WINNSBORO – Town Council gave the OK last week for water for a pair of Blythewood projects, one of which settles a dispute that has been brewing since 2008.
Council unanimously approved up to 42,800 gallons a day for 107 residential lots on a 31.23-acre tract at 502 Rimer Pond Road in Blythewood, while also approving 25,000 gallons per day for 5 acres of commercial property adjoining the tract. The agreement puts to rest a beef by Sycamore Development, LLC, which had, in 2008, planned to develop three parcels there into a 300-home subdivision. The developer received a Capacity and Willingness to Serve letter from Winnsboro for 250 residential lots with the understanding that the water taps were to be prepaid by Sycamore once the water line went in on Rimer Pond Road.
That water line was completed and accepted by Winnsboro in July of 2009, but Sycamore never prepaid for any taps.
The subdivision never materialized, and two of the three parcels have since been sold off. Sycamore still holds a 31.23-acre parcel at 502 Rimer Pond Road that it also wants to unload but cannot, according to documents obtained by The Voice last summer, because Winnsboro allegedly refuses to enter into a Capacity and Willingness to Serve agreement with prospective buyers.
During their March 17 meeting, Council amended the original resolution for water to include the commercial property. Council also agreed to amend a previous arrangement for a retirement community, initially planned for a 4-acre tract at the end of Creech Road in Blythewood, behind the Russell and Jeffcoat offices. While the amount of water will remain at the 20,000 gallons a day approved last January, the Town said the developer, Fowler Realty and Land Services in Columbia, now plans to build the 64 two-bedroom, two-bath units on the north end of Main Street in Blythewood, across from the BP Station.
Annexation
Council voted unanimously during their March 17 meeting to lift the moratorium on annexation into the Town limits, opening the door for properties to annex into the Town.
Capital Expenditures
Council gave the OK to three items for purchase during the meeting: a forklift for the Electric Department ($16,700), doors for the lab at the wastewater treatment plant ($3,645) and a steam cleaner for the Streets & Sanitation Department ($4,125).
