Many in the community are angry about a new project that will build a total of 550 homes, townhomes and senior housing units on an unused site along the shore of Lake Murray.
While concerns have been raised about traffic on the two-lane road in Irmo, where the development is planned, the mayor of the town of about 12,000 said the project will allow for investment in local infrastructure and prevent higher-density plans from taking over the site.
Plans for the Water Walk development span 65 acres, centered at 2947 Dreher Shoals Rd./SC 6, and call for 308 single-family homes and townhomes (148 on 21.5 acres and 160 on 14 acres), along with 242 senior housing units on 15.1 acres.
The plans also call for 13.2 acres of commercial space, with the project’s website noting that the developers hope to “create dining and retail opportunities in a walkable, open-air environment, ideally attracting local favorites from across South Carolina, plus new regional concepts.”
The developers also hope for “a small boutique hotel with a rooftop terrace, providing a venue for community events, weddings and parties overlooking the lake.”
After receiving feedback during a public information session hosted by the city last month, the developers, Charleston-based Material Capital Partners, asked to have their appearance before Irmo’s planning commission postponed from July to August. This means the City Council would not be able to approve their request to rezone the land until September.
“We are not doing interviews about the project because it is still in the early conceptual and planning stages,” Sam Tate, a senior associate at Material, said in response to an email from The State, noting that the same project details were shared on the Water Walk website during the public meeting. “We will update the website regularly as the project progresses.”
Online backlash against the project — including many of the more than 100 comments on the city’s Facebook post announcing last month’s public meeting — focused on its impact on traffic and infrastructure. Many complained that traffic is already too heavy on Dreher Shoals Road, which connects the Lake Murray Dam to Ballentine.
“No! It’s that simple,” Barry Wiseman responded on Facebook. “(SC 6) already needs to be widened and there is no way it should be done any sooner and even then it would require fewer units. Make it boat accessible only.”
“Too much traffic, too much density. It doesn’t fit in with the current surrounding homes and development,” another Facebook user, Kaz Zimmer Burnz, commented. “I see no benefit to anyone other than the developer with this kind of density!!”
Irmo Mayor Bill Danielson said the public needs to be better educated about the project, which he said seems like a good option for the site. Right now, the site is zoned to accommodate more than 700 homes. Pushing Water Walk forward would mitigate that impact, the mayor said, with fewer housing units and an emphasis on seniors who might start out in one of the independent living units and then move up to the senior portion of the development.
Danielson added that Material has experience with these types of developments with a focus on seniors. The company’s website lists seven other residential developments it has completed, ranging in size from 82 to 240 units. The mayor noted that the homes won’t be cheap, as they’re expected to sell for somewhere between $400,000 and $800,000 each.
Danielson said developers are setting aside money to help with road improvements, including widening parts of Dreher Shoals Road and adding turn lanes and possible traffic lights. The project will likely allow the city to more quickly improve the state-maintained road.
“I’m on the Central Midlands Council of Governments and I’m on the executive committee, and we just this past year approved spending $250,000 to do a full analysis of widening Dreher Shoals Road from the dam to Ballentine,” Danielson said. “That’s 10 years away. This could happen in three years.”
The mayor pointed out other ways in which the developers are trying to limit the impact of the project, such as keeping the row of trees along the lake intact.
“The master plan includes a series of small parks and ecological corridors to support wildlife and native plant species,” the Water Walk website reads. “Neighborhoods are developed around a network of walking and cycling paths. Existing tree-lined areas along the site boundaries will preserve current view corridors.”
Danielson said he is excited about the potential boost Irmo could get from the development’s hospitality, retail and hotel components, explaining that the city does not collect property taxes.
“It’s going to be a place where everyone can come and play, go out to eat, go shopping. It’s going to be pretty fancy, I’m told,” he said.
“Hopefully it offsets the cost of our police and fire services in that area, with the tax revenue from the businesses,” the mayor added. “That’s really all the city gets out of it financially.”
