Home RemodelingIn Indian Land, SC

About 150 people gathered to eat, drink, dance and network at the Greater Indian Land Chamber of Commerce’s winter gala Saturday, Feb. 4, at Firethorne Country Club.

Chamber President/CEO Mike Neese, who also represents District 44 in the S.C House, took the time to thank the many community organizations that have invested back in Indian Land, as well as provide opportunities for members to connect and serve the community.

Neese also announced that Indian Land Green, a nonprofit organization kick-started by the chamber, is now becoming its own entity.

Indian Land Green, which will be led by President Kimberly Magette, will focus on creating trails, green spaces and blueways in the Indian Land community.

Magette, owner of Kimberly Magette Group, said the organization was inspired by local community trash-pickup days, when participants were thinking of other ways to beautify the community.

Neese and Magette said a 20-year survey of Indian Land residents cited the need for more green space and trails as the second biggest issue to address, after growth and traffic.

Fort Mill has the Anne Springs Close Greenway and its trails, Magette said. “And there’s nothing like that in Indian Land. So that’s where we decided that we would love to be able to raise money and bring some money and bring some trails over to Indian Land.”

Magette said the project is still in the beginning stages, but Indian Land Green is close to finishing a map detailing where the trails will be, which she said will be similar to those in Walnut Creek and Anne Springs Close Greenway.

“Six Mile Creek runs right behind here to Walnut Creek, that’s 11.3 miles of trail that we look to be built here in the future,” Neese said. “We probably have got some grants coming up on that as well.”

In making the announcement, Neese recognized Joan Schuermeyer, dubbed the “Energizer Bunny,” due to her enthusiasm and community involvement, for her personal efforts to clean up trash along Indian Land roads, sometimes walking 17 miles a day. She was named the 2022 Volunteer of the Year for Keep Lancaster County Beautiful.

Efforts made by Schuermeyer to beautify Indian Land, and a total of $37,000 in grants secured by Liz Evans for cleaning up Indian Land medians along U.S. 521, served as the catalyst to launch Indian Land Green.

Neese said the process will take several years to complete, but the chamber hopes to continue writing grants, and add a children’s education aspect to the walking trails, as well as a health and wellness component. He also hopes to connect with local conservation organizations to provide guidance on environmental factors during the building process.

While the chamber banquet is annual, Neese said the chamber also hosts multiple events each year, such as quarterly luncheons, featuring visits with government officials and other notables, the annual Ag+Art Tour, a Fourth of July fireworks show, golf tournaments and community cleanups. Such events are sponsored by or in conjunction with local businesses in Indian Land and Lancaster County to promote small businesses and grow local business connections.

That dovetails with the chamber’s motto, which is “Connecting our Community,” Neese said.

“Now any chamber of commerce has to be very strong on business, and we have to be a pro-business community,” he said. “If you don’t have a strong pro-business model, it’s very difficult for anything else to happen.”

Neese applauded the diverse audience and the chamber’s member base, which ranges from the local to state level. Many government officials from school board, Lancaster County Council and the S.C. House of Representatives attended, along with local business owners and corporate members.

Neese also recognized Duke Energy’s $1.3 million investment in a new state park in Great Falls in Chester County, just across the Catawba River from Lancaster County.

Duke Energy signed a lease Friday, Feb. 3, with the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism for the five-island complex, which will become Dearborn Island State Park.

“It’s going to be a wonderful asset for the community. It’s going to be an addition to the whitewater (rafting facility) that’s already coming to the area,” said Tyson Blanton, Duke Energy’s district government and community relations manager. The whitewater activities are to begin March 15, with the initial release of water at Long Bypass Reach.

Neese ended his speech by encouraging everyone to “work hard, play hard,” and enjoy the night of mingling and dancing.

The brand new shine isn’t yet off Fort Mill’s first hospital, as plans further develop for a second in the township area.

The Medical University of South Carolina applied for and received a certificate of need from the state to build a 100-bed hospital in Indian Land. It’s the same number of beds approved for Piedmont Medical Center — Fort Mill, the long-awaited hospital that opened earlier this month at the corner of S.C. 160 and U.S. 21 Bypass in Fort Mill. MUSC bought property off U.S. 521 in Indian Land two years ago.

That property for the proposed hospital is 85 acres on Charlotte Highway between its Thousand Oaks Road and Windsor Trace Drive intersections. The property is east of the main highway, about midway between the two major connections between Indian Land and Fort Mill at the S.C. 160 and Dobys Bridge Road intersections.

Yet the property has constraints.

