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Wake Forest approves White Street mixed‑use rezoning after debate over buried power lines and safety payment
Summary
The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners approved RZ‑2404, a conditional district rezoning for a 3.93‑acre project on North White Street, 3–2. The approval requires burying overhead power lines per the UDO and a $5,000 one‑time payment for intersection safety measures; residents and commissioners raised concerns about traffic, site plans, and scale.
The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners approved a conditional rezoning for the White Street Mixed‑Use project (RZ‑2404) on a 3–2 vote after public comment and extended discussion.
The rezoning, filed by Chase Massey on behalf of Thales Academy, would rezone about 3.93 acres at 0 North White Street from Neighborhood Business to Neighborhood Mixed‑Use Conditional District. Commissioners approved the conditional district with updated conditions that require the developer to bury an existing overhead power line along the North White Street frontage in accordance with Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) requirements and to make a one‑time $5,000 payment to the town for transportation safety measures at the Royal Mill Avenue/North White Street intersection. Planning staff estimated a high‑visibility crosswalk could be striped for under $1,000.
Why it matters: The project would add mixed‑use development consisting of ground‑floor commercial and residential units above. Supporters said the proposal limits certain commercial uses and includes an affordable‑housing component. Opponents and some commissioners said the proposal raises traffic and site‑plan transparency concerns for neighbors.
Planning staff and conditions Tim Richards of the planning department told the board staff continued to recommend approval with two edits to the previously issued conditions: (1) a requirement that the developer bury the overhead power line per UDO Section 6.3 before issuance of a certificate of occupancy, and (2) a reduction of the prior $20,000 contribution for transportation safety to $5,000, with the town determining and implementing specific safety measures.
Developer and neighbor remarks Tamara Wakeman, speaking for the owner and development team, said the owner approved the updated conditions and that the team worked to address feedback from the planning review. Wakeman told the board the burial of the lines was costly (Wake EMC quoted about $91,000) and that the developer reduced the transportation contribution so the burial could proceed. She said the project’s intent is community‑oriented ground‑floor uses (restaurants, coffee shops, service businesses) rather than drive‑throughs or gas stations, and noted an 8 percent affordable‑housing allocation in the proposal.
Nearby residents raised concerns about process and impacts. Margaret Watkins told the board she was frustrated by a lack of a site plan for a related public‑safety station and said the absence of detailed plans limited neighbors’ ability to evaluate impacts. Another resident, Robert Baker Nicholas, who lives next door to a proposed site discussed earlier in the agenda, asked staff and the developers to consider accommodations for families with special‑needs members if a station were built near their homes.
Commissioner discussion and vote Commissioners debated traffic, the adequacy of an older traffic study, entrances located near Flaherty Drive, and the tradeoffs between requiring line burial and funding local safety measures. One commissioner said burying the lines represented meaningful progress; another described being torn because of concerns about notice and traffic analysis.
The motion to approve the White Street Mixed‑Use conditional rezoning passed 3–2. Commissioners Cross and Slowinski were recorded as voting no. The board adopted a consistency statement with the approval.
What the approvals require next The action requires the developer to complete the line burial per UDO requirements and to remit the $5,000 payment for town‑determined transportation safety measures prior to final approvals noted in the conditions. The town’s engineering staff provided a rough estimate that a striped high‑visibility crosswalk could be installed for under $1,000; the town retains discretion over what measures to implement with the payment.
Ending Staff and the applicant were asked to continue following up on outstanding technical items, including traffic and site details. The town’s approval is a conditional rezoning; any permit and construction steps remain subject to compliance with the UDO and the approved conditions.
