Clayton Town Council on Sept. 16 completed the annexation of the Clayton Village Center parcels and approved a major modification to an existing conditional rezoning to correct a clerical error that had left several parcel identification numbers out of the ordinance.

Staff said the request was intended to ensure the ordinance and map matched the applicant’s site and that there were no substantive changes to the approved master plan, uses or densities. The council adopted the annexation ordinance (ordinance 2025‑09‑01) and later adopted a corrected conditional rezoning ordinance (2025‑09‑03) that updates the PINs and makes a small number of wording corrections.

Why it matters: Failure to match parcel identifiers in a rezoning ordinance can create legal uncertainty about what land is covered by prior approvals. Staff and the town attorney advised the council that the change is technical in nature and recommended adoption to clear the record. Residents at the annexation hearing included the property owner’s representative; one nearby resident asked questions about traffic impacts, which staff and the applicant addressed.

Key facts
- Annexation: Request to annex 2.89 acres across six parcels into Clayton for services; location between Wilwood Drive and Clayton Boulevard adjacent to the Buckhorn Branch development.
- Rezoning correction: Major modification to include all parcel numbers in the Clayton Village Center conditional rezoning ordinance; no change to approved unit counts, uses or master plan.
- Background: Project was originally approved in 2022 for 234 multifamily units with some commercial. Site plan approval followed in 2024; construction‑drawing review is ongoing.

Speakers and roles
- Audrey Duchene, Senior Planner, Town of Clayton — presented annexation and described the clerk/ordinance corrections.
- David DeYoung, River Wild Development — spoke as representative of the property owner/applicant at the public hearings.
- Multiple councilmembers (Archer, Casey, others) asked clarifying questions about the legal need to correct the ordinance.

Action and outcome
- Annexation ordinance (2025‑09‑01) adopted; motion carried.
- Major modification / corrected conditional rezoning ordinance (2025‑09‑03) adopted with staff‑recommended conditions; council recorded consistency/reasonableness findings when adopting the ordinance.

Discussion vs. decision
Discussion: Residents and council asked about traffic impacts and whether the correction could have been handled administratively. Staff and the town attorney said the council action was required to clear the official record and avoid legal ambiguity.
Decision: Council adopted the annexation and the corrected rezoning ordinance on the record.

Authorities referenced
- North Carolina General Statutes on annexation and zoning process (staff cited state notice requirements and procedural statutes).

Clarifying details
[{"category":"annexation_size","detail":"Annexation acreage","value":"2.89","units":"acres","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Audrey Duchene"},{"category":"original_approval","detail":"Previously approved unit count","value":"234","units":"units","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Audrey Duchene"}]

Proper names
[{"name":"Clayton Village Center","type":"project"},{"name":"Buckhorn Branch","type":"development"},{"name":"River Wild Development","type":"business"}]

Provenance
{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"seg-2980.535","local_start":0,"local_end":140,"evidence_excerpt":"Good evening, everyone. Mayor, town council members, my name is Audrey Duchene, and I'm 1 of the senior yeah. Honor here for the town of Clayton. This is the station petition for the Clayton Village Center annexation.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"seg-3669.56","local_start":0,"local_end":160,"evidence_excerpt":"I make a motion to adopt ordinance 20 25 dash 0 9 dash 0 3 with the conditions.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

Topics
[{"name":"annexation","justification":"Annexation hearing and council adoption are the central actions","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.95,"depth_score":0.6,"opinionatedness":0.02,"controversy":0.40,"civic_salience":0.70,"impactfulness":0.55,"geo_relevance":1.00}}]

Ending
With the ordinances corrected and adopted, staff will update the future land‑use map and proceed with construction‑drawing review under the terms of the previously approved conditional rezoning.