Home builders may take comfort in this.

The county home building moratorium won’t last forever as they feared.

The Lexington County Council voted for the 2nd time on Tuesday, June 8.

The vote was 7-2 wth Debbie Summers and Glen Conwell voting against.

A 3rd vote has not yet been scheduled.

It could come as early as June 22, according to Public Information Officer Jessica Imbimbo.

Although the moratorium on subdivisions of more than 9 homes has already started,t he 6-month clock will not start until after a 3rd vote.

The moratorium opened a battle in which pro- and anti-ban sides accused each other of bad faith.

Builders were accused of rushing through applications for 3,929 new homes.

The Building Industry Association denied it and accuses ban backers of spreading misinformation.

All lots mentioned had already gone through Design Review meetings with Lexington County before the moratorium, the builders said.

This many new homes could mean:

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

• A similar number of vehicles on congested state and local roads.

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

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

County officials say home property taxes don’t cover the cost of emergency services.

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 Chapin area. • 461 homes in the Lex

• 461 homes in the 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.