the street the other way. And this helps someone who lives in those homes come out and say to themselves, this is my home, not just a house, because it brings things down to a pedestrian scale. It's a subtle thing. And it cost a couple of lots in terms of the lot yield. But I did it anyway because I wanted that place to feel like home and feel like it was on the scale of a real person. So as we have worked through these plans with the developers, Classica and TriPoint, each time, each iteration, we've had a dialogue back and forth. I have been looking at these plans with an informed eye. And if I wasn't comfortable with any of this, our family would not be standing before you asking you to approve this zoning change in its entirety. So respectfully, we ask for that. And we thank you so much for your time and the effort that you've put forward and for the comments of these neighbors who have come and spoken to us. Thank you very much.

Thank you. To Mr. Nim's point, I do live in Spring Branch Glen and I've lived there for quite some time. I live in the smallest house in the neighborhood and I love the neighbors that I have. It is a beautiful neighborhood that wouldn't be there if it weren't for your family. Many homes wouldn't be there without the benefit of your family. So I'm grateful for that. But I am recusing myself even though Some of the construction proposed will not come up to my property. I feel like it's unfair for me to have a vote, even though these are my neighbors and this is my neighborhood. So I'm recusing myself from that. However, before we take up the next item on the agenda, I think it's critically important to point out that there's a very detailed process by which developers of any ilk come before Fort Mill and provide information to our planning staff and our staff to review. That takes an extremely lengthy period of time, which we get bused at quite a bit for, because we need to cover every avenue of every development from the standpoint of transportation, zoning, ordinances, anything that they can to make it the best for Fort Mill that they can. So it is not something that we just casually review when people come before us. This is a comprehensive plan that we work really hard on. I trust my teammates. I trust my staff to do the right work to the best of their ability. So I want to make sure that we understand this isn't just neighbors being kind to neighbors and neighbors not being kind to neighbors. which thankfully hasn't happened. It's been very peaceful, and everybody has a different opinion, but you know what? It's been respectful to date. So with that, I want to make sure the people that are sitting here that are hearing the discussion and the comments aren't persuaded that it's just neighbor to neighbor. There is a process by which the town will always review everything that comes before the town for annexation or rezoning. So I want to make sure you understand that. Carefully offered. All right. We will now move to of all things a public hearing regarding an ordinance annexing parcels currently or formerly known as York County tax map numbers and 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 portion of 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 portion of this is my least favorite part of the agendas 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 portion of 7 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 portion of 7-0-7-0-0-0-0-5-1 portion of. Hallelujah. Containing approximately plus or minus 68 acres with a proposed zoning designation of MXU Arden Mill. Penelope Karagounis is our town planner in whom I respect greatly. Penelope, would you like to address council? Chris, she's looking at you.

With all due respect, Abby, We need to go into the public hearing. I got you. And go out before I can speak. You stand right there, okay?

We're now going to claim a public hearing for the very topic that everyone's been speaking for. Public hearing is open. If there's anything someone needs to say in addition to what's already been said, now's your time. If you will, please state your name and address.

Good evening. My name is Stacey Robner, and I live at 6036 Holden Court. I'm a resident of Arden Mill, and I'm here tonight to speak in support of Arden Mill Phase 2. I appreciate the opportunity to share my perspective as a resident who cares deeply about thoughtful growth in Fort Mill. Development can often bring concerns about density, traffic, and preserving community character. What stands out to me about Arden Mill Phase 2 is that the developer has listened to community feedback and made meaningful changes to improve the project. First, I'm very encouraged by the reduction in the number of planned homes compared to the original proposal. Lower density helps address many of the concerns residents have expressed, particularly around traffic, congestion, and infrastructure demands. Reducing the number of homes demonstrates a willingness to compromise and pursue growth in a more responsible and balanced way. I'm also appreciative of the larger buffer that has been created behind Art and Mill Phase 1, preserving more space between existing homes. And new developments helps protect privacy, reduces visual impact, and creates a smoother transition between neighborhoods. Another important improvement is the decision to preserve the large canopy of trees. Mature trees are one of the defining features of our community. They provide shade, environmental benefits, and natural beauty while helping maintain the character that makes Fort Mill such a special place to live. Preserving these trees shows a commitment to long-term community value. These changes reflect a collaborative approach, and I believe that deserves recognition. When developers genuinely respond to resident concerns with tangible improvements, it builds trust and leads to better outcomes for everyone. As this project moves forward, I would also encourage consideration of one additional community benefit, creating a trail system or sidewalk connection to Banks Road. and a sidewalk on Nims Lake Road to Dobie's. Improved pedestrian connectivity would provide safer for walking, biking, and less cars on the roads while also helping connect neighborhoods in a meaningful way. This would add lasting value for both current and future residents. In closing, I believe Arden Mill Phase 2 has evolved into a stronger project because of these thoughtful revisions. I appreciate the developer's efforts to reduce density, preserve green space, and maintain the natural character of the area. I hope Council will continue working with the developer to explore added connectivity such as trails or sidewalks. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you.

I think we've got one more. Hi. If you'll state your name and address, please.

