Planning board backs rezoning for 17.2-acre Sunset Drive townhome project amid resident concerns about builder history and traffic

The Fuquay Varina Planning Board on March 17 recommended approval of a zoning map amendment to rezone 17.21 acres on Sunset Drive from residential agricultural and residential low-density to the Town Center Residential (TCR) district, a staff member said.

Staff recommended the rezoning, saying the requested TCR district is consistent with the town’s 2040 Community Vision Land Use Plan designation of Town Center Residential and supports the plan’s infill, reinvestment and infrastructure policies.

The proposal, filed by DRB Group North Carolina LLC for parcels on Sunset Drive, drew one public speaker who raised concerns about the developer’s record and potential traffic impacts. Mireille Hill, a resident who said she lives about 500 feet from a proposed northern entrance, told the board she had reviewed online consumer-review sites and a WRAL feature about problems at a DRB development in Zebulon. Hill asked the planning board to delay action while the town investigates the developer’s history; to require an analysis comparing property-value impacts from DRB townhome projects to other builders; and to require a fully funded traffic-management plan prioritizing pedestrian safety, traffic calming and sidewalks for streets connecting the development to surrounding neighborhoods. Hill also urged expanding the town’s public-notification radius (Fuquay Varina’s rule notifies residents within 200 feet) and referenced Raleigh’s practice of notifying up to 500–1,000 feet for some rezonings.

Jackson McConnell and Adam Ashbaugh, representing DRB Group, responded that the developer had gone beyond the town’s 200-foot notice by notifying adjacent homeowners associations, offering two neighborhood meetings, and asking HOAs to reach out to residents. The developer said the site plan retains the existing south-side pond in a natural state, includes a permanent maintenance and drainage easement to preserve the pond, and provides buffering between the proposed townhomes and existing single-family neighborhoods. The developer also said the project would construct the Hillcrest connection at the south entrance to improve access.

Staff and the engineering director explained how transportation requirements apply: as an infill project Sunset Drive is not adjacent to a Type 8 road, so the engineering director granted an exemption from the rule that normally requires a primary entrance on a Type 8 road for projects with more than 100 lots. As a balance, the developer agreed to construct the Hillcrest connection to the town right of way. Staff also said a traffic-impact analysis (TIA) is triggered when a project generates 100 peak-hour trips or about 1,000 daily trips; if a TIA is not required, the preliminary-subdivision submittal must include a trip-generation letter explaining why.

Board members noted that the planning board’s role is to judge the zoning application against the town’s Land Use Plan and zoning standards, not to evaluate a developer’s business practices; one member said those reputational concerns are informative but not a basis for denying rezoning.

After discussion the board member moved to recommend approval of the rezoning (staff file REZ 20 24-12) “as it is reasonable and in the best interest of the public for the reasons identified by staff.” The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

The board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Town Board of Commissioners, which has final authority on the zoning map amendment.