LEXINGTON, S.C. — Residents in Lexington had the opportunity to voice their concerns and support over a new development proposed along Lake Murray.
Traffic, buses, and safety are on the list of worries coming from Lexington County District 7 Councilwoman Beth Carrigg. Her district is where the proposed Smallwood Cove development would be located. The location would include two hotels, 1100 housing units, and a conference center.
The development has garnered some support from those in the Lexington community, but the investment into the area isn't as welcome by others. Wednesday's meeting started with an hour-long discussion between Lexington town and county council members and other county leaders.
Council members discussed concerns with an initial traffic study and cited plans to redo that survey once school is in session.
"The study that we saw out of the project that was presented to us was not sufficient and was a little biased. So we wanted to make sure we had an independent eye looking," Lexington Mayor Steve MacDougall said.
County council members also asked the town for a geotechnical survey of the environmental impact the development might have on the lake.
After those remarks, members of the Lexington community took to the mic to voice their thoughts on the development. Over 20 members of the public came up to talk about their concerns. Many mentioned traffic as a fear with so many new housing units.
Cheryl Huntley was one of these residents to speak up.
"If you bring this 'debacle' up on the lake, we're going to be just like Harbison and all these other places, you're gonna feel sad...if you let this happen, you are ruining the name of Lexington County," she said.
"You have pushed against the residents of our communities surrounding Lake Murray in a motion to develop high-density residential housing in a density-limited residential district with highrises, hotels, and a $30 million conference center," Jim Rund said. "For what? Money? Money cannot replace what we have here; we are pushing back."
For now, according to interim Town Administrator Stuart Ford, the proposal is still sitting before the planning commission after its first reading, and he foresees changes coming before it goes to the next phase.
"The end result will basically be the same, that we're going to get into the nuts and bolts that's in those documents and make sure they reflect what this community wants," Ford said.
The meeting ended after that public comment without further discussion from council members. The Town of Lexington's next planning commission meeting is scheduled for July 19.