Good evening. Yep, I'm Brian Cox. I'm at 6032 Holden Court. I'm in Arden Mill Phase 1. Sorry for being late and not signing up like we're supposed to. But thank you for allowing me the time to speak. I just want to thank the Planning Commission and the very process that you just spoke about, Mayor. And this was brought up originally last August. The developer, Landowners, didn't approach any of the neighbors at that time. We found out about it on the Friday before the Planning Commission meeting. So you can expect that rubbed us the wrong way at that time. But it's not how you start. It's how you finish. Correct. Thankfully for all of us. So with the Planning Commission denying this project at that time, it did force the builders to have these community meetings with us. And we very much appreciate that. They've been very productive. They've been very cordial. It's just been an amazing experience in my opinion. And so I appreciate that. I know a lot of our neighbors would echo that as well for the time and effort they've put in to come up with this updated plan. So as the neighbors of Arden Mill, we had a petition that we signed. Almost half of the households within Arden Mill came up with some amendments for this proposal. And I will say that most of the amendments made it to this updated plan that's being presented today. So I'll speak on a few that haven't made it into it and just kind of. speak as to why I think they should be included. I'm glad you put the clock up there. So I think we could all agree we wouldn't want, if you're in the town of Fort Mill, nobody wants one more house. Nobody wants one more car on the roads. But I think most of us could agree that's just not realistic. I think this plan as it's presented makes sense for various reasons that have been echoed here tonight. I'm not going to reiterate those reasons. That just makes sense as to why this land could be developed in the way that they're proposing. I would just say that I would like to see more connectivity within this plan. I think we just redid the Fort Mill Comprehensive Plan, as everyone knows. A huge piece of that was connectivity. That was something that Fort Mill town people were interested in. This is a huge opportunity to provide that connectivity if you look at the map. The original plan had a proposal to connect to Banks Road, which someone else mentioned. The Master Trail Plan does have a future potential sidewalk pedestrian path from Main Street from downtown all the way to the river along Banks Road. This development would allow White Grove, Spring Branch, numerous other neighborhoods to connect to Banks Road and on up to Main Street in a safe manner. It would also take them down to the river once we get to that point where we're developing that area more in that way. So that would be my thing on this is I would like to see more connectivity, more nature trails, more connectivity with that. Preserving the nature is great, but I'd like to experience the nature by having some trail access in there. And then my last 10-second piece is there used to be a connectivity to the school on the one side, but there was some concern that it might alter the bus route for our neighborhood. So I'd like someone to speak to that if that's a true thing tonight. Thank you.

Thank you. Any further questions? need to speak? I see none. We will close the public hearing for item two. Item three. And now, Penelope, if you would like to speak to us from the planning perspective.

Now, are you done with you want me to go ahead and do the staff report? Yes. Okay. Yes, ma'am. Good evening. So tonight, this first public hearing and first ordinance annexing parcels that the Mayor described, it is basically The Planning Commission met last year in 2025, and after the Planning Commission, the applicant decided to defer the council meeting in 2025 and then again in March of 2026 to hold their own neighborhood meetings. to address the concerns. And here we are tonight. They took the concerns from the existing residents, from Arden Mill and other residents, and the applicant revised the original proposal. But mostly notably, as it's been mentioned tonight, there is a reduction of the total lot counts from 108 lots to 88 lots, and there is a 45-foot undisturbed perimeter buffer along the lots on Holden Court. for the existing Arden Mill neighbors. In response to concerns from surrounding neighbors regarding potential wildlife species located on the site, the applicant hired an environmental specialist to view the site. The latest one was done in April of 2026 to reconfirm there are no impacts to threatened or endangered species, including the eagles and their potential nests. The applicant also removed a stream crossing So there will not be an access on Banks Road, and they have committed to roadway improvements. The developer will mill and repave Nims Lake Road from the Arden Mill Phase 2 site to Dobie's Bridge Road prior to or concurrent with placement of the final lift pavement for the Arden Mill Phase 2 roadways. keep in mind half of NIMS Lake Road is a state SCDOT road and the other half is a county road. All of Fred NIMS Road is York County. The applicant will have to coordinate with both SCDOT and York County for the improvements of both of those roads. Since Since August, and one of the comments from Mr. Brian Cox, there was at one time proposal for a tunnel underneath Fort Mill Parkway. That has been amended, and so in your report, we do have a transportation mitigation agreement, and that is getting amended because They're no longer able to do that tunnel under Fort Mill Parkway because the school district was saying that if you do that, we won't provide buses. So they went ahead and eliminated that, but they are going to put bike pedestrian improvements on North Dobie's Bridge. And so if this gets approved tonight, that is one amendment that will change with re-signing the transportation mitigation agreement. Because these are four ordinances, it's very confusing, but this first ordinance right now that I speak about for the annexation is for those 68 acres to be annexed into the town of Fort Mill. And how we do it here in the town of Fort Mill, when we annex property, we give the actual zoning. So the zoning district is MXU, but every MXU has a name with it. And so because there was an original Arden Mill MXU, they're adding, they're amending the original MXU for these annex properties. So this first ordinance is basically you have three decisions to make. You can make a motion to approve the ordinance to annex and rezone the subject parcels to MXU, which would be part of the Arden Mill. Or council can make a motion to approve the ordinance to annex and rezone and make some changes to the development. Or council can simply deny it tonight. So those are your three options. There's four ordinances. This is the first of the four. And I'm here to answer any questions that you may have.

And because I've recused myself, I'm handing the gavel to our mayor pro tem. Ronnie will handle the items for those decisions, and I'll pick it back up at item four.

So the MXU piece, they have no desire to have any commercial in phase two?

Well, again, we're amending the original. They're asking to be amended the original MXU. And so the original has the commercial.

Right.

So there's not going to be apartments. There's not going to be more commercial because they're adding this land. They would like to add this land. annex it and be part of the Arden Mill development conditions. And attached with that plan that you see on the screen, there are development conditions that they are showing what the actual original Arden Mill had development conditions, and they're basically putting what they will do for the 88 lots now that will be part of phase two. But all of that will be one document, one zoning, which is MXU, Arden Mill, with their development conditions, if you choose tonight for the fourth ordinance that we have to adopt everything?

So technically, if it's zoned MXU, and if that is what ultimately happens tonight, then they could still go and put, in theory, they could still go put mixed use in there.

The mixed use is already developed, Mr. Hugg.

Right. But if we designate this, since it's a separate partial or separate area, if it still carries MXU, in theory, that could be done.

Not in theory. Because, again, this MXU has defined standards for this Phase 2. For these 68 acres, only single-family homes are going to be there. They have completed the commercial.

