Lexington Town Council voted to go ahead with a new traffic study in the area slated for a proposed lakefront resort July 10 amid continued controversy over the project.

At the regularly scheduled meeting, council unanimously approved engaging Charleston engineering and consulting firm Bowman to conduct a traffic study on Smallwood Cove, the nearly 94-acre mixed-use development that was announced by council back in early May.

The development is poised to bring a marina, retail spaces, hotels, restaurants and living spaces ranging from single-family homes to condos to the shores of Lake Murray.

Smallwood Cove is set to be located off Beekeeper Court and North Lake Drive on the Lexington side of the Lake Murray Day, and a previous traffic study conducted by Kimley-Horn, an engineering consultant firm in Columbia, and commissioned by the property owners included Andrew Corley Road, which sits past Beekeeper Court. and Pilgrim Church Road, which sits past Andrew Corley Road and turns into Old Cherokee Road. 

The scope of the new study will be finalized when the firm consults with the town, council indicated.

Traffic has been a leading concern among worried residents, with the public pushback to the project leading Lexington Town Council and Lexington County Council to call an unprecedented joint work session July 12 to discuss it. To read more about that meeting, which took place after the Chronicle’s July 11 press deadline, head to lexingtonchronicle.com.

Beyond the potential traffic strain placed on the already well-traveled S.C. Highway 6/North Lake Drive corridor, which connects Lexington and Irmo, another issue being questioned by the public is the necessity and viability of a 50,000 square-foot conference center slated for the development, which the town is set to kick in $30 million to build.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, a resident sought to make sure that the traffic from the proposed center will be included and that local data rather than national data will be used to assess Smallwood Cove’s traffic impact.

Town Council Member Todd Lyle assured her that her expectations would be met, adding that discussion with the firm will include talk of potential impacts to Corley Mill Road and U.S. Highway 38/Sunset Boulevard and that real traffic counts will be obtained and used during the study.

Randy Edwards, the town’s director of transportation, stated that the center was excluded from the previous study as it will most likely not operate during peak travel hours, which is what that study was intended to observe. 

The director added that people staying at a hotel on the property when visiting the conference center is another factor that could impact traffic.

When discussing the effects of the conference center, Edwards used the July 4 fireworks on Lake Murray as an example, saying that traffic that day is a nightmare, but traffic studies do not include these events because they are single-event flashpoints.

During the meeting, Council Member Gavin Smith questioned why the town didn’t consider other firms other than Bowman before settling on them to conduct the new traffic study.

Lyle, who holds a degree in civil and environmental engineering, said he reached out to a former professor who gave him some recommendations, leading the town to Bowman.

“I made a phone call to someone that I hadn’t talked to in years that I've trusted, respected and learned under back in the late-’90s-2000s,” Lyle said. “[They] came highly recommended, apparently doing a lot for Dorchester [County] and similar municipalities down in the Lowcountry.”

“They met the criteria of being, in my opinion, disinterested and unbiased and having no connections or ties to other projects that are in our current location.” he added.

Mayor Pro-Tem Hazel Livingston, who has been an active advocate for the new traffic study, said it would be hard to find someone in the general vicinity of the town that wouldn’t be biased.

Many residents have expressed concerns regarding the town's transparency with the public regarding Smallwood Cove. Smith, who was elected in May promised to prioritize transparency during his campaign, keyed on this, saying he is starting a monthly  series of “Open Door After Four” events where he will meet with residents and allow them to “freely express their thoughts, comments and concerns directly” to him.

The first such event is set for Thursday, July 20, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Eli Mack Room in the town Municipal Complex on Maiden Lane.

Apart from approving the new traffic study, council honored Allen Lutz, the town’s retiring director of utilities, with a proclamation.

Lutz has been with the town for 47 years. Lutz’s wife was also honored for her service to the town, with many members raving about her cooking. Council Member Kathy Maness announced that a training room located at Bruner Row will be renamed for Lutz.

“You have led us through some difficult times with water and sewer and we always came out on top of the situation thanks to you,” Maness said. “The men and women in your department and the other professionals in your industry only say good things about you.”

“We will certainly miss you around here when you retire.” she added.