LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Lexington County Council voted Tuesday afternoon to put a temporary stop on new, large-scale residential developments throughout the unincorporated areas of Lexington County.
The ordinance, which takes effect immediately, will last for 180 days following the third-and-final reading of the ordinance, which is temporarily slated for late May.
Council decided to move forward with the ordinance in an effort to address the tremendous residential growth that is causing strain on countywide infrastructure.
The moratorium will prevent applications and the administrative processing of applications for:
- Residential subdivisions of ten lots or more, or;
- Residential subdivisions with lots averaging less than ½-acre, and;
- Residential attached land use activities as defined by the Lexington County Zoning Ordinance (apartment complexes).
For the purposes of determining if a newly proposed subdivision consists of ten lots or more, the number of lots will be determined by the number of lots in the entire planned subdivision development, including all phases of the proposed development.
New residential projects that have been formally submitted for review prior to the enactment of the moratorium will continue to be processed using the current development review process.
The moratorium is applicable in the unincorporated areas of the County, which are defined by any areas that do not fall within the municipal boundaries of local towns and cities.
County officials said the moratorium will allow for an opportunity to study, analyze and make recommendations to Council concerning the consequences and impacts of large-scale residential growth and apartment complexes throughout the community.