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Council approves Findlay Landing amendment, swaps planned apartments for 160‑unit townhome plan
Summary
Triangle Land Partners’ amendment to the Findlay Landing conditional zoning (CZ‑25‑01) replaces a proposed 360‑unit apartment project with a 160‑unit plan (141 townhomes, 19 detached homes). The council approved the amendment and attached the single package of conditions cited by staff.
The Town of Smithfield council voted to approve an amendment to the Findlay Landing conditional zoning (CZ‑25‑01) that removes an earlier proposal for 360 apartment units and replaces it with a plan for 160 dwelling units: 141 townhomes and 19 detached single‑family homes.
Planning staff said the subject area covers about 48.65 acres (roughly 24% of the larger Findlay Landing site). Staff said the amendment responds to market changes and reduces the total number of dwelling units by about 29 percent compared with the originally approved master plan that included apartments.
The alternate plan includes two townhome product types (some 20‑foot by 100‑105‑foot lots and a 19‑by‑100 product), 19 single‑family lots (approximately 47 by 120 feet), and common amenities including a swimming pool, playground and dog park that staff said would be available to the whole development. Utilities will be provided by the town; Duke Energy will provide electric service.
The applicant requested several deviations from the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) for the alternate plan. Staff summarized deviations and compensating features: a 10‑foot reduction in public right‑of‑way width, a reduction in distance between townhouse buildings (40 feet to 20 feet), a requested increase in maximum townhouse height in portions of the site (from 35 feet to 50 feet), and driveway widths that were proposed at 9 feet (staff recommended 10 feet for townhouse drives). Staff said the plan includes five‑foot sidewalks on both sides of public streets, additional architectural and landscaping standards, auxiliary parking spaces and other offsets.
Joe Faulkner, representing the applicant, showed an overview of the master plan and said much of the existing development (roads and earlier phases) is already constructed; the amended area sits between built phases. He told the council the pool and dog park were added to serve the broader community and that the applicant had adjusted the layout to respond to prior council questions. A resident raised concerns about multifamily demand; another speaker asked the council to verify market conditions before approving fewer apartments.
The planning board recommended approval at its recent meeting. Council moved to approve CZ‑25‑01 with the condition package listed in the staff report; the motion passed by voice vote.
Council and applicant agreed to require townhouse driveway widths of at least 10 feet and single‑family driveways of at least 12 feet; staff noted the developer expects many drives to be wider than the minimum.
The approval lets the applicant amend the conditional zoning master plan; subsequent construction drawings and permitting will follow the town’s review process.
