Garner planning commission recommends approval for Renmore Pines rezoning, 87-home development

The Garner Planning Commission on Tuesday voted 7-0 to recommend that the Town Council approve CZMP240045828, known as Renmore Pines, a rezoning request to change 25.68 acres in the town's extraterritorial jurisdiction from R-2 (low-density single-family) to R-8 conditional allowing up to 87 dwelling units (75 single-family detached homes and 12 townhomes).

The recommendation follows staff and applicant presentations and public outreach; the commission's motion directs staff to forward a consistency finding and recommendation to the Town Council for a final decision. Planning Commissioner Michael Boylan made the motion and Commissioner Ralph Carson seconded; Commissioners Mariah Bishop, Ralph Carson, Philip Jefferson, Gehan Hodges, Ben Mills, Sherry Phillips and Michael Boylan all voted "aye."

Why it matters: The proposal would add new housing to southeast Garner in an area transitioning from rural agriculture to suburban development and is sited inside the Lower Swift Creek Conservation Overlay District and the town's extraterritorial jurisdiction. The developer and staff framed the rezoning as consistent with the town's growth framework and neighborhood typology while attaching conditions to limit uses and require on-site design and environmental protections.

Key facts: The applicant proposes a maximum of 87 units on two parcels at the northeast corner of New Bethel Church Road and Clifford Road. The plan shows four building types: 60-foot wide lots, two 45-foot wide single-family products (front- and rear-loaded), and 12 townhome lots (26-foot wide, front-loaded). Staff and the applicant say the project provides just over three acres of active open space and preserves riparian and conservation buffers required by the Lower Swift Creek overlay. The site will connect to an existing 16-inch water main on Clifford Road and an 8-inch sewer line tying into the adjacent Harpers Landing subdivision.

Traffic and access: A traffic impact analysis (TIA) completed in June 2024 used an early higher-unit assumption and estimated daily and peak trips; the applicant's traffic engineer, Nate Boquin of McAdams Engineering, told commissioners the revised unit count reduces total trip generation by roughly 300 daily trips and now falls below the town's threshold that would mandate a further TIA. The applicant committed to frontage improvements on Clifford Road and New Bethel Church Road, including curb, gutter, sidewalk and turn-lane work; the team also said it has begun coordination with NCDOT on a speed reduction on Clifford Road and on turn-lane geometry. Boquin said NCDOT had given preliminary approval to the speed-change request.

Environmental and stormwater measures: The site is inside the Lower Swift Creek Conservation Overlay District, which the staff presentation said limits impervious surface for single-family development to about 30 percent and to 50 percent for multifamily. The applicant has agreed to one stormwater control measure for the site; staff corrected an earlier notation that had listed four measures and said the record will be updated. The applicant also proposed double silt fencing adjacent to the Neuse River riparian buffer and a replanting commitment in Zone 2 of the riparian buffer (except where existing sewer easements exist).

Design and community concerns: The applicant, represented by attorney Worth Mills of Longleaf Law Partners and by D.R. Horton staff (Anne Oakley, floor planner), described changes made after neighbor meetings and town feedback: elimination of most townhomes (from an earlier plan that proposed many more), an increase in driveway/garage parking by about 23 percent compared with the first layout, a wider mix of elevations and colors, and an emphasis on first-floor master-bedroom plans (the applicant said roughly 75 percent of single-family homes would offer a first-floor primary suite). The plan shows three active open-space areas (a common green with a conversation pit and pollinator garden, a playground, and a fitness park) and internal pedestrian connectivity including a six-foot sidewalk commitment.

Commission deliberations focused on traffic capacity on nearby White Oak Road and Benson Road, parking in and near the open-space areas, the placement and function of the central green and pedestrian circulation, and the accuracy of stormwater documentation. Commissioner Ralph Carson commended the applicant for reducing the townhome count and increasing single-family homes and for providing first-floor primary bedrooms. Several commissioners asked for clearer labeling of on-street parking and confirmation that the four parking spaces shown near the mail kiosk were correctly mapped; the applicant acknowledged a labeling error and said staff and the applicant would correct the record.

Applicant and staff commitments: Among the conditions the applicant said it will finalize are (1) a financial contribution toward the White Oak Road corridor impact area to cover the project's share of corridor improvements, (2) required double silt fencing along the riparian buffer during construction, and (3) replanting in Zone 2 of the Neuse River riparian buffer where feasible. The applicant also said the property would be annexed into town limits during plat review and that internal sidewalks and about 3,000 linear feet of frontage improvements would be constructed.

What the action does and does not do: The planning commission's vote is a recommendation of consistency with the town's adopted plans and a recommendation to the Town Council; it is not a final zoning decision. Planning staff will transmit the commission's findings and the draft consistency statement to the Town Council, which will vote on the rezoning and any associated development agreement or conditions.

Follow-up and next steps: Staff said it will correct the stormwater-control-measure entry in the staff report and include the clarified parking and open-space labeling before the case goes to Town Council. The applicant and the project team remain available for follow-up questions and to finalize the proffered conditions.

Quotes (selected): "This is a tier 2 rezoning request ... The applicant ... requesting to rezone 2.56 acres from residential 2 r 2 to residential 8 r 8 conditional," said Erin Joseph, planning staff, during the staff presentation. Worth Mills, attorney for the applicant, said, "I think this project is consistent with the town's policies with regards to development intensity and the building types and the housing types that we're proposing." Traffic engineer Nate Boquin said the updated unit count made the TIA more conservative and that NCDOT had preliminarily approved the request to evaluate a lower speed limit on Clifford Road. Commissioner Ralph Carson said, "I want to commend you on increasing the number of single family homes and reducing the townhomes" and praised the first-floor-master design commitment.

Ending note: The planning commission recommended approval 7-0; the rezoning will next go to the Garner Town Council for a finding of reasonableness and a final vote. The applicant and staff said they will update technical entries and finalize conditions before council consideration.