Clayton Town Council on Sept. 16 approved a conditional‑use rezoning that will allow Dominion to build a 167‑unit, age‑restricted (55+) multifamily building and about 6,500 square feet of commercial space on an 8.3‑acre site at Pritchard Road and Swan Trail.

The vote, 4–1, followed months of review, revisions and public comment focused on traffic, school pedestrian safety and stormwater. The developer agreed to an expanded set of conditions after a planning‑board recommendation and a second neighborhood meeting, including right‑in/right‑out access on Pritchard Road, a raised crosswalk and lighted signage at Collinsworth/Athletic Club Boulevard, installation of a Level 2 electric vehicle charger, additional buffer landscaping, double silt fencing during construction and a fenced stormwater pond with a fountain.

The council’s approval amends the zoning from CRM (Corridor Commercial) to conditional commercial (CZM) with use restrictions limiting the housing to age‑restricted affordable multifamily. The developer said the project is intended to provide long‑term, income‑restricted housing for seniors and to generate fewer vehicle trips than many commercial alternatives that could be built under the current zoning.

Why it matters: Councilmembers and residents repeatedly raised safety concerns about pedestrian crossings and school carpool congestion at nearby Riverwood Elementary and Middle School. Council and staff pressed the applicant for physical improvements and stronger commitments before approving the rezoning. The council framed the vote as a tradeoff between allowing higher‑traffic commercial uses by right and approving a conditioned affordable senior housing project that the applicant says will produce substantially fewer daily trips.

Key facts and commitments
- Site: ~8.3 acres at Pritchard Road/Swan Trail/Collinsworth/Waterfield Drive.
- Housing: 167 independent living units in a 3‑story building; units restricted to residents 55+ with income/rent limits (applicant described 60% AMI terms during the hearing).
- Commercial: ~6,400–6,500 sq ft of detached retail/office space limited by condition.
- Parking: Applicants propose about 273 total spaces (246 on site, 27 on‑street).
- Public improvements and conditions the applicant committed to include:
- Right‑in/right‑out driveway onto Pritchard Road (permitted by NCDOT after coordination).
- Raised crosswalk with ADA landings and lighted signage across Athletic Club Boulevard at Collinsworth.
- New sidewalks, a 10‑foot multiuse path on Pritchard, parallel parking on Collinsworth and widened rights‑of‑way (applicant will dedicate additional R/W).
- Double silt fence during construction and perimeter fencing around the stormwater pond; applicant also agreed to install a fountain in the pond for aesthetics.
- Provision of at least one Level 2 EV charging station on site.
- Density and design limits: Project capped at ~23.5 units per acre, increased open space (~11.5% vs. 5% required), enhanced buffers (Type B perimeter buffer) and increased setbacks along Swan, Waterfield and Collinsworth (50–210 feet in places).

Public comments and council concerns
Residents and parents asked that the town require a full traffic impact analysis and pressed for earlier infrastructure work near the schools. Speakers described existing carpool queuing, on‑street parking on Collinsworth and informal pedestrian routes used by students. Town staff, the developer’s traffic consultant (Kimley‑Horn) and the developer argued the project’s trip generation (about 688 daily trips; ~56 AM peak / 61 PM peak) falls below local and NCDOT thresholds that would require a full TIA, and noted age‑restricted housing generates fewer peak trips than conventional multifamily. The developer and traffic consultant said they had undertaken targeted field observations of school peak periods and had revised the plan and conditions in response to neighbor and planning board feedback.

Distinguishing discussion vs. decision
Discussion: Council and public questioned the adequacy of traffic analysis, the cumulative effects of other nearby development, stormwater run‑off and construction impacts. Staff and the developer described additional neighborhood meetings and planning‑board comments.
Direction/assignment: Council required that the listed conditions (crosswalks, EV chargers, double silt fencing, pond fencing, buffer upgrades, curb/gutter/sidewalk and parallel parking design) be included in the rezoning ordinance and enforced at plan review.
Formal action: Council adopted the conditional rezoning ordinance (20 25‑09‑02) with the council’s stated consistency/reasonableness findings; the motion passed 4–1.

Quotes from the hearing
- "We are proposing a mixed use development consisting of 6,500 square feet of commercial space and 167 independent living apartment homes for seniors," said Banks Collier, Dominion development associate.
- "We're not oblivious to traffic concerns that are in the area," said Kevin Dean, Kimley‑Horn traffic engineer; he described field observations of carpool queues and said the proposed right‑in/right‑out access should reduce demand on Athletic Club Boulevard.
- Several residents asked the council to require a full traffic impact analysis and more information on stormwater; one resident said, "If the system cannot handle today's conditions, how can it manage the runoff from another dense apartment complex?"

