Greenville County's planning commission rejected two of three subdivision proposals that it considered recently, blocking 243 new homes from moving forward and greenlighting another 81.
Despite the meeting being postponed for a week amid widespread power outages as a result of Tropical Storm Helene, all three subdivisions considered Oct. 2 drew residents who voiced their opposition in person.
For each one, neighbors said they feared the proposals would negatively affect the character of surrounding communities, listing concerns including adverse impacts on traffic, water runoff and schools.
Here's a rundown of the projects the commission ruled on:
O'Neal Farms Phase II (Denied)
The planning commission voted 6-3 to deny the 148-home O'Neal Farms Phase II subdivision.
Developers had proposed the residential project for a 90-acre tract between Piedmont Golf Course Road and Interstate 185 just east of Piedmont.
Commission Chairman Steve Bichel described the proposal as one of the "worst cluster developments I've seen," saying the layout did not provide adequate access to open space for most residences and that it was too dense.
Other commission members said the layout as proposed would negatively affect traffic patterns in the area.
Savanah Oaks Estates (Denied)
Another cluster development proposal, the commission voted 8-1 to reject the Savannah Oaks Estates subdivision.
Developer Veranda Homes proposed the project for a 114-acre property off Highway 418 in southern Greenville County. The development would have brought 95 new homes to an area that remains mostly rural.
Commissioners largely sided with resident concerns about how the subdivision would impact the existing community while Bichel again said the layout did not conform with the cluster development ordinance.
Homestead at Griffin Mills (Approved)
The only subdivision application the commission approved at the Oct. 2 meeting had been rejected more than once in the past.
The developer had revised the Homestead at Griffin Mills plan for the roughly 30-acre site off of I-185 southwest of Mauldin since the planning commission rejected it in March.
Bichel said the changes, which included expanding access to open space, were enough to make the subdivision "a much better cluster development than anything we've seen in quite a while."
Other commissioners said that while they sympathized with resident concerns, the Homestead at Griffin Mills complied with all of the considerations that fell under the body's purview and that denying it could open the county up to litigation.
