The York County Planning Commission will vote Wednesday on whether to recommend approval of a special use permit that would authorize construction of a miniature golf course at the corner of George Washington Memorial Highway (Route 17) and Sports Way.
The proposal calls for 250 feet of frontage along Route 17 for the miniature golf course, according to an memo outlining the proposal. The course would be built on a 2.74-acre parcel of a 7.05-acre property. Two sheds and a porch encroach on the property from the adjacent Harwood Mills Trailer Park, so the owner of the property will need to decide whether to remove them, according to the proposal.
The York County planning staff recommends that the York County Planning Commission recommend approval of the plan to the Board of Supervisors, who will make the final decision.
The applicant wants to build three to four nine-hole courses over two phases. The first phase would consist of 18 holes with a clubhouse, restroom building and picnic area, with the 18-hole course built around water features. All holes on that course would be handicap accessible, according to the proposal.
The second phase would add nine to 18 additional holes and more parking along Sports Way, a private road that serves a nearby Wendy’s and the York County Sports Complex. According to the proposal, the developers would eventually like to add expanded party rooms to the picnic area and a place for other games, like basketball, soccer and a golf simulator.
The proposal calls for a clubhouse, a 12-foot-by-12-foot building with horizontal, residential-style siding and a shingle roof. The proposed holes and water will not feature any “garish figurines or structures sometimes associated with carnival-style mini-golf courses.”
Only one other miniature golf course operates in York County. Pirate’s Cove on Mooretown Road in upper York received a grant for reduced setbacks – miniature golf courses, according to zoning ordinance, are required to be 100 feet from any property line and 500 feet from residential property – and the proposed course would also require reduced setbacks due to the Harwood Mills Trailer Park, according to the proposal.
Zoning ordinance also calls for a traffic-impact study, but according to the proposal, York County planning officials agree with the applicant, who wants a waiver as the proposed miniature golf course would cause traffic well below the amount that would require a study.
The business would feature 33 parking spaces in the first phase with an additional 18 in the second phase, which falls in line with county ordinances, according to the proposal. In addition, lighting fixtures for nighttime use will be full cutoff, which limits the light intensity at the property lines.