So would it not? the proper designation just be strictly residential?

No, sir, because they would like to have the same standards, but they're actually beefing the standards by putting more perimeter buffers and improving the roads, and that's why they are asking to be part of that extension.

Councilman Hutchinson, essentially it is strictly residential. So what they're presenting, the number of homes, that is the most homes they could build, and they can't build anything other than homes. So that's the way it's being presented in the MXU conditions is it is strictly residential what's being presented as the phase two. Right.

Yeah. I'm trying to be mindful of that, the if. No, that's a good question.

It's very confusing, but it is an amendment to the original Arden Mill MXU by adding these acres to have the same. And there's some different conditions because it's the Phase 2, but like Mr. Pettit stated, it's just residential for the 68 acres. Awesome.

Thanks for the clarification. Appreciate that.

So I think there is some confusion and order and the partly because we've got so much happening at one time and various pieces. Um, Mr. Pettit, do we need to do the public hearing for all of these before we go into a bigger discussion agenda?

You would go do the public hearings for each one, which presumably most folks have spoken by now. Uh, but if, if someone has it, we need to open and close three BCD and then 4A is the beginning of your consideration for action on these, 4A, B, C, and D. And I'll take this opportunity to ask for clarification. I think it was mentioned in a prior meeting, but I assume from the development side, if any one of these is denied, presumably you don't want to do the rezoning with the annexation, et cetera, so it's either an all or nothing. Is that a fair statement? Okay, just wanted for clarification.

And that's something that as we move on to the second stuff, that was part of the discussion I have.

So my understanding is we need to go ahead and do the public meetings for each of these four items, which I can do, and then the discussion and votes will occur afterwards. Sorry for the confusion, but as you can see, it's somewhat of a confusing agenda this evening. So we've had the public hearing for item 3A. Let's hold the public hearing for item 3B. Regarding an ordinance annexing parcels currently or formally known as York County Tax Map number 7070000016017, both are portions of, 051 a portion of, 057 a portion of, and 709000013 is 023 portion of containing approximately 19.15 acres with a proposed zoning designation of R25. Let the public hearing be open. Does anyone want to speak? Seeing none, public hearing is closed. We will now move to the public hearing for item 3C. Regarding an ordinance to rezone the parcel currently or formally known as York County Tax Map number 0201301001 containing approximately plus or minus 3.28 acres from R15 to MXU Arden Mill. Public hearing is open. Anyone need to speak?

Sure.

Good evening again. Gordon Howard, 2020 Thatcher Way. I just wanted to make this comment, and this is my understanding of Fort Mill MXU. It allows for the integration of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces within a single cohesive development. It's designed to promote walkability, provide a variety of housing types, Examples are apartments, townhomes, individual single-family homes, and place daily conveniences within close proximity like we have in Ordinal 1, which would be for some retail and other types of businesses. Allowed uses are a combination of multi-family housing, retail shops, restaurants. Design principles emphasize neighborhood models that reduce dependency on automobiles and featuring walkability, bikeable paths, and a walking community defined by centers and shared open spaces, which we have pieces of in Ordon Mill 1. Flexibility and efficiency encourages denser development to utilize the existing infrastructure without putting too much stress on the existing infrastructure. Site-specific planning. This is where I think the planning person was referring to. Unlike standard zones, MXU districts generally operate under a specific pre-approved concept plan negotiated between developers and the town council, such as the Fort Mill Reserve and Ordinal Development. It actually uses our development as the example. So I guess if you're saying that that site plan cannot change, which I believe it could, but I'm not sure. Again, having worked in different municipalities, things happen. But I don't also feel this is a completed plan. So there's unknowns that aren't being shown that are future adjacencies or even future parts of these properties that I don't know. I don't know what I don't know. Maybe you guys know, I don't know. But if you could share it, I think that would be helpful. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else? Hearing that, we're going to close the public hearing for item C. We'll now move to item 3D. Public hearing is open for regarding an ordinance to amend the mixed-use concept plan and development conditions for the Fort Mill Reserve, also known as Arden Mill MXU, Town of Fort Mill Ordinance 2016-42, to include parcels formerly known as York County Tax Map Numbers and A's. 0201301001017 portion of, 057 portion of, 016 portion of, 051 portion of, and 7090000023 portion of containing approximately 71.37 acres. Public hearing is open. Seeing no one standing or waving. Public hearing is open. I think they could hear me anyway. Public hearing is, yes, ma'am. Take your time.

I guess the question that I have is why is only a portion of it being rezoned as MX mixed use? as opposed to the whole thing. If they're looking to annex it into Arden Mill as Arden Mill 2, why is only a portion being rezoned as mixed use and the rest of it as residential? So that is my concern.

Sure, please.

So the property owners, like they mentioned, they would like to stay in Fort Mill. So if the first project... gets annexed and approved, then they would like to have their parcels annexed into the town of Fort Mill. But they're not going to be part of it because they have existing homes on their land. But if this gets denied, they do not want their properties, the 19 acres, to be annexed into the town.

But they're two separate projects. I hope that helped. OK. Public hearing for item D is now closed. And I will transfer the gavel yet again to Mayor Pro Tem Ronnie Helms. Ronnie, you will start at item 3A with Penelope's discussion.

4A, Mayor.

4A. 4A.

All right. Old business. Obusiness A, consideration of the first reading of an ordinance annex and partial currently and formally known as York County Tax Map 070000017 portion of, 7070000057 portion of, 016 portion of, 709000023 portion of, 707-0000-051 portion of containing approximately plus or minus 68.10 acres with proposed zoning destination of MXU Arden Mill.

So I already said the speech for my staff report for that. So basically, again, these parcels are for 68 acres to be annexed. for the MXU, for the development of that map that you see on your screen.

This is for Arden Mill phase two.

They would like to have annexation of that area to go into the mixed use district for Arden Mill.

