Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

I call the September 14th meeting of the York County Planning Commission to order. Are there any changes to the agenda that we need to know about? Nope. With no changes, is there a motion to approve?

I'll make a motion to approve. I'll second.

All those in favor? And moving on to the minutes from last month, any corrections or questions? If not, I'll make a motion to approve. Second. Perfect. All those in favor? Anyone opposed? John, did you go? Sorry. I missed it. My fault. I know he wasn't here, but...

That's why I didn't think I got a vote.

Let's see. So moving on to our first order of business for this evening, rezoning 26-28. which is Clavin and Debbie McCrory are the applicant's owners. They're requesting to resume a 5.7-acre portion of an 8-acre parcel from LI to RUD. The subject parcel is located at 4146 Overlook Road in Rock Hill, and the property is referenced as tax map number 518-000066, Council District 5.

Good evening, Planning Commission. Tom Suler, Long Range Planner. Yes, so this property is south side of Rock Hill. Again, we're only talking about, it's about six acre portion of an eight acre parcel on Overlook Road. So here's some context for the actual complete area of the parcel. This area in red is all that we're talking about for rezoning. So the applicant proposes to subdivide the split zone parcel to build another home for family. As it is the allied zone, they could not build another residence inside that space, and so it needs to be rezoned. Looking at our zones here, a lot of this neighborhood is RUD, with of course the exception being our current LI portion of the parcel. This was originally rezoned to LI in 1994 to allow for a towing operation. uh... just more context again the area highlighted in blue is total parcel area we're only talking about rezoning that area in LI a lot of what you see in the aerial of course is part of the rezoning will be cleaned up and again a residence will be placed there so future land use this whole area is designated for agricultural development And staff recommends approval of the request. While it's not directly consistent with the comp plan for each land use map, most of this neighborhood is RUD, similar to the request. And the existing LI zone is incompatible with that neighborhood and does not reflect the current land uses. This company has not been active for about a decade. And this will remove an instance of split zoning between industrial and residential districts. Any questions for staff?

Hey, Thomas. I've got a couple.

Sure.

So I know it's going to go future in 2035 shows ag. So my first question is, since it's 5.7 acres that can fit an ag, why wouldn't they just rezone the ag?

That would just be because most of the other parcels in here are primarily RUD, kind of neighborhood is. Perhaps when we go back through and develop our new plan going forward, this area might be real residential. Also, in allowing them some flexibility when they do subdivide for that residence, RUD just gives them that option because of the one-acre minimum limit instead of five.

So I think you answered my second question, which would be, you know... In 2035, it's supposed to go to Hall of Hague in that area. I'm going like, you know, these parcels are less than five acres.

Right. Yeah. Characteristically, it's not exactly what we expect in agriculture already. So, yeah, like you said, it doesn't really befit what's going on here.

Okay. Thanks.

Any other questions? If there's no questions, is there a motion? I'll make a motion to approve.

I'll second.

Any discussion? All those in favor? Anyone opposed?

Okay.

Thank you. Moving on to our second order of new business, which is rezoning 26-29. Tim Heline is the applicant, and Investors Rehab, Inc. are the owners, requesting to rezone a 1.55-acre parcel from OI to RSF-40. And... excuse me, and RSF 42 NC. The subject parcel is located at 4607 Charlotte Highway in Clover, and the property is referenced as tax map number 575-000047, Council District 2.

Yeah, this property is off of Charlotte Highway. It is one of these, among this kind of commercial strip that's along this major thoroughfare, kind of leading up to the bridge. So the idea is to rezone this to allow and expand the uses for this multi-tenant commercial building to also include personal services, which would include things like salons and parlors. So we see a lot of commercial districts directly adjacent to the highway and residences behind those. And we do see that it is split-zoned between OI and RSIT 40 right now. Future land use, lots of residential space, We are going to recommend approval, and while it's not consistent with that residential designation, this property in particular is not really appropriate for residential use, as the map would indicate, just because it only has access onto the highway. It's surrounded by other compatible commercial uses, both centered on these intersections as well as along the corridor. The intention of this is just to allow different tenants within an existing structure, and it will remove an instance of split zoning. Any questions for staff?

If there are no questions, is there a motion?

Yeah, I'll make a motion to approve.

I'll second that. Any discussion?

No, we're good. Oh, we're good.

OK. All those in favor? Anyone opposed? OK. Moving on to rezoning 26-30. Yaz LLC is applicant, and Yash Patel, or Yash Patel, excuse me, owner, is requesting to rezone a two-acre parcel from NC to GC. The subject parcel is located at 3702 McConnell's Highway in Rock Hill, and the property is referenced as tax amount number 75070000100, Council District 5.