MUSC applied for an amendment to Lancaster County rules related to highway corridor zoning, which the property has now. A request to exempt the project from a host of land use rules was voted down by the planning commission Tuesday night. Lancaster County Council still gets to vote on the proposal.

The county has separate work ongoing to update its ordinances related to land use, and changes needed for the hospital could still be worked through using that route. There was concern Tuesday night among the planning commission that exempting the hospital project entirely from highway corridor development requirements could weaken land use development rules.

The particular hangup involves parking. County rules require parking behind the building, while the hospital group also wants it facing the highway.

“This building should be moved forward and the parking put behind it,” said Planning Commission Chair Charles Deese. “If we allow it this time, then the floodgates open.”

Sam Walker, who spoke Tuesday on behalf of the development group, said the exemption request is almost exclusively related to parking. There are site features Walker referenced, pointing to a submitted layout of the new healthcare features. Wetlands and streams there limit the buildable area to about 30 acres.

“Really what you see here on the site plan is the buildable area,” Walker said.

MUSC plans involve a 90,000-square-foot medical office building before the hospital even opens. The first phase office building would have a new access off Charlotte Highway central to the property, that it would later share with the hospital. The hospital would add a second access point farther south.

“What MUSC intends to do is hire physicians and staff in this area, generate their brand and give the patients the opportunity to receive care before the hospital is built,” Walker said.

That plan involves an array of medical services in the first phase office building.

“It is a cancer center,” Walker said. “It’s imaging. It’s orthopedics, primary care, women’s care, etc. Services that the community needs.”

Apart from urban hospitals, Walker said parking on only one or two sides isn’t done or conducive for medical facilities. On this particular site, parking only away from the highway would mean orienting the medical buildings similarly and facing chillers, generators, boilers and the like toward U.S. 521 traffic. Then, there’s the size of a parking lot that would be needed if it alone serves the site with 340 spaces.

“A cancer patient, perhaps, who has to walk 600, 700, 800 feet to the front door,” Walker said.

Ambulances, CT or MRI mobile imaging vehicles, janitorial services and others would need parking accommodations Walker said current rules don’t provide.

“All these people need access to the building,” Walker said, “and the current ordinance is prohibitive to do that.”

Existing standards for highway corridor zoning were in place by 2016, prior to the MUSC property purchase. County staff and planning commission members have discussed what rules may be amended specific to the site, and what concessions the county might ask within the development in response.

Walker points to a collector road study that shows a proposed public road connection through the property. Developers are working to create a new signal and public road through the site, something that typically wouldn’t be done with a medical development of this kind, as part of its pitch to work out the parking.

“We are offering to connect (U.S.) 521 to Henry Harris (Road) through this campus which limits, quite frankly, the flexibility and future opportunities for our campus,” Walker said.

The new Indian Land hospital is just the latest plan to serve a growing number of people in the township. Fort Mill and Indian Land each have grown at rates seldom seen in the region since Piedmont Medical Center planned and applied for a 100-bed Fort Mill hospital two decades ago. Fort Mill more than tripled its population since 2000, which doesn’t include unincorporated Fort Mill growth like Baxter. Indian Land at times has grown at an even higher rate.

Numerous healthcare providers have set up doctor, urgent care and specialty offices throughout the area. Piedmont built a standalone emergency room on Gold Hill Road. A rehabilitation hospital is in planning for the Pleasant Road are in Fort Mill. Several more senior living sites have been set up with memory care or other medical services, like Wellmore in Tega Cay or The Blake at Baxter Village.

When the new Indian Land hospital was announced, MUSC stated it would involve moving beds from a Lancaster facility to the panhandle to meeting growing population needs there.

This story was originally published September 21, 2022, 12:06 PM.

With 28 teams no longer in NFL playoff contention, the majority of the league is focused on the offseason.

Teams are looking to upgrade their rosters through free agency and the draft, and the annual Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, will provide an up-close look at some of the best prospects in this year’s talent pool.

This year’s all-star event features 15 players with ties to the Carolinas. Along with those locals, several notable names will be able to show off their talent in front of reps from all 32 teams — including the Carolina Panthers.

Bobby Maffei, a Panthers defensive assistant, will coach the National Team safeties during the week.

KJ Henry, EDGE, Clemson (Winston-Salem, NC)

Henry projects as a rotational pass rusher at the next level, but a strong showing in Mobile could boost his stock. The Draft Network projects Henry as a third-round pick heading into the all-star game. He produced 27 tackles (six for loss) and 3.5 sacks last season for the Tigers.