I have several questions on the project as a whole, and I know that we're speaking specifically on the annexation, but because they feed off of each other, I think it's an appropriate time to bring them up. It may need more clarification as we go. But there's been a lot of comments made by various people, and I want to make sure we understand the facts from the town's perspective first. First off, because we are in a moratorium, can you confirm why we are talking about this at this point?

Yes, ma'am, because when the moratorium was set, one of the stipulations was if there's been work, and we had started the transportation improvement analysis, and so that was already going through the process. So they were allowed to proceed with this annexation request.

Okay, perfect. Thank you. And then as we're looking at the design and the development, and I do appreciate the homeowners or the property owners going to the extent that you have, and we don't doubt that the home builder is a quality builder. Thankfully, Fort Mill gets a lot of good quality builders. I have questions and concerns though, as have been brought up about the connectivity. I mean, that can be a two edged sword, but we've got connectivity coming through Arden mills through their main entrance. Correct. And this is also proposing that it connects to Nim's lake. Is that the only two entrance exits at this point? Yes. Okay. So there'll be no connectivity into the Harris Teeter parking lot of that at all. Okay. Okay. That helps. Thank you.

There's no longer connectivity to Bank Street?

There's not. So when we had the first planning commission in August of 2025, the residents came out and they did not want to have that connection on Banks Road. And then when we did a further analysis that we didn't really have to do at that point of the annexation, we talked to SCDOT and SCDOT would not give them an encroachment permit unless if they bought more property on Banks Road to be able to have an access point. So the developer went back to the table about, let's just have it for emergency access. And again, there was opposition. So this is like the third or fourth time that now Banks Road, there's no connection. There's no trails. It's just open space. They're not crossing the stream. Because last time there was concerns about the stream. And so they're just leaving it natural open space.

When Arden Mills 1 was first brought to us and once it was completed or, you know, with our review, were we planning on the Arden Mills 2 at the back section at that time?

No, ma'am.

So that entrance coming in, the accessibility and Arden Mills currently was not planned on the additional 100 homes and traffic flow?

The only thing as all development, you know, they did leave a stub. basically to be able to connect.

Okay.

That was the only thing.

As part of what was brought up, you know, I was in there today at some of the commercial businesses and traffic getting in and out of there is not easy. I do not anticipate South Carolina DOT to put another red light there. So I feel like we're going to continue having concerns and adding another 100 homes. How can we or are we truly getting any kind of cooperation from SCDOT for this project.

Sure. And, you know, town officials, we can't speak for SCDOT, but they did tell us with this transportation mitigation agreement and with the TIA process that if this development gets approved, it could, there could be highly likely that a traffic signal warranted would be warranted because there'll be more cars. Currently, so when Arden Mill originally was approved, part of that MXU had a regulation stating when you're built out with the commercial and the residential, the developer has to do a traffic warrant signal. They did that, but with the current project, it showed them that a warrant was not... It didn't issue one, but they did say we would take a look at it if there's more trips. And with a phase two, it's like the chicken and the egg type of thing. You know, if it gets approved, then there will be more cars utilizing it and it could increase the traffic signal warrant to warrant an actual signal.

And was that conversation before the light was approved across from Catawba Ridge or after? Before. Before.

But I did follow up. There is enough distance. But again, it's SCDOT's call from the NIMS Lake traffic light to this one. It all depends if the warrant study will meet it.

And it was mentioned by somebody else about reengineering the intersection coming out. That is part of the redevelopment of the site. Yeah, on Dobie's side of it. It's the other on the back entrance, the spring Nims Lake. I'm sorry. Yes. Yes, ma'am. All the way to North Dobie's Bridge. Understand has a CDOT approved already being able to put turn lanes and re configure that intersection because that one's horrible.

They will go through the process, but they do, you know, they have our TIA and our TMA, and then the developer has to go, like all other developments, through the SCDOT to obtain an encroachment permit from a state road.

Okay. So all of those improvements, changes, portions of this project could be in DOT's hands, which hasn't always been to our advantage sometimes.

Well, I would say because this project is not approved yet, SEDOT will not comment until it gets approved. And then because it is a state road, they're the last call. The town has done all that it can do on a road that they do not own. by doing the traffic impact analysis. And that's just the process. It's not unique for Arden Mill. That's just for anything that gets developed in York County. and here at the town of Fort Mill dealing with state roads. And I appreciate the honesty.

This is a, as was mentioned, it is a donut hole. We don't like donut holes because it is very difficult not only for us to be able to manage property that's not in the town limits, but it is also difficult for services that would be rendered for this. there are many times on this council where we are having to make decisions that are not necessarily good or bad. Um, we try to think of what's best for the town of Fort mill and it may not always be perfect. So I hope you guys will understand. We think and discuss this, um, you know, with our staff trying to understand what is going to be, um, the best for our town and have lots of questions. I still have several, um, but So what's the LOS now currently for Nims Lake Road before?

If I may get our traffic consultant.

I would love to talk to her.

She's here.

Be nice, Amy Massey. I'm going to be nice. Hey, Amy, how are you? Thank you for being here.

Hello, Councilman Moody. Thank you. I'm Amy Massey. I'm with Kimley Horn. I'm a licensed professional engineer in the state of South Carolina, just to set the stage. The TIA, or Transportation Impact Analysis, that's been mentioned, was performed for the town. in coordination, just again to set the stage, in coordination with town and county and South Carolina DOT staff, and the TIA was reviewed and concurred upon by town, county, and STDOT staff. So there's been a lot of coordination throughout the process, and the TIA has followed the national state, and town standards for doing a TIA. That all said, let me look into my details, because this is a very detailed report. This is it, double-sided.

I'm particularly interested in peak hours, 8-8, you know, like all the stuff we normally do.

