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Chapin homeowners are upset over a new 95-home Great Southern Homes development.

“They don’t care about how this is destroying our community,” said Brenda Johnson.

“I will look out my front door and see the back yards of 6 homes,” Johnson said.

Neighbor Pete Morrison said that 150 feet from his front porch would be backyards of 12 homes.

Johnson said “GSH is adding 2 more detention ponds to Lake Murray. The pollution from the runoff from the homes and driveways will run off in the lake. Just a matter of time to before these toxins end up in the well water systems, most of us rely on for our drinking water.”

Great Southern Homes officials did not respond to the Chronicle’s requests for comment.

Increased traffic congestion interferes with emergency service response, the neighbors say.

Retirees Gary and Hope Clark are concerned about the congestion on 2-lane Old Lexington Road.

“We are literally afraid of the health situation,” Hope Clark said.

“Gary and I literally talked about how we cannot risk dealing with

911. We will drive each other and take the chance of being pulled over.

“An ambulance took over an hour to get to a neighbor who had fallen and broken his back,” Ingrid Cannon said, “I’m just waiting for there to be an emergency, and the first responders can’t get through Chapin because of all the traffic on the 2-lane roads.”

The Lexington County tax map shows Old Lexington Road already has 11 large subdivisions, 2 schools, and Crooked Creek Park. New developments by Mungo and Great Southern Homes will add more cars to the already congested road.

“I don’t blame people for wanting to move here,” Mark Ebert said. “Unfortunately, unrestricted growth, lack of sufficient infrastructure, and clear-cutting threaten the community we all love.”

Hope Clark said developer D.R. Horton advertises Woodland Crossing is just 8 miles from I-26.

“It is 8 miles but a 30-minute drive in high traffic,” she said.

Neither D.R Horton’s corporate office or Mungo’s marketing department have responded.

Said neighbor Sam Delaney, “When it comes to development, greed rules the day.”

“As citizens, we can’t afford just to sit back and complain,” Ebert said.

“We must work together with our leaders to use comprehensive planning and zoning restrictions that will lead to responsible growth before it is too late. Otherwise, we are destined for the same type of community that many of us came here to escape.”