Keion White, EDGE, Georgia Tech (Garner, NC)

White spent his first four college seasons at Old Dominion before transferring to Georgia Tech in 2021. After a breakout campaign this past season, White is looking to latch onto an NFL franchise as an early round pick. The Draft Network has White rated as a second-round pick heading into Senior Bowl week.

Nick Hampton, EDGE, Appalachian State (Anderson, SC)

Like White and Henry, Hampton is an accomplished college pass rusher. He produced seven sacks and eight quarterback hits last season, and is likely to be a rotational pass rusher early in his career. A strong performance during the week could boost Hampton’s stock.

Zacch Pickens, DT, South Carolina (Anderson, SC)

A former five-star recruit — who chose to stay close to home — Pickens is looking to showcase his talent on another major platform. While the local crew is mostly made up of pass rushers, Pickens is a huge presence in the middle of the defensive line. At 6-foot-4 and 305-pounds, Pickens looks the part of a pro already.

Byron Young, EDGE, Tennessee (Georgetown, SC)

Young started his college career as a JUCO standout, but quickly garnered national attention as a pass rusher for the Volunteers. At 6-foot-3 and 243 pounds, Young is likely to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 system. He produced 22 tackles (nine for loss) and seven sacks this past season.

Eku Leota, EDGE, Auburn (Asheville, NC)

Leota started his college career at Northwestern before transferring to Auburn. While his last season at Auburn was cut short due to a pectoral injury, Leota was still able to produce nine sacks in 18 games with the Tigers. He will be competing with Young, White, Hampton and Henry for praise during Senior Bowl week.

Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane (Indian Land, SC)

Williams is an interesting prospect who played four years at Tulane. During that time, he collected 306 tackles (27 for loss), 9.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and 14 pass breakups. Listed as 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Williams could profile as a weak-side linebacker in a 4-3 defense or an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense in the pros.

Nick Saldiveri, OT, Old Dominion (Waxhaw, NC)

Listed as 6-foot-6 and 316 pounds, Saldivieri was a three-year starter at right tackle for the Monarchs. He also showed some versatility by moving inside to right guard for a game this past season. The Parkwood High alum was a team captain to close out his college career.

Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee (Greensboro, NC)

Hooker started his college career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee in 2021. During his two seasons with the Vols, Hooker threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and only five interceptions. However, he tore his ACL in November and won’t take part in Senior Bowl practices or the game.

Darius Rush, DB, South Carolina (Kingstree, SC)

Rush, listed as 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, has the size that the NFL has fallen in love with at cornerback. Over the past two seasons, Rush has produced 18 pass breakups and three interceptions. Like Panthers’ cornerback Jaycee Horn, Rush is a long, lean playmaker in the secondary.

Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte

DuBose was a late addition to the roster last week. The 6-foot-3 and 200 pound wideout caught 126 passes for 1,684 yards and 15 touchdown over the past two years for the 49ers.

“Grant was in a weird spot,” said Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl told The Observer on Wednesday. “We took him off our Senior Bowl board when he jumped in the (transfer) portal. A couple weeks ago, agents started hitting me up about him entering the draft and at that point our roster was full.

“Luckily for Grant, one of our wideouts got injured during training and it opened up a spot. Our staff has had our eyes on Grant for a couple years, going back to that 2021 opener against Duke. He plays big, has very natural hands and does some cool stuff with his balance and body control after the catch. We excited to add a player of Grant’s talent this close to our game.”

Jerrod Clark, DT, Coastal Carolina

A towering nose tackle, Clark is listed as 6-foot-4 and 340 pounds. He will look to impress scouts with his ability to clog the line of scrimmage.

Asim Richards, OT, UNC

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive tackle was a two-year starter for the Tar Heels. Richards, a versatile athlete, played tight end and defensive line during his high school career before moving to the offensive line. He will look to push up his stock with a strong performance against the all-star game’s talented edge group.

Camerun Peoples, RB, Appalachian State

Peoples spent five seasons carrying the ball for App State. He produced 2,830 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns during his college career, and will look to show off his versatility out of the backfield in Mobile.

Davis Allen, TE, Clemson

The 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end is entering the league at the right time. All modern NFL offensive coordinators are looking for versatile starting tight ends and Allen could be a hot commodity come draft weekend. Allen caught 88 passes for 951 yards and 12 touchdowns during his four-year college career.

Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State

The Panthers are in a need of a pass-rushing partner for Brian Burns. McDonald produced 40.5 sacks during a special five-year college career with the Cyclones. Look for McDonald to have first-round draft buzz during Senior Bowl week. He was selected 20th overall in NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock draft.

Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, Notre Dame

Like McDonald, Foskey has some first-round buzz heading into the Senior Bowl. Pro Football Network ranks him as their 20th overall prospect, while The Draft Network has him as the 21st overall player. Foskey is coming off back-to-back 10-sack seasons at Notre Dame.

Derick Hall, EDGE, Auburn

Outside of quarterback, pass rusher is the Panthers’ biggest need, and Hall can fill that void. Over the past three seasons, Hall has produced 19.5 sacks. The 6-foot-3, 251-pound pass rusher profiles similarly to Burns on the edge.

Henry To’o To’o, LB, Alabama

With Shaq Thompson’s future up in the air, the off-the-ball linebacker spots are in flux. To’o To’o is a rangy player who would be a logical mid-round replacement for Thompson. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker produced 205 tackles (15.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble over the past two years at Alabama.

Will Mallory, TE, Miami

The Panthers desperately need a pass-catching complement to Ian Thomas at tight end. Mallory caught 115 passes for 1,544 yards and 14 touchdowns during his five-year college career. Mallory’s performance during the Senior Bowl could open eyes.

Rashee Rice, WR, SMU

Rice has the size-speed combination that NFL teams want at wide receiver. The 6-foot-1, 189-pound pass-catcher was very productive at SMU and is coming off a season where he caught 96 passes for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Draft Network projects Rice as a second-round pick heading into Mobile. He could be an excellent complement to DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr.

Even if Lancaster County officials didn’t accept or approve another request to build more homes or apartments, it would have about five years of coming residential growth to absorb. When will it be too much?

The Lancaster County Council held a committee meeting earlier this month where county administrator Dennis Marstall outlined concerns he’s heard from council and community of late.

“Is the growth that we have overburdening our infrastructure?” Marstall said. “Is the growth that we have too much, too fast, too soon? And some of the comments have been, yes, it’s already over-washed the panhandle area.”

From 2010 to 2020, Lancaster County grew by almost 20,000 residents. That growth rate is 25%. By mid-2021, Lancaster County topped the 100,000-resident mark, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The county had more than 4,300 new residents in mid-2021 — up 4% — than the 2020 Census.

Rox Burhans, development services director for the county, said there are more than 5,500 homes and townhomes that are permitted in Lancaster County but haven’t been built. For comparison, last year the county permitted about 1,250 new homes for construction.

“It’s almost five years worth of growth,” Burhans said.

Multifamily units, largely apartments, also have a pipeline. More than 2,700 units are permitted but not yet built.

Combined, more than 8,000 new homes, townhomes and apartments can be built without any further say-so by county council.

“They have legal rights to built based on decisions that the county has made in issuing them approvals,” Burhans said.

That has county officials asking what they can do to lessen growth pressures.

“What we’re facing right now is significant,” Marstall said. “What’s been approved and what’s in the hopper, and what’s still to come.”

Projects on the agenda for the county planning commission just this month, combined, have more than 1,700 new homes. Other projects are a little further in the future. Burhans pointed to a plan for 1,100 homes just south of Van Wyck and more than 1,000 lots at Nisbet. Plus there’s about 200 lots at Possum Hollow and Old Bailes roads.

Last month, the council approved two new apartment projects for about 600 combined units. New home construction continues at Sugar Creek, Patterson Preserve, Wilson Creek and Roselyn.

The county and the Indian Land panhandle in particular continue to face growth pressure from recently built residences along with planned ones. When Burhans arrived fewer than four years ago, there were two apartment communities in the panhandle with one just starting to rent.

What’s been built since Burhans arrived and what’s approved but not yet built, comes out to about 5,100 apartment units.

“Most of this multifamily that’s been built has been built really in the past three to five years,” Burhans said.

Burhans also looked at undeveloped sites in the area that would allow for cluster subdivisions, a land use that’s contributed to large neighborhoods on the panhandle. Sites have to be 30 acres or more, and Burhans found 31 eligible land parcels across a total 1,700 acres. Combining properties could make close to 40 sites eligible for cluster subdivisions.

Lancaster, like other area counties, has a development ordinance. In conjunction with zoning rules, it outlines which developments can go where and what builders are required to include. A development ordinance can encourage or discourage types of growth based on what it allows or prohibits.

The county intends to rewrite its development ordinance, but that process will take almost two years. Marstall said requirements on building setbacks, lot sizes, architectural features and rules specific to homes or apartments could impact growth trends.

