Lancaster County Council, Regular Meeting — Monday, May 11, 2026
A packed council chamber and a four-and-a-half-hour meeting produced one of the more consequential nights of the spring for Lancaster County Council, with members denying a conditional use permit for an Islamic place of assembly on Harrisburg Road, deferring a contested 71-acre commercial rezoning at Charlotte Highway and Laurel Hill Road by another 60 days, hearing an emotional joint presentation from the Coroner’s Office and EMS about a real-world search-and-rescue mission that followed an inter-agency training exercise by just 11 days, and after their second executive session of the week on the topic voting unanimously to authorize Chair Brian Carnes to enter into a final contract with the candidate selected to be Lancaster County’s next administrator. The meeting also brought the county’s third reading of the FY26 budget amendment ordinance, second reading of an ordinance reclassifying poll workers, and a presentation by Piedmont Medical Center on its new freestanding emergency department in Indian Land, which received its certificate of occupancy on Friday and is slated to open this month.
The big story: A divisive public hearing on the Harrisburg Road mosque
The longest and most contentious portion of the night was the public hearing on Resolution 1324-R-2026 and the underlying conditional use permit (Case CU-2026-0168), an application by Waxhaw Investment LLC and Arafat Muhammad to convert an existing single-family dwelling at 10935 Harrisburg Road in Indian Land into a place of assembly — an Islamic community center serving Muslim families in Indian Land, south Charlotte, and the surrounding panhandle.
The Planning Commission had recommended denial on a 0-5-1 vote (Sheila Hinson recused), though the county planning staff had recommended approval. Because the resolution was needed simply to accept the application for council review after the Planning Commission’s negative recommendation, Council first voted unanimously to bring the matter to the floor before opening the hearing.
Planning Director Shannon Catoe walked Council through the site analysis. The 4.68-acre parcel sits in a Low Density Residential (LDR) zoning district within the county’s designated growth area, surrounded by a mix of LDR, MDR, professional business, and neighborhood business properties. Catoe noted that even if Council approved the conditional use, the project would still need to clear commercial site plan review, SC DOT review, fire marshal review, and commercial upfit permitting before a certificate of occupancy could issue.
Applicant Arafat Muhammad presented the project as a modest assembly use — 28 parking spaces, an expected congregation of roughly 100 people on Fridays, and five to ten cars on other weekdays. He emphasized that Friday traffic of 25 to 30 vehicles would be a rounding error against the roughly 9,000 vehicles per day that already use Harrisburg Road. Muhammad, who described himself as a payments technology executive at a major Charlotte bank, said the community he represents is largely made up of engineers, physicians, teachers, and other professionals who already live in the area, including a number whose children attended nearby Harrisburg Elementary.
Public comment ran more than an hour with roughly equal numbers of speakers in favor and against. Supporters spoke about wanting a place for their children to gather and learn responsible citizenship, the small footprint of the proposed use, and the applicant’s commitment to working with the county on traffic, fire safety, and storm water during the subsequent permitting steps.
Opposition speakers raised a mix of issues. Several speakers attempted to introduce comments about Islam itself, Sharia law, or religious teachings, and Chair Carnes repeatedly redirected those speakers to focus only on land-use issues. Chair Carnes had opened the public-comment period with an explicit statement that this was a quasi-judicial proceeding in which council could not consider religious beliefs, the identity of the applicant, or generalized support or opposition unrelated to land-use impacts.
On the land-use side, opposition concerns centered on three themes: traffic on a two-lane Harrisburg Road that already handles roughly 7,300 vehicles a day and is set to absorb the new Harrisburg Global Academy charter school (K-6, up to 800 students), a proposed high school, a 40-acre apartment development across the road, and additional housing on nearby Pettus Road and Barberville Road; the absence of public sewer service to the area, with Lancaster County Water and Sewer District engineer Tim Kaiser reportedly confirming no near-term plans; and the existence of what speakers described as a family cemetery on the site, with two former owners describing approximately 50 to 100 graves. Several speakers also referenced the existing Islamic Community Center of South Charlotte, located 1.8 miles north on Harrisburg Road, noting that Friday prayer traffic at that facility regularly required hired traffic-direction officers.
