Both sides of the county moratorium issue are accusing each other of bad faith.

Builders have been accused of rushing through applications for 3,929 new Lexington County homes.

But the Building Industry Association denies it and accuses ban backers of spreading misinformation.

The plans were given to county planners long before the council voted to impose a 6-month moratorium on subdivisions larger than 9 homes, BIA Director Earl McLeod told the Chronicle.

West Columbia builder Wade McGuinn agreed.

All lots mentioned had already gone through Design Review Meetings with Lexington County before any moratorium, he said.

Whether pre-moratorium or not, this many new homes could mean:

• 8,000 more students in local school districts – the equivalent of 8 new schools.

• A similar number of vehicles on congested state and local roads. • A need for the county to

• A need for the county to hire more emergency medical, fire fighting and law enforcement personnel. What all this building

What all this building could cost local taxpayers is not yet known.

Developers plan:

• 23 housing developments of more than 3,929 new homes.

• To develop more than 1,224 acres in the county.

This includes:

• 586 more homes in the northwest Chapin area.

• 461 homes in the central Lexington area.

The largest tract slated for development is 101 acres in Gilbert.

Plans call for 443 houses on an average lot size of 5,197 square feet or 12 homes an acre.

County Council Planning Committee Chair Charli Wessinger said the vote to resume the moratorium was immediately in effect.

The county’s procedure has been to enact new ordinances after a public hearing, 3 readings and 3 votes.

The moratorium went into effect after 1 vote due to a “pending ordinance” rule the council earlier adopted.

Sources have told the Chronicle that county attorney Jeff Anderson has advised the council the “pending ordinance” rule may not be able to withstand a legal challenge in court.

Chronicle Chapin correspondent Liesha Huffstetler contributed to this report.