LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Residents in the Pineglen neighborhood of Lexington County tell News 19 they love the peace and quiet they have being backed up next to Kinley Creek and the nature that comes with it.
Mandy Clark, one of these residents, has lived in the area for 18 years.
"It's a lot of wildlife that we see, and it's important for kids to know, to be connected to the wildlife and the nature, and to know that it's not just buildings and people and streets, that we actually do have animals that we live with, right here in the Midlands," Clark said.
Not far from Clark's home sits 16 acres owned by Dominion Energy. The wooded property is called Harrogate Tract. It's for sale and zoned as residential by Lexington County.
This has these neighbors concerned about the traffic that could increase with possible development and the repercussions of developing the land itself.
According to Lexington County and FEMA maps, the land is labeled an AE floodway.
A floodway is designed to keep a portion of the floodplain to carry floodwaters from upstream to downstream, so not the most ideal for building on top of.
Former SC Realtors Association president Morris Lyles tells News 19 there are lots of risks when it comes to developing on a floodway.
"If it is in a flood hazard area the developer would be taking on some risk in that they may have to try to mitigate or get around some of the issues with it by either building the houses up or bringing in dirt to fill the area if it's a small enough area ... If they sell the properties out they'll have to let those folks know that they have to get flood insurance," Lyles said.
Mandy Clark tells News 19 she remembers what the 2015 flood was like.
"That's what happened is the creek backed up and the river and it flooded this entire area, and so if they're not going to protect this area and the creek and the area surrounding the creek, they're not protecting their citizens because we have an entire area of wetland watershed that's natural," Clark said.
Dominion Energy sent News 19 this statement saying, "It's not uncommon for Dominion Energy to list properties that are not used directly in serving customers. Questions about plans for the property should be directed to the future owner."
At last check of the website where this property is listed, it's been on the market for 64 days.
The asking price is a little over $212,000.