Certainly. So, at NIMS Lake, let me look that up for you. Give me just a minute. Oh, actually, I have it right here. Got a lot of paperwork here. Forgive me. Very detailed. Okay. So at Nims Lake, at North Dobies, we have level of service D in the morning peak and E in the afternoon peak. That is both with and without the site traffic proposed, looking into the future projected build year of 2030. So it's accounting for the growth that would be projected on top of existing traffic counts that were taken. And the growth that is taken into account, just to give you the baseline, is 1% annual growth. as well as eight different approved offsite developments. So, again, coming out of NIMS Lake, it's a level service D, as in dog, and E, as in egg. And those would be considered...

So E is an F pretty much in this world, right? Am I wrong about that or pretty close?

I would say that it's like a report card. All right. But D and E with unsignalized stop-controlled intersections on the side streets during peak hours are considered moderate delays by traffic engineering standards. So it's not quite the F. We're looking at somewhere on the order of anywhere between 35 and 50 seconds of delay. On average.

And that's before this is approved? That's current levels? Or this is factoring in this development, right?

Right. This is in 2030 projected in the context of all that other growth and all the other TIAs that have been approved and developments that have been approved. Looking at the traffic that came out of those approved TIAs that were done as well as the 1% per year annual growth. So the D and the E that I mentioned, morning peak and afternoon peak or evening peak. Those are the before and after in 2030, before and after this side traffic. And I'll just add one more thing that's been mentioned. And that is that this study actually studied 109 single family homes, not the 88 that are now proposed. So 20 less. So this study would be, in my mind, considered conservative. I guess is the point there.

What about the current or after this would be developed, the LOS at the intersection of Arden Mill 1 and Fort Mill Parkway? Do you have that around 2030 after the impact of the proposal? What is that LOS?

Well, it's bad without a traffic signal. It's level service F, and I'm going to say in the p.m. peak hour, this is not reasonable to think of, but if you're looking at the actual traffic demand that's projected, meaning mainly, you know, considering the left turns that are coming out because the intersection is really built out as it is in terms of the laneage there. There's turn lane. you know, right turn lane coming in, a left turn lane coming in, and there's a separate right and left coming out. So geometrically, the intersection is built out, and still we're getting level service F with around 2,000 seconds of delay. That's why a traffic signal is recommended if and when, as was mentioned by Penelope, if and when the warrants are met. And that's based on national criteria, not state criteria. It's called Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or MUTCD. It's a Federal Highway Administration criteria that is based, you know, mainly we look at the left turns out and the through traffic on the main line conflicting with each other, and that's what you look at when you're looking at the criteria. One of the things I will say is the last traffic signal warrant study that was done by another group, it did not find what we normally think of with SCDOT, and it varies by DOT. It varies by district in DOT, I would imagine. But they have here in this district have traditionally required for eight hours of the warrants to be met based on actual counts at the intersection on the ground. There have been, so the prior signal warrant analysis that was done looked at the Arden Mill development it had at that time when it was done. When those counts were done, I think nine homes left to be occupied in Arden Mill 1. and also the OPI, what, you know, is not in place, so there's a little bit of vacancy there. It took into account both of those, and they weren't finding all eight hours to be met. They were finding six of eight to be met, and then there's also another set of criteria for a four-hour warrant, and that was, I think, three out of four that were met. So I say all that detail more than you ever wanted to know, But it's because it's become very important to understand the details behind the traffic signal and what would actually warrant them for SEDOT locally. And there's been other discussions about this. Catawba Ridge, obviously, that did not meet the warrants. I say obviously. Maybe that's not obvious. But NIMS is smaller. The Catawba Ridge High School has certain school peak hours, and I don't know the details surrounding that one in particular. But as Penelope stated, also, the good thing in your favor is that there's adequate spacing for what we'll call a collector, such as Fort Mill Parkway between over at Wolfpack Trail. There's like over 2000 feet that direction, and there's like maybe a little over 1800 to go over to NIMS and Catawba Ridge. So there's adequate spacing to actually add a traffic signal in this location if SEDOT were to agree that the technical volume warrants were met. Did that?

Thank you. You had mentioned 2,000 minutes. Sorry, I was looking at some details. I was trying to do some homework on it while we were talking also. But 2,000 seconds, rather. Is that... something that was a result of the TIA, or were you saying that would be what it would take to trigger a signal?

That was what we estimate based on the calculations and the modeling that we did as part of the TIA. Now, in contrast, the morning peak hour was estimated at around 400 seconds, not 2,000 seconds. That's not good either.

That's still an F. 2,000 seconds, that's 33 minutes, so... Okay. Thank you for clarifying.

You're welcome. Part of what we have to often look at, and Penelope, this is probably more you, is what are the options for the property owner if we do, if we don't? If this isn't annexed, what other options are there for the property to be developed?

I mean, you know, I'm going to be very frank with you. You know, if it's in the county, they will go then to the county to see a use by right, which it's one acre, one, the density is one acre per, you know, one unit per acre. So, I mean, again, that's another process. You know, they would not have water in sewer. They would have to have septic tank and just go follow the York County standards.

And would the road structure as designed be totally different or do we anticipate or do we know?

Again, you know, they would have to adhere to whatever regulations York County has. I don't know, you know, we're very progressive because we make them do the traffic impact analysis before they come see you. I don't think your county does that. So, you know, again, they could go ahead and develop this property without a TIA. This board, you know, I'm very proud of all of y'all that foreshadowed back in 2019 to pass this ordinance because any rezoning or any annexation, we have to do a traffic impact analysis. And so before we can accept this. So that's not the case in other jurisdictions.

Thank you. If it stays in York County, let me rephrase it, would this property have access to the roadways in Arden Mills 1 and NEMS as it is designed?