Trisha Hunt of Patterson Plantation submitted a printed packet to each council member documenting the property’s residential surroundings, pictures of grave markers, and traffic-impact concerns, and spoke on behalf of the Patterson Plantation Homeowners Association.
Clerk to Council Sherrie Simpson reported that the county had received 16 emails in favor of the application and 11 in opposition, along with separate emails about other agenda items.
When the public hearing closed, council members asked Catoe to summarize the Planning Commission’s reasons for denial: traffic, infrastructure, hours of use, noise, and lighting. Vice Chair Billy Mosteller noted that conditional use approval runs with the land — it does not expire when ownership changes and that any future place of assembly anywhere in the same zoning district could apply on the same legal footing.
Given an opportunity for rebuttal, Muhammad reiterated that traffic, fire-safety, and engineering questions would be addressed through SC DOT, the fire marshal, and county departments at the permitting stage, and that the request before council was the land-use approval, not the technical site review.
Council Member Stuart Graham, whose district includes the property, said that infrastructure has been his consistent concern at this stretch of Harrisburg Road — a site has been identified for a fire station but no station has been built — and that he could not support adding a place of assembly to the corridor with the planned charter school, possible high school, apartment development, and continuing residential growth all converging at the same time. A motion to deny based on UDO standards — compatibility with surrounding uses, traffic, and infrastructure was made by Council Member Steve Harper and seconded by Council Member Graham. The motion carried unanimously.
Charlotte Highway and Laurel Hill Road rezoning deferred a second time
The Charlotte Highway and Laurel Hill Road rezoning Case RZ-2025-2538, a request to rezone approximately 71.1 acres from LDR to Regional Business (RB) — returned for what was scheduled to be second reading. The matter has now been before council since February, when it passed first reading 5-2 (Stuart Graham and Jose Luis opposed). It was deferred at the February 23 meeting on a 6-1 vote (Billy Mosteller opposed), and at the March 9 meeting it was deferred again on Council Member Harper’s motion pending resolution of connectivity issues with the neighboring property to the north, with the requirement that it return within 60 days.
Attorney Ben Johnson, representing the applicant CF Smith, asked Council for another 60-day deferral. He reported that the applicant had expedited its traffic study and received it on April 1, that a more focused internal traffic study followed on April 15, that an additional intersection-level traffic study is still in progress, and that SC DOT has provided preliminary feedback. Johnson noted that he had finally been able to meet with the county planning department’s new staff lead earlier in the day and had received helpful guidance.
Council Member Graham reiterated his previously stated concerns that the area lacks the infrastructure to support the project and said that another 60-day delay would not change his fundamental view. Mosteller pressed Johnson to confirm that the parties expected to come back ready to take a vote, resolved or not at the end of the next 60 days. Johnson agreed.
The substitute motion to defer to the July meeting passed 6-1.
Mounted Response Unit and EMS — a training-to-real-world success story
In one of the most striking presentations of the night, Coroner Karla Deese and EMS Director Clay Kato gave a joint presentation about the Lancaster County Mounted Response Unit — the first such unit in the state of South Carolina — and the EMS Special Technical Advanced Response (STAR) team, which trained together on April 25 in Union County and then deployed jointly just 11 days later on a live search-and-rescue mission for a missing man named Charlie.
The MRU is an all-volunteer unit funded entirely outside the county budget. The April 25 training included an Explorer program for children — many of whom had never seen a live animal before — that featured a three-hour electronic detox and produced child requests for follow-up training in 911, CPR, fire, and law enforcement. The training itself involved 12 clues, two live “victims” (including Deputy Coroner Lynnette Walker, who role-played an injured Spanish-speaking hiker), and roughly 100 acres of terrain.