What remains to be settled
- Construction timing and scheduling of the site improvements will be reviewed at site plan and construction‑drawing stage. The applicant said construction would likely begin after a spring closing and take roughly 20–24 months; contractors agreed to limits on early‑morning noise and employee parking onsite.
- The town and school district committed to ongoing coordination on carpool operations and pedestrian safety near Riverwood schools; staff said a broader study of school‑area pedestrian and traffic safety would be pursued.

Speakers
- Banks Collier, Development Associate, Dominion (business) — first reference: "Banks Collier, development associate with Dominion" (applicant representative).
- Kevin Dean, Traffic Engineer, Kimley‑Horn (business).
- Michael Barnes, Civil Engineer, Kimley‑Horn (business).
- Conrad Almedo, Planning Director, Town of Clayton (government).
- Audrey Duchene, Senior Planner, Town of Clayton (government).
- Jim Anthony, property owner / APG Companies (business).
- Dolores Gill, Town staff / coordination with Johnston County Public Schools (government).
- Residents/Commenters: Michael Twining, Chaffin Allen, Becky Williams, Ed Palma tier, Granville Bush, Steve Williams, Lehi Masago, Lindsay Logan Allen, Margaret Watkins, Amanda Massingale, James Pappas (citizens).

Authorities referenced
- North Carolina General Statute Chapter 160D (local land‑use authority) — referenced by staff regarding how conditions run with land.
- NCDOT access standards and review thresholds (referenced during traffic/access discussion).
- MUTCD (traffic control devices guidance) — referenced in discussion of lighted stop signs and crosswalk design.
- Town Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) — referenced for buffer types, sidewalk/parking requirements and local traffic thresholds.

Actions
- Kind: ordinance_adoption (conditional rezoning)
- identifiers: {"ordinance_number":"2025-09-02"}
- motion: "Adopt ordinance 2025-09-02 conditionally rezoning 8.31 acres to conditional commercial with conditions limiting uses and requiring specified improvements."
- mover: "Councilmember Archer"
- second: "Councilmember ___" (second recorded in transcript)
- vote_record: [{"member":"Councilmember Archer","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Councilmember Casey","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Councilmember Sims","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Councilmember Anderson","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Councilmember Williams","vote":"no"}]
- tally: {"yes":4,"no":1}
- outcome: "approved"
- notes: "Approval subject to conditions described in the ordinance (crosswalks, EV charging, buffer upgrades, double silt fencing, fenced pond, dedicated R/W, right‑in/right‑out access, etc.)."

Proper names
[{"name":"Riverwood Elementary School","type":"school"},{"name":"Riverwood Middle School","type":"school"},{"name":"Dominion","type":"business"},{"name":"Kimley‑Horn","type":"business"},{"name":"APG Companies","type":"business"},{"name":"Johnston County Public Schools","type":"agency"},{"name":"Pritchard Road","type":"location"},{"name":"Athletic Club Boulevard","type":"location"},{"name":"Collinsworth Drive","type":"location"}]

Clarifying details
[{"category":"site_size","detail":"Site acreage","value":"8.3","units":"acres","approximate":false},{"category":"units","detail":"Number of apartments approved","value":"167","units":"units","approximate":false},{"category":"open_space","detail":"Open space provided vs. UDO requirement","value":"11.5","units":"percent","approximate":false},{"category":"parking","detail":"Total parking proposed (on site + on street)","value":"273","units":"spaces","approximate":false},{"category":"trip_estimate","detail":"Estimated daily trips and peak-hour trips for the proposed project","value":"688","units":"daily_trips","approximate":true},{"category":"EV_charging","detail":"Applicant committed to Level 2 EV chargers","approximate":false},{"category":"construction_timing","detail":"Estimated construction duration if permits in hand","value":"20-24","units":"months","approximate":true}]

Community relevance
{"geographies":["US-NC-Johnston-CLAYTON","Riverwood neighborhood"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["seniors on fixed incomes","nearby school families","drivers on Pritchard/Athletic Club"]}

Provenance
{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"seg-5125.81","local_start":0,"local_end":200,"evidence_excerpt":"As you all know, we've been working with the Clayton community on this project for a handful of years now","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"seg-6730.735","local_start":0,"local_end":200,"evidence_excerpt":"So we're not oblivious to traffic concerns that are in the area, but we think our project goes a long way to fitting in well.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

Topics
[{"name":"housing","justification":"Article covers approval of a 167‑unit age‑restricted affordable housing project","scoring":{"topic_relevance":0.98,"depth_score":0.92,"opinionatedness":0.05,"controversy":0.80,"civic_salience":0.90,"impactfulness":0.85,"geo_relevance":1.00}}]

Ending
The ordinance approval now moves the project into site‑plan and permitting review, where the town will enforce the traffic, pedestrian and environmental conditions adopted by council. Developers and staff said they will continue coordination with Johnston County Public Schools, NCDOT and town departments as construction drawings are prepared.