Well, that's a good question because right now Arden Mills roads are private. Phase 1 has not come through the street acceptance process. So that is something that... could be answered when it comes through this process. I can tell you I have received the street acceptance application. Probably in the next month, the Arden Mill will ask for those current roads to be brought into the town. But then again, for all of the audience to understand, in order for the town of Fort Mill to accept and maintain the roads, it has to come through council, and council does a resolution. to approve and maintain the streets. So right now they're private. So it just depends. I mean because the developer, the HOA could turn around and say we want that to be private and then there's no connection.

And that was going to be my next piece of who has that right to be able to allow the connection into Arden Mills.

Today, as it stands, it is the HOA of Arden Mill because we don't own the roads. Okay. Thank you.

So looking at the couple of roads that are going to extend out there, Nims Lake Road and Fred Nims Road, so that would still go out to the residences that are there and they will stay in the county. Is that right? Or is that in the? Right at the end.

So everything that's in color is part of they would like to come into the town limits.

But the roads where they stub out the bottom right.

That road is still going to continue on and that will be a county road.

Because Fred Nims Road is a county road. That's what I was thinking. So those residences will stay in the county. So I'm guessing this is going to have to be something that's probably, I don't know the topography there. I tried to look at some of the other maps. I really couldn't tell with the overlays and things, but I'm guessing that would have to be a lot of clear-cutting that takes place in there to make that happen.

Oh, yes, there will be.

And while we're on that, Penelope, for clarification, the Frednum's, the two portions he was just speaking of, those two roadways on the bottom right, what do they connect to physically? Are those homes there? Is that...

Do you have the vicinity map? Maybe that can – I don't know if it goes further south. But, yes, there are other homes that are in the county. That are in the county?

Yes. Right. So I was looking at GIS to be able to tell.

Yeah. My iPad keeps jumping.

Because that's the White Grove. Yeah. So that's just going into other county properties. And then this is the Arden Mill Phase 1.

So ultimately they'll just dead end into those homes or whatever the property is?

I mean, like it is today. I mean, it just dead ends to people that have homes off of Fred Nims Road.

So will the state maintain ownership of Nims Lake even after all the construction? Who's going to? Would a county do part of it? How's that? In 10 years, I've never seen anything like that.

So they're working because, you know, the developer has agreed to repave and remill all the way to North Dobie's Bridge. Well, parts of that is in, it's the state. So once you get into this neighborhood, the ultimate goal, what's within the 88 lots, eventually they're going to ask for those roads to be accepted for the town. But the other part, what they're trying to do work on a state road, they're going to have to get permission first from the state. So it's all contingent from the state for the road improvements. But the actual development itself, once they get, if it, say, hypothetically, it gets approved tonight, and they finish building the 88 lots in phase two, the developer will come back for resolution asking, will this board accept the streets? You may not want to accept the streets of Arden Mill Phase 2. You may say no, and they're private. But other roads that are county or town, and if they do any improvements, they have to go to those jurisdictions for approval.

Amy's not going to probably be happy, but could she come back? And just what other intersections were studied? I mean, I know the two I addressed, but that are really pinch points. And what were the LOSs, I guess, with this impact?

I do have that information.

I thought you might. Yes, yes. Thank you.

So I'm going to go down the line. I don't have it. I'm going to just say at the furthest to the west along the parkway, we had the Wolfpack Trail Banks Middle School or Banks Trail Middle School driveway. We had a CC Morning Peak, DD P.M. Peak. No change. No change in level of service between without the project and with the project in the future year 2030. We already talked about the Fs along the line for Arden Mill, both approaches on the stop control situation, but with the traffic signal, we had a B and a C overall, morning, evening, peak. There's that information for you. At the Whites Road intersection with the Harris Teeter Catawba Ridge Market, fourth leg attached to that traffic signal, we have a CC, CC, no change. The next Harris Teeter or Catawba Ridge access we have at South Dobie's, we have, again, these are overall for traffic signals, DDEE, so no change. Next one over would be Fort Mill Parkway, Holbrook, North Dobies. That one we have a projected CC, CC, no change. Moving on up to the Williams Road, Fort Mill Parkway signal, which is the bookend to the north, I'll say. That one is BB, BB, no change. Again, these are like level of service grades like report cards. And then for the next two, we have Williams Road and North Dobies. That's stop controlled on the Williams westbound approach. That one we have a B to a C and a C to a C, so short delays. There is what we would qualify those to be, A through C for stop controlled. And then lastly, we already talked about Nims Lake. just we have a DDEE on the other side, which is the driveway that was referenced earlier, a CCEE. Those are specifically for the side streets approaches.

And I think, Amy, if you could answer the question, I think what Mr. Moody wanted to ask, why, like, Springview Branch was not studied in that traffic intersection. If you could explain how we picked those intersections.

Right. Okay. Absolutely. So the very first step in all of this coordination of doing the TIA was is to have the scoping process for what will be studied. And in that process, there's all the coordination with all the agencies I mentioned. There's an actual scoping document that officially results that everybody signs, everybody but DOT. They used to sign. They no longer do. That means the town staff, county staff, the applicant, and Kimley Horne, the consultant, will sign it as well. and that's where the intersections are identified for study. The intersections are identified based on the town's ordinance, which says that traffic signals or signalized intersections, I should say, within a one-mile radius of the site or its access will be included in the study area. Any unsignalized or stop-controlled intersection, you know, with the stop sign, like those intersections, can be added by the town upon discretion. So I will say that based upon, let me look here, based upon the anticipated distribution percentages, there would have been a 25% impact. So all the site traffic that we studied, 25% of it was anticipated to come into and out of the Nims Lake access. So that was just not something that we discussed, the town or DOT or anyone else brought up for those to be included in the study. Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome.

Thank you. I was just looking at the property, turning back and forth between GIS and what's proposed to be annexed. It looks like there's still NIMS properties or NIMS-owned properties will remain in the county. If I'm looking at that right.

There's a lot of family back there, but what we have tonight, you know, it's... The 68 acres that we're talking about for the MXU and the 19 acres that they would like to annex, but the family will remain with the R25s. But there are numerous other NIMS last name that are on this county.