On May 6, the team was activated for a live search at 3:40 a.m. By 5:40 a.m., the riders were in motion. They covered nearly 20 miles and spent about eight hours in the saddle across hundreds of thousands of acres of land — terrain inaccessible by foot and damaging to side-by-side vehicles. The horses, Deese noted, did not flinch even when a medical helicopter landed nearby. Charlie was found alive and lifted out by air. Deese closed the presentation by inviting members of the unit who were present to stand and be recognized by Council.
Piedmont Medical Center freestanding ED opening this month
Christopher Mitchell, CEO of Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, presented an overview of the new freestanding emergency department on Highway 521 in the Parkstone development. The facility received its certificate of occupancy on Friday and is slated to open this month.
Mitchell emphasized that the facility is a 24/7/365 physician-staffed emergency department — not an urgent care — with private exam rooms, two trauma rooms, advanced imaging (CT, X-ray, lab), respiratory therapy, and a dedicated EMS entrance with a lounge for first responders. The most acute patients will enter through doors directly in front of a glass-enclosed physician station, a design choice Mitchell said was deliberately made to address EMS feedback about wanting immediate physician access. Patients who need hospital admission will be transferred to either Piedmont Fort Mill (100 beds) or Piedmont Rock Hill (282 beds, advancing to Level II trauma designation). A new NICU at Fort Mill was scheduled to open the day after the council meeting.
Mitchell described the facility as a taxpaying entity that will contribute to the local tax base, reduce travel times for urgent and emergent conditions, and help keep county EMS trucks in county by reducing transport distances and wait times for patient handoffs.
Citizens comments — the budget, nonprofit grants, and the mosque
Three speakers addressed Council during the citizens comments period. Tony McGameman of Hartwell Lane in Indian Land used her time to push back on what she described as a wishlist-driven approach to the FY27 budget that staff and administration have presented in recent preliminary reviews, saying she would be bankrupt if she ran her household budget with as little regard for needs assessment or cost-benefit analysis as the county does. She said citizens want improved infrastructure and want greater accountability for how existing revenues are being spent.
Jane Alford spoke on behalf of the Lancaster County Council of the Arts, previewing two upcoming exhibits at the Springs House — the multi-sensory Touch and See exhibit (currently on display with events May 14 and May 16) and the Creative Collaborations exhibit opening June 5, both supported in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, South Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with funding support from the city and county.
Ernesto Pierre of Green Intentions Farmers Market criticized Council’s April 27 decision to set aside the seven-member panel’s preliminary recommendation for the $100,000 nonprofit grant pool, which had proposed distributing the funds among approximately 16 agencies, and instead to distribute roughly $90,000 to about six agencies while leaving $10,000 in reserve. He argued the change reflected a narrower vision than the panel’s broader effort to reach underserved communities, particularly given county-wide statistics on food insecurity, unemployment, and third-grade reading levels.
A fourth speaker, Saif Jaffrey, used his time to speak in support of the Indian Land mosque application that would be heard later in the meeting.
Other business
Consent agenda. Council unanimously approved the consent agenda (items 7A through 7C), including the April 15 budget workshop minutes, the April 27 regular meeting minutes, and third reading of Ordinance 2026-2027, which rezones a 1.5-acre parcel at 1553 Pageland Highway from General Business (GB) to Low Density Residential (LDR).
FY26 budget amendment — third reading. Ordinance 2026-2029, amending the current fiscal year’s budget appropriations, passed unanimously on third reading with no changes from prior readings.
Poll worker classification — second reading. Ordinance 2026-2021, which classifies poll workers as separate from temporary, part-time, and full-time county employees and instead governs them under state election law and the County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, passed 6-1 with Council Member Jose Luis again voting against, consistent with his opposition at first reading on May 6.
Planning Commission workshop meetings — second reading. Ordinance 2026-2030 passed unanimously, with one revision added since first reading at council’s direction: workshop meetings of the Planning Commission may now be called either by the Chair or by a majority of commission members (four members).
Recreation Advisory Board — second reading. Ordinance 2026-2031, dissolving the Recreation Advisory Board and transitioning to an ambassador/volunteer program, passed unanimously after Parks and Recreation Director Chris Clouden confirmed that current advisory board members have been invited to participate as ambassadors in the new structure.
