The purpose of this petition is to stop any further development of Farmers Cove Tiny Homes. The planned development’s location is on Groce Meadow Road and Bulls Road, adjacent to Lake Robinson and wetlands.

The Preliminary Subdivision Data Sheet shows that the property consists of 64.11 acres of land with plans to build 74 Tiny Homes on approximately 14 acres; Farmers Cove considers this a “first phase”. This leaves an additional 50 acres available for future construction. Based on these calculations, the project has the potential to be a multi-phase project that could result in a total of approximately 337 Tiny Homes with SEPTIC concentrated in this small area.

The site plan is adjacent to Lake Robinson. This lake was created as an impoundment for drinking water, it is part of CPW’s drinking water resources. The construction of multiple, combined septic systems from a high concentration of Tiny Homes in this development is a matter of serious concern. Environmental research has shown that septic systems pose a threat to lakes. Our Federal “Clean Water Act” is in place to protect and prevent the contamination of bodies of water similar to Lake Robinson. Farmers Cove would be a high-density development whose septic systems, so close to wetlands, pose a significant threat to our community and water source.

It is not in keeping with the new (October 2019) Greenville County Comprehensive Plan denoting this area as a “Suburban Edge” averaging fewer than one dwelling per acre.

The proposed development seeks to shoe-horn 74 small, leased lots into 14 acres. This is vastly out of character with the surrounding area and completely out of alignment with the County Comprehensive plan which calls for “low-density residential areas that offer opportunities for low-intensity development that is well-integrated with the natural landscape and agricultural uses. Residential development may occur as individual single-family structures on large lots, or clusters of homes designed to preserve large amounts of open space, which should be interconnected as part of the county’s larger open space system.” There is no mention and clearly no desire for non-permanent structures in this area.

The development's closest access roads are Groce Meadow and Bulls Road. Groce Meadow is a narrow, poorly maintained state road. Bulls Road is an undivided, two lane, rural road. The infrastructure is unable to support the additional heavy traffic congestion that this high-density development will cause. These roads are located in a largely residential area and significant additional traffic will increase the hazards to motorists and residents alike. The combination of road topography, lack of lighting and high traffic density poses a safety risk.

It is believed that the development plan does not comply with GREENVILLE COUNTY LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS which state:
ARTICLE 3 GENERAL SUBDIVISION REQUIREMENTS
3.1 Review Criteria To further the intent set forth in Section 1.2, the following shall apply for all developments reviewed under this Article.

Submitted developments may be approved if they meet all of the following criteria:
• Adequate existing infrastructure and transportation systems exist to support the project;
• The project is compatible with the surrounding land use density;
• The project is compatible with the site’s environmental conditions, such as but not limited to, wetlands, flooding, endangered species and/or habitat, and historic sites and/or cemeteries.

The existing properties surrounding this proposed development are primarily single family homes, many of which are on large or multi-acre lots. The proposed high density of Farmers Cove Tiny Homes is not compatible with the surrounding land density.

While we understand that growth and development are a natural progression and nothing in life remains static, we ask that Greenville County reject the proposed project. It is environmentally destructive and out of character with both the existing neighborhoods and the County Comprehensive Plan.