The very beginning as you come in, it's like so the donut hole won't completely be closed unless I'm looking at it wrong. It seems like there will still be NIMS property that is still located in the county.

Yes, sir. There will be other parcels. There will still be a donut hole. It just won't be a jumbo donut hole. It will be a little bit smaller if this gets approved.

Okay.

That's interesting. Anybody else? All right.

I'd like to make a motion to deny old business item 4A.

I'll second that. We have a motion to deny and a second. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? So do we need to go to the next one? 4B, consideration of the first reading of an ordinance annexed and partialed currently of formerly known as York County Tax Map number 707-00-00016 portion of 707-00-00017 portion of 051 portion of 057 portion of 7 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 and 0 2 3 portion of containing approximately 19 point 1 5 acres with the proposed zoning designation of our 25 Yes, sir, so this is for the 19 point 1 5 acres to be annexed into the town to give the zoning of our 25

for the Bruce Nims and Barbieri family to remain. However, respectfully, they ask if the first one, which was denied, they do not want to be annexed into the town.

What's the proper process at that point, Chris?

Just deny the item, deny first reading.

Sure. I'll make a motion to deny first reading. Business item, old business item 4B.

I'll second. We have a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Approved. 4C, consideration of first reading of an ordinance to rezone the partial currently or formerly known as York County Tax Map number 0201301001 containing approximately plus or minus 3.28 acres from R15 to MXU Arden Mills.

Yes, sir. This property is already in the town, so this was to be added to the parcels for MXU. At this time, since the first two ordinances were denied, my recommendation is not to approve this parcel.

Given that, I'll make the motion to deny old business item 4C.

I'll second. We have a motion and a second. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Been denied. 4D, consideration of the first reading of an ordinance to amend a mixed-use concept plan and development conditions for the Fort Mill Reserve, also known as Arden Mill MXU Town of Fort Mill Ordinance 2016-42 to include partials formerly known as York County Tax Map Numbers zero two zero one three zero one zero zero seven zero seven zero zero zero zero zero one seven portion of zero five seven portion of zero one six portion of and zero five one portion of and seven zero nine zero zero zero zero zero two three portion of contained approximately seventy one point three seven acres

Sir, since it was not annexed, there's no point in moving forward with this because this is basically the development conditions and the concept plan for MXU.

So do we have to do anything else? Still need a motion to deny.

Yeah, I'm sorry. It still needs a motion. We'll make a motion to deny old business item 4D.

Need a second? Second. We have a motion and a second. All those approved? Aye. All those deny. Denied.

Thank you.

And E, consideration of second reading of an ordinance 2026-26, an ordinance amending the physical year. So this is a different one. Yeah, it's mine. Okay. Back to you. Sorry.

You seem a little eager to do that.

I was just trying to follow the line.

I hear you. Thank you very much. E, consideration of the second reading of Ordinance 2026-26, an ordinance amending the fiscal year 2025-2026 to adopt a FEMA review fee schedule within Chapter 36 and adopt a downtown sanitation services fee within Chapter 28. Chris Pettit.

Thank you, Mayor. There have been no changes since first reading, no comments from the public since first reading. Again, this is to establish fees for FEMA reviews anytime someone's amending a floodplain, and then also to establish new fees for downtown garbage collection in the dumpsters, the two enclosures that the town built many years ago. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Any questions? No changes since our first reading.

And again, the communication that we're doing for those impacted by the downtown fees, how are we handling that?

Yeah, it would be a lot of personal communication with the folks that are currently utilizing those and then broader communication with those who may want to use that in the future.

Okay, thank you.

Any further questions?

I make a motion to approve Old Business Item 4E.

Second. I have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, thank you. Item F, consideration of the second reading of Ordinance 2026-27, an ordinance amending the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget with budget amendment 26-07. Eric Davis.

Thank you, Mayor. This is a second reading. We're asking for approval of the second reading of this proposed budget amendment. There have been no changes since first reading. And this ordinance will allow for us to issue debt for the balance of two projects for the Public Works Operations Center and Fire Station number three. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Operation Center and Fire Station. Yes, ma'am. Okay. Any questions on this particular item? It's a second reading. No changes. Do I have a motion?

Keep the roll going. I make a motion to approve old business item number 4F.

I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. I have a motion and a second for item F. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, thank you. Item 5, new business A, consideration of a resolution 2026-2028 to adopt the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Gordon Burnett.

Thank you, Mayor. Tonight I'm presenting the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and requesting adoption by council. Over the past several months, our Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with Bolton and Meek and engaged extensively with our community to develop this plan. So thank you to Bolton and Meek. Thank you to Brown and our Parks and Rec staff. Thanks to our community and this council for your efforts in that work. This plan will serve as a roadmap for the next 10 years to help inform decisions on park locations, recreation usage, and resource allocation. While adoption does not commit us to every recommendation, it gives us a strong foundation to give our park systems towards our successful future, providing our community the resources, programs, and amenities they deserve.

Thank you for the hard work, Brownie, Gordon. Not only do you keep our Parks and Rec programs up, alive, and quite frankly beautiful. Look at Walter Elijah. It's amazing. Who'd have thunk it? But this 10-year plan was very carefully considered on how can we move forward and bring ourselves into that type of improvement across the board. So thank you so much for your hard work and counsel as well. Do I have a motion on new business item A?

Well, I just wanted to point real quick on this and our comprehensive plan because it was brought up tonight by someone in the audience. Is that to your point, Gordon? This is not a have to do. It is just a vision of what could be. It doesn't mean that any financial resources have been established for this vision. It just gives us an idea of what some of the experts in the industry would recommend along with community input along the way. That being said, I'll make a motion to approve new business item 5A.

I have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed? All right. New business item B, consideration of resolution 202629, a reimbursement resolution for an installment purchase revenue bond for the YMCA facility improvements. Eric Davis.

