Commissioners review and approve several subdivision plats amid drainage, access questions

Wayne County planning staff presented one preliminary plat and three final plats to the Board of Commissioners on April 1; planning board recommendations supported approval for each application, but commissioners probed site-specific drainage and access details before the items moved forward.

Aaron Gray (planning staff) described Mills Tract Ridge as a preliminary plat on Old Smithfield Road with 18 proposed lots averaging roughly 29,000–30,000 square feet (about 0.7 acres). He said no construction had yet begun and that the planning board recommended approval. Commissioners expressed a concern that smaller lots could create drainage problems but the planner said the lots should “move right off.”

The board then reviewed the Bartlett Farm final plat, described as 10 lots served by a new cul-de-sac with an average lot size of about 1.4 acres; NCDOT provided a built-to-standards letter and the planning board recommended approval. Commissioners asked how Lot 7 could be developed given a 50-foot riparian buffer; staff replied that the house and septic are planned fore and behind the buffer with a gap and informal access provisions discussed at the planning board.

Myra Branch Section 4 (12 lots, roughly 20,000 square feet per lot, about 0.5 acre) was presented as a final plat with DOT approval and a planning-board recommendation. Commissioners asked about proximity to town landmarks and the location relative to an old road and courthouse; staff clarified approximate distances.

Berkeley Place Section 1 is a multi-county development extending into Greene County. The Wayne County portion includes 49 lots (49 lots in Wayne County portion) with average lots around 29,000 square feet. Commissioners raised a substantive concern: the cul-de-sac at the end of the subdivision currently dead-ends (no turnaround) because the developer intends to extend the street into Greene County. Staff said Greene County will require a turnaround on its side if Greene County lots are developed, and suggested options including a temporary turnaround or a locked gate that would permit use as a T-turnaround for most vehicles. Commissioners also questioned easements mapped across rear lots; staff identified those as drainage easements (and septic/drainage areas) and agreed to clarify the easement type on the recording map before final recordation.

Planning staff and several commissioners requested clarifications be added to recorded plats where map scale or separate map sheets made reading the easement and right-of-way lines confusing. The board asked staff to confirm whether certain dashed lines were drainage easements, to confirm locations of septic drain-field sites, and to verify whether a temporary turnaround or gate solution is acceptable for emergency access until the Greene County extension is built. Staff agreed to clarify the map labels and easement classifications before final recording.

No formal vote tallies were recorded in the transcript excerpt, but the planning board had recommended approval of each item and staff indicated the necessary clarifications would be confirmed prior to recordation.