This property occupies the corner of Highway 324 and McConnell's, just outside Rock Hill. So the applicant is proposing to expand the allowed uses that are retained in this gas station to also include liquor sales in particular. So zones, we have a couple different commercial zones centered on this intersection. A catty corner to it is GC. We have rural industrial directly across from it, and then it is currently neighborhood commercial. And actually, gas stations are, this is a legal nonconformity. Gas stations are typically not allowed by right in neighborhood commercial. They're really appropriate for rural commercial or general commercial. And featured land use actually has this within a rural center node, again, where we expect some commercial businesses that would provide for rural operations surrounding it. So we recommend approval of the request, and while it's not directly consistent with the comp plan and feature land use map, again, within a rural center, we would be looking for more rural commercial, and that would be kind of staff's stance on that. But the existing gas station, again, is a grandfathered use, and the requested GC will bring it into conformity, and this is the best way to accommodate the applicant's request, while also kind of balancing out the fact that there is already GC present at this intersection. Any questions for staff?

If there are no questions, is there a motion?

Make a motion to approve. I'll second.

Is there any discussion? All those in favor? Anyone opposed? Okay. Moving on to our last bit of new business for the evening. The York County School District, one, is to provide the Planning Commission a status report regarding the district's public education needs, and the Planning Commission is to provide commentary and feedback in development of a study, capital improvement plan, and ordinance to establish an impact fee on new residential development within the geographic area of the York School District, number one.

Thank you. Good evening, everyone, and thank you for giving us a few minutes of your time tonight. I'm Heath Branham, the superintendent of York School District 1, and with me is Amy Hagner, our assistant superintendent of finance and operations. Tonight, we just simply want to give you a quick update on where we are with our study, with enrollment, residential growth, school capacity, and ultimately the actual impact fee study. We're not here tonight to present conclusions because the work is not yet complete. However, our goal is to make sure that when we do bring that information forward, that it's the most accurate, up-to-date information based on complete and accurate data. So tonight we want to give you a quick picture of York One, where we're seeing change and growth and what information's actually being gathered as we speak and our timeline for completing this study. I want to begin, as you can see on the screen, with a quick picture of York School District 1. We serve a very large geographic area of York County, approximately 40-plus percent. And in that is five elementary schools, as you see here, and York Intermediate, York Middle, York Comprehensive High School, and Floyd D. Johnson Technology Center. We also operate York One Academy, Parenting Partnerships, Adult Ed, an Affinity Health Clinic, and Head Start. So it's important for us tonight in this conversation because growth does not just impact isolated buildings or schools. So we have to look at the district as a whole and the impact on where students live, where they attend school, where there's capacity, and where we may need additional capacity in the future. And our system is already preparing for some significant changes in this. In terms of our future building plans, in November 2024, just almost two years ago, the community approved a $90 million bond referendum that's affording us a new middle school and an early childhood center. Beginning next year, 27-28, we'll operate two middle schools, York Middle School and White Hill Middle School that's currently under construction. And at that point, York Intermediate will convert to fifth grade only for one year. Then the next year, in 28-29, we'll be opening an early childhood center for 4K, which will also change the configuration of our elementary schools. Most of them now are pre-K through fourth grade. They'll go to traditional K-5 through fifth grade models. So when we talk about school capacity, we can't just take a snapshot of where we are today. We have to plan years out into the future to be good stewards of our community resources. We have new facilities coming online, the grade level configuration changes, and residential development happening all at the same time. So all those pieces have to be looked at together across time, across the years to come. The next map, you'll see York School District 1. These are elementary attendance zones. And geography is an important part of this conversation tonight. Because growth is not necessarily distributed evenly across York 1, available seats in one part of the district did not mean we have available seats in other parts of the district. We also know that at the same time growth is occurring, and we don't want to rely solely on school district information to demonstrate that. While this growth is occurring, we just recently looked at the August 26th report from the city manager of York, and there are 19 approved, ongoing, and completed residential developments representing 3,000 home units. As of August, just last month, certificates of occupancy have been issued for 1,200 of those units. Not all those units, however, are filled at this moment or occupied. They've received a CO. So there's still a significant amount of previously approved residential development that has not reached full build-out. And that doesn't include any future development that hasn't been approved. For us, the question is not whether New York is growing. We know it is. And for us, we look at growth as a positive sign. So the question we have to answer is what that growth means for our enrollment, where those students will attend school, and what impact that will have on our facilities. So I'm going to turn it over to Amy for a moment here to walk you through the process we're going through so that we are 100% transparent about our process and what we'll bring to you next.

Good evening. So currently, as Dr. Branham just mentioned, all the development and growth that's happening within the city of York. So there's a lot that we have currently underway within our district. The first is just, you know, because with all the housing units, we have to determine what the impact's gonna be on the school district. And so our first component of that is looking at our enrollment and our demographics. We are currently working with Cropper GIS on the rezoning process for our two middle schools scheduled to open next year. And then the final enrollment projections from the COG are nearing completion. I do want to point out we've worked with the COG recently on a study back in early 2025 But just given the continued growth and the changes that are happening within our district, we felt it important to bring the COG back on board to conduct another enrollment study. That way we're given actual and the most up-to-date numbers that we can present to you all. Second is school capacity. We are analyzing our current enrollment, utilization of our existing schools, available capacity, and our facility future needs. Third is our residential growth. Current and anticipated residential development information is being compiled and reviewed. Once that information is assembled, we will have entered a contract with Tish Revise so that way he can move forward with our impact fee study. And fourth is just our capital planning. With all the growth coming this way, we have to look at our future capital-related needs, our project costs, and our available funding sources to fund those projects. The important point is we don't want to make a number like the 3,000 proposed housing units and simply make assumptions about what that means for our schools. We want the analysis to tell us what it means. That's why our goal is to make sure the final analysis is based on complete, current, and valid information. So ultimately, all of these pieces have to come in together to get to our impact fee study. And so we know the residential growth is coming. That's a fact. And so now we have to determine how does this growth translate into students and what that looks like. We have to determine where the students are likely to attend school and what capacity exists within those particular schools. Enrollment projections have to be considered alongside existing school capacity. And residential development data has to be connected to our student generation estimates. Future facility needs have to be identified. And then any identified facility needs have to be connected to actual capital project costs and considered alongside other available funding sources. So this isn't simply growth equals a fee. The analysis has to establish the relationship between growth, students, capacity, facility needs, cost, and our available funding. Those pieces together will allow us to determine the actual impact of future residential growth on our school district facilities. And that comprehensive analysis is what we intend to bring back to you all. So if we look at a timeline, we have a lot going on over the next couple months. As Dr. Branham mentioned, we do have rezoning for our new middle school that's gonna open next year, so we'll operate two middle schools. Our first public rezoning meeting is scheduled for late September. Shortly after that, we should have our enrollment study from the COG. We expect that to be delivered to us mid-September. And then once we have those pieces, then Tischler Buys can move forward in conducting that impact fee study. We anticipate we can have that study complete early November. And then, of course, on November 9th, with your approval, we would love to come present before Planning Commission our full impact fee study report and the analysis and everything that's been determined from our enrollment study and the impact fee study. And then that way, at that point, rather than looking at individual pieces of information, we should have the comprehensive analysis necessary to have a much more informed decision.

Thank you, Amy. We believe that growth is a good thing. But we want to make sure that York and York County, that we continue to be places where families want to live, businesses want to invest, and people want to raise their children. We believe that's where we live now. We want to continue that. I know you do too. But also, obviously, growth requires intentional planning. And so that's why we're here tonight. As I said before, with nearly 3,000 housing units within 19 developments that have already been approved, that's about 42% with certificates of occupancy as of August. That doesn't tell us what an impact fee should be, but it does tell us why doing this work now with relevant, up-to-date data is important. Our responsibility as a school district and as a community is to understand what continued residential growth means for enrollment, where those students will attend school, what capacity we have to serve those students well, and what additional facilities may be eventually required. And we want to make sure those decisions are driven by data, not assumptions. We appreciate you guys listening to us tonight, and we look forward to partnering with you in this process. Thank you for your time, and Amy and I would be happy to entertain any questions you may have about the process we are undergoing before we come back to you, hopefully in November.

Yes? Appreciate it. That was a lot of information. From now until November, have you got milestone plans

you know uh... phases of what information that you have to have is that given tishler bice enough time to formulate by november that's pretty quick yes well we've already given him a lot of information and so i asked him with the last pieces of the puzzle if i had that to him early to mid october would that give him time to process it and he told me he only needs two to three weeks max to finish his report

Um, is the capital plan pretty much established going forward?

We're working through that as well. We're partnered with LNG. They're doing our facility assessment. And so we're working, we're trying to find out we're at, we're very close to getting that final.

Yeah. Cause they'll, they'll need that.

That's right. That's right.

Um, that's the only two I had right now, but give it to my colleagues, the floor.

Any other questions? I think it sounds like a good plan, and I do think we look forward to seeing you towards the end of the year. Hopefully it all comes together for November. If it doesn't, we can always push it forward. Well, one thing we won't do is rush it.

We will not rush it just to rush it. We would rather be right and accurate than just meet a deadline.

Yes, and we appreciate that, too.

That's the reason why I asked this question.

Absolutely. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you.

Let's see, so we don't actually need to vote on the date per se just to have them come back?

No, no, no.

Really?

Just to hear from them. They are meant to come back at every meeting between now and when they've completed, whether it's a person or a real letter. That never was fine with us. They won't come back. I don't know, but according to the resolution, they come back at every meeting and their person will write a letter.

Diana, are they going to follow kind of what we had previously with Fort Mill and Clover? Is that going to be kind of like, you know, I mean, we basically had three meetings, you know, where they presented information, updated information.

Yeah, it depends upon how they're moving through that process. It will come back with more information at each meeting. Yeah.

And it'll just kind of depend on how their process is going. Yeah. So everything will be a little bit individualized. Yeah. But we don't actually... There's no vote tonight or anything like that. You just give me information and that's it. Perfect. Okay. So that actually brings us to the end of our new business for this evening. And we don't have a tracking worksheet that I saw, so I won't ask if there are any questions. Is there a motion to adjourn? I'll make a motion to adjourn.

I'll second.

All those in favor? Thank you. Have a great night.