Thank you, Mayor. Your last meeting, council agreed to proceed with improvements to the YMCA complex at 971 Tom Hall Street. And also at that time, the decision was made to do that as a debt project instead of cash. So this resolution will allow us to go ahead and spend money to get the project going, but then just announce that we intend to reimburse ourselves with debt proceeds at some point in the future. So it's a little bit procedural, but it allows us to do that.

And for those watching, this particular plan is some maintenance issues, roof replacement, and some issues that must be done. Yes, ma'am. So greatly appreciate the opportunity to have the complex but also to ensure that it remains in good working condition. Yes. So any questions for Eric on this particular item? Hearing none, do I have a motion?

I'll keep it going. Make a motion to approve new business item 5B.

I have a motion. Do I have a second? I have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, thank you. Item C, consideration of the first reading of an ordinance amending the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget with budget amendment 26-08. As it relates, did I not just read that? to the YMCA facility. Eric, once again.

Same project, just another item that needs to be done. So since this project will transcend or occur in multiple fiscal years, we're doing a capital project ordinance so that basically is outside of the operational budget. So this establishes or this is the first reading that will establish a capital budget of $7 million for the proceeds or for the renovations to the YMCA complex.

And how many years will we see this on budget? We'll just see the initial seven this time and then the additional payments. How will those be reflected?

We'll get probably a 20-year debt issuance.

20 years.

20 years.

Thank you.

But you'll see as a capital project ordinance, you'll see it for two audits, fiscal year 26, which is the current year, and fiscal year 27, which should be done after that.

Okay. Thank you. Any further questions for Eric?

I make a motion to approve new business item number C. I have a motion.

Do I have a second?

Second motion to approve new business item 5C.

All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, thank you. D, consideration of a utility service agreement and annexation covenant for water and sewer extension to York County Tax Map number 708000007. Chris Pettit. Hey, Mayor. This side, I've got on the screen a question.

picture there's a property adjacent to the town limits but not in the town limits that is too small for well and septic that's looking to build a house by right in the county however in order to build that house they need access to water and sewer which they have via the town however by law to extend service to a parcel that's not within the town limits. Council must do so by action. So this action before you this evening is consideration to allow the folks that own the property to connect to, at their expense, the town's water and sewer services and sign an annexation covenant that in the future, at our request, they would agree to annex the property into the town limits.

And I believe, Chris, those that have service from the town but are not in the town pay a sizable increase for that service?

That's correct. They pay double the rates, correct.

Okay. And it's only buildable for one property? Just one home, correct. Okay. Any further questions for Chris?

So to reiterate that, there's no other thing they can put on it?

Nope.

So that's one home.

That's correct.

So they don't want to annex at first?

Given that we're in a moratorium and this did not come before you prior to the entering of that moratorium, they were not allowing annexations to occur at this point in time, new annexations to come forward. Therefore, their request is to go ahead and begin the process of building a home in the county. sign an annexation covenant saying that at our request they will annex the property and then subsequently, upon the end of the moratorium, annex the property. That's fair.

And they will be responsible for the financial investment? Correct.

It will be at their cost. Whatever is necessary to connect to the town's water and sewer, it will be at their cost.

Okay. Thank you. Further questions?

My computer's locked up, but this is item number five.

This is item D, item five. Okay.

I'll make a motion to approve item number 5D.

I'll second. I have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, thank you so much. All right. Council, what an agenda, a marathon. Mr. Moody, do you have anything for the good of the whole?

I'm good, as Mr. Helms would say.

Mr. Helms, thank you so much for handling the comments and transition for that particular item. I appreciate you very much.

Looking forward to July the 4th.

July the 4th, we'll have some very excellent... presentations and events, and Fort Mill does it right on July the 4th, so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone then. I would like to pay a special comment since this is videotaped to the White family. Tony White served the town in many ways through his life. He served as a volunteer on several committees for the town, did so very graciously and recently at a much too young age passed away. So I think we would all like to honor Tony, his wife Melissa, and their family for what they have given to the town of Fort Mill and what they've lost personally. So I'd very much like to remember Tony tonight.

Lisa? It has been a tough week for Fort Mill High graduates around here of many different generations. But in a light note, as I struggle to sit here wearing Carolina blue as a die-hard Duke fan, I am proudly supporting our Catawba Ridge graduate Mr. Glauber who was pitching for the UNC Tar Heels at the College World Series not pitching as of right now but closed it out and had a win yesterday so they have to win today to win the World Series so everybody go home and cheer on the Tar Heels God that pains me I'm also wearing blue tonight but for a different reason trying to kind of

call special attention in honor of my new grandson. Hudson Reed was born Thursday, six pounds, three ounces, and just excited for that phase of our life and for his mom and dad, my oldest daughter. It is crazy to see your daughter and her husband, your kid having a kid, you know, so, you know, they're not kids anymore. They're great adults. They'll be fantastic.

parents so super excited for missy and i to go in that that new stage but i had number 10 great grandson last week congratulations still exciting after 10 i hear so we're all very excited for you and very happy to see such a beautiful and as our town manager has named you congratulations lolly and pop I think, too, having Christopher back tonight, we'd like to welcome you back to our home here. Chris had his third child, a beautiful little boy. So we're all very proud. He's quite a good father, and we're very happy to have you back. Thank you.

One more thing I wanted to say, kind of to second the thoughts and prayers for the family of Tony White. They've got one of the most beautiful homes in the town of Fort Mill, in my mind, just down the street from where I was raised on Forest Street. So I think the world of that family, and they've contributed a lot to this town and to the church and things like that. So an outstanding family in our town that deserves a lot of thoughts and prayers to get through this. Not only the next few days, but from now on.

Definitely. Thank you. And with that, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. I make a motion we adjourn.

Second.

I have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed? This meeting is adjourned. Thank you.