Palmetto Kennel Lane rezoning — first reading. Ordinance 2026-2032, rezoning approximately 0.61 acres at Palmetto Kennel Lane from LDR to Medium Density Residential (MDR), passed unanimously on first reading. The applicant, Russell Freeman, is combining two adjoining parcels he already owns to accommodate an accessory structure.
1824 Steele Street rezoning — first reading. Ordinance 2026-2033, rezoning approximately 0.335 acres at 1824 Steele Street from Manufactured Home (MH) to Professional Business (PB), passed unanimously on first reading. Planning Director Catoe explained that the property contains a long-standing duplex with a code-violation issue that the owner cannot repair under the current non-conforming designation; the rezoning conforms the property to the future land use plan and permits the repairs to proceed.
Shelton Street rezoning — first reading. Ordinance 2026-2034, rezoning approximately 2.14 acres on Shelton Street from General Business (GB) to Professional Business (PB), passed unanimously. The rezoning, requested by MCTN LLC, addresses another non-conforming property where the owner would otherwise be unable to obtain insurance or perform repairs after a disaster.
South Carolina opioid settlement — Resolution 1326-R-2026. Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the Interim County Administrator to sign the settlement with six remnant defendants under the South Carolina Opioid Settlement Allocation Agreement as amended.
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant — Resolution 1327-R-2026. Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the SS4A grant application. County engineer Jeff Catoe explained that the county had previously received an SS4A planning grant, used those funds to form a stakeholders committee that included SC DOT and public safety members, and is now positioned to apply for implementation dollars that could fund countywide safety improvements. Interim Administrator Steve Willis noted that a local match may be required and committed to bringing that back to Council if so.
United Way ARPA funds update. Holly Furr of United Way provided an update on the warming shelter and rapid-rehousing programs and requested council approval to use remaining ARPA funds to purchase the Meeting Street building that will house the holistic shelter. The City of Lancaster approved a revised code interpretation on April 24 allowing the property to be used as multi-family residency, which eliminates the need for a commercial fire suppression system that had been the primary budget obstacle. Furr reported 55 warming center clients served from December through March, ten rapid-rehousing slots (seven currently filled, most being housed in Rock Hill due to local availability), and committed-but-unsigned interest from local foundations and businesses for additional funding once United Way owns the building. Interim Administrator Willis asked council not to take action yet, pending guidance from the National Association of Counties and the U.S. Treasury Department on whether the change of use is permitted under ARPA rules. He committed to bringing the item back to council at the next meeting with that guidance in hand.
Board and commission appointments. Council unanimously approved Daniel Mahaffey to replace Kelsi M. Lang as the Unity Fire Department’s representative on the Fire Commission; Douglas Hall as the District 4 representative to the Airport Advisory Board; and Emily Elizabeth Pierce as the District 4 representative to the Community Outreach and Engagement Committee.
Executive session and the new county administrator
Council went into executive session on two items: a potential contractual matter related to solid waste disposal, and the discussion of a personnel matter relative to the office of the County Administrator. Representatives of the search firm Find Great People and Joanie Winters of the Winter Law Firm joined for the administrator portion; the Public Works Director joined for the solid waste portion.
Coming out of executive session, County Attorney Ginny Merck-Dupont confirmed for the record that no motions were made and no votes were taken during executive session. Council Member Harper then moved to authorize the proposed contract for the County Administrator position and to authorize Chair Carnes to enter into contract negotiations with the previously approved candidate within the parameters discussed in executive session. The motion was seconded by Council Member Jose Luis and passed unanimously.
The action follows the May 6 special meeting, at which council had first authorized Chair Carnes to begin contract negotiations with the same candidate. The May 11 motion authorized the actual contract terms within parameters discussed in closed session, setting up final execution of the agreement and the close of the months-long search to permanently replace the office’s leadership.
The meeting adjourned shortly after 10:30 p.m.
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