Planning commission defers Toscana Drive annexation after residents cite density, water and traffic concerns

The Florence City Planning Commission deferred a request to annex and zone a portion of a parcel on Toscana Drive to NC 6.3 after a series of residents’ comments and questions about density, water pressure, stormwater and neighborhood character