Paris Mountain rezoning, new development upsets some residents - FOX Carolina 21

Neighbors who live on Altamont Road leading to the top of Paris Mountain are circulating a petition to block the area's rezoning for a new development.

Developers from Greenfields Consortium LLC want to rezone 50 acres to build a new community that includes about 75 condos and a restaurant.

At Monday night's Greenville County Council meeting, Eric Kaufmann will share his plans and neighbors will have their chance to oppose them.

Altera is Kaufmann's community, designed to showcase condos, a lake house with restaurant, spa, arts and crafts center and nature trails. The website for Altera claims that its architecture and footprint design are environmentally sound, with about 88 percent of the 50 acres remaining untouched and green.

But current neighbors are concerned about extra traffic on the one winding road, potential sewage and septic problems and crowding issues.

Perry Weinberg lives in Altamont Forest, a single-home style development that would overlook Altera if it's built. He said most homes along the ridge will see the new multi-story condominium in their view.

Neighbors on Catamount are also concerned about septic and ReWa issues since Catamount Forest had problems that the county needed to come in and clean up.

Altamont resident Jason Kraning said that the Paris Mountain community isn't zoned for multi-family housing for a reason. He started a petition against the rezoning application Tuesday night, which already has almost 700 signatures only two days later.

"There's absolute uproar. People in the community, even if they don't live on Paris Mountain, don't want to see a condominium on top of it," said Kraning. "They just don't want to see it, they have a love affair with Paris Mountain, the state park is right below it, it's a beautiful natural environment and that's what we're trying to keep."

Kraning is worried about overcrowding, as well as too many drivers on the curvy road.

Last summer, the developer had the property approved by the planning commission to build about 75 single family homes.

On Monday, Kaufmann is expected to take it a step further to change the zoning for his land.

Step two comes later in March. The planning commission will meet, and their recommendation, plus the Zoning Administration's recommendation, will go to the County Council. April's council meeting would be the first vote, and if passed, it would need to pass a second vote.

Councilman Sid Cates has Paris Mountain in his district. He said his main concern is about whether the waste facility will be able to handle the new sewage and then whether the 74 units should be condos or single homes.

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