The county could repeal an ordinance that allows a mixed-use zoning district officials say is an easy tool for developers who want to build apartments. That move would eliminate rezonings to that mixed-use zoning district, one designed to combine residential and commercial development, but wouldn’t impact ones already zoned that way.

Council members also say a lack of communication between the county, municipalities like Lancaster and the county school district on growth issues needs to be addressed. Marstall intends to revisit the conversation at a Nov. 4 intergovernmental luncheon that includes those stakeholders.

County Council member Charlene McGriff sees the numbers from proposed new developments, often 100 or so at a time. But McGriff said she was surprised by the total number of new residences already approved.

“Every time we make a decision it’s going to affect the schools, it’s going to affect traffic, it’s going to affect our budget and everything,” McGriff said.

Indian Land is busting at the seams with growth McGriff expects to move south.

“Ten years ago, 12 years ago, we made a terrible mistake,” McGriff said. “At this point, how can we stop the growth?”

Councilman Larry Honeycutt, who soon will rotate off council and won’t seek re-election, brought up one possibility.

“Moratorium is a dirty word,” Honeycutt said. “We know that. You see it. You read it in the paper. You hear it.”

But something has to happen, Honeycutt said.

“We’re in a position now that if we don’t do something, we’re going to create a complete monster north of Hwy. 5,” Honeycutt said. “We’re already heading toward that right now. But if we continue to approve all these different developments, it’s going to be a mad house.”

Part of the issue in Lancaster County is growth that wasn’t what council members envisioned within current rules. Councilman Terry Graham, who represents part of the panhandle, said cluster subdivisions were intended to blend into the natural surroundings but have become a way for developers to get more lots on a property.

“They’re not supposed to be a big blob of houses,” Graham said.

Councilman Brian Carnes, who also represents Indian Land, said the mixed-used zoning that allows for so many apartments was intended to get more commercial growth alongside it, that hasn’t always happened. Chairman Steve Harper said there is nuance to growth numbers, like the idea of apartment impacts on the school system. Many new units, like half those at Roselyn, wouldn’t add students.

“We do have a lot of age-restricted stuff coming in,” Harper said.

Councilman Billy Mosteller looks at growth impacts based on how long they would take to fix. The county could fund or assign more sheriff’s office cars or ambulances to the panhandle with relative speed.

“Roads and schools is years and years down the road,” Mosteller said. “Years and years. And we can’t recover on those two things.”

The exact steps the county will take, if any, to stop growth aren’t yet clear. The consensus was, that council members want staff to find ways to slow residential growth that isn’t already approved.

“We need to tap the break, maybe slam on the break, a little bit,” Carnes said.

This story was originally published October 28, 2022, 6:00 AM.

A South Carolina couple received suspended sentences after pleading guilty this week to felony tax crimes involving their two Charlotte furniture stores.

Thomas and Michelle Alexander kept $273,948 they owed in North Carolina sales taxes from their businesses, District 704 and Urban Farmhouse Furniture Co., according to a news release by the state Department of Revenue on Tuesday.

The couple lives in Indian Land, South Carolina, and operates Urban Farmhouse on Johnston Road in Ballantyne and District 704 on Monroe Road, public records show.

The Alexanders kept the money for their own use, state tax officials said in the release. The department did not say how the couple spent the money. The Alexanders paid the money back to the state as restitution in Wake County Superior Court before Monday’s guilty pleas, according to the state Department of Revenue.

The couple didn’t reply to phone messages from The Charlotte Observer Tuesday. Their stores are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Thomas Alexander, who is 56, pleaded guilty to two counts of aid and abet embezzlement of state property and one count of conspiracy to commit embezzlement of state property, state tax officials said.

Michelle Alexander, who is 51, pleaded guilty to one count of aid and abet embezzlement of state property and two counts of conspiracy to commit embezzlement of state property, according to the Department of Revenue.

A Superior Court judge suspended Thomas Alexander’s sentence of 19 to 32 months in prison and his wife’s sentence of 16 to 29 months in prison.

Both were placed on 2 years of supervised probation and ordered jailed in Wake County for three days. The Alexanders also must serve 2 months on electronic home monitoring and complete 100 hours of community service.

The missing tax payments at District 704 involved $147,456.38 and stretched Feb 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2019, court records show. The issue at Urban Farmhouse involved $126,492.95 from Jan. 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021, according to court documents.

In a statement Tuesday, N.C. Department of Revenue officials said the department “funds public services benefiting the people of North Carolina. We administer the tax laws and collect the taxes due in an impartial, consistent, secure, and efficient manner.”

This story was originally published February 7, 2023, 2:18 PM.