Another big piece of land near Blythewood could soon be headed for houses.
Richland County Council will hold a public hearing Oct. 27 on a request to rezone 133 acres between Winnsboro Road and Blythewood Road, WLTX reported. The proposed zoning would allow up to six detached single-family homes per acre, which works out to nearly 800 homes.
That's the ceiling, not a plan. The developer hasn't said how many homes would actually be built.
The county's public hearing notice lists the request as Case 26-027 MA, filed by Luke Boatright, to rezone 133.75 acres on the east side of Winnsboro Road from Agricultural (AG) to Residential 3 (R3).
What the developer wants
Developer Luke Boatright said the project would extend a neighborhood that already exists in the area.
"We're looking to continue that existing neighborhood, which will have full amenities and have open space, gathering space for the neighborhood to enjoy," Boatright said.
Six homes per acre is a fairly dense pattern for detached single-family houses, the kind of small-lot layout that has become common around fast-growing parts of the Midlands. On 133 acres, though, the final number will depend on how much land goes to roads, stormwater, open space and amenities, so the real count could come in well under the maximum.
Neighbors push back
The request has drawn concern from some residents. At a Richland County Planning Commission meeting earlier this month, several people raised worries about traffic and said they would prefer a development with fewer homes.
"A rezoning of this type would increase traffic by hundreds of cars for residents," Blythewood resident Kathey Young said.
Others worry more broadly that new neighborhoods are going up faster than the community can handle. The pressure has grown since Scout Motors brought its manufacturing plant to the Blythewood area.
"Too many, too quickly," resident Rebecca Fortmeyer said. "I just hope that we can have some country left when there's not so many people squeezed in and that we can really enjoy being in nature."
That tension isn't unique to Blythewood. Across South Carolina, towns near major new employers are seeing a rush of housing proposals, and residents are asking whether roads, schools and other services can keep up. In this case, the county council will hear from both sides before deciding.
The public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Richland County Administration Building, 2020 Hampton St., in Columbia. Residents who want to weigh in can speak at the hearing.
The Blythewood-area request won't be the only residential rezoning on the agenda. The same notice lists several other requests to rezone land to R3, including 80.76 acres along Wilson Boulevard, 25.77 acres on Big Bear Road, 24.6 acres on Koon Road and 9.2 acres on Torwood Drive. Taken together, that's well over 100 more acres across Richland County that could be opened up for new homes in a single night, on top of the Blythewood land.
WLTX didn't report how the planning commission voted, and no builder has been named for the project. If the rezoning is approved, the developer would still need to work through site plans, permits and engineering before any construction starts.
Why it matters for Contractors
If approved, a rezoning that allows up to about 800 detached homes would be one of the bigger single-family opportunities in the Midlands, even if the final count comes in lower. A project this size is typically built in phases, starting with clearing, grading, roads, water, sewer and stormwater for the first section, then rolling into production homebuilding. That means work for site contractors and utility crews first, then framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC installers, drywall and painting crews, concrete flatwork and landscapers for years. Amenities and open space add another package. The traffic concerns could also mean road improvements tied to the approval. With several other R3 rezonings on the same agenda, the Oct. 27 meeting could shape a good share of the county's residential pipeline for the next few years. Nothing is final yet, so contractors in the Blythewood area should keep an eye on the Oct. 27 hearing and on whether a homebuilder is named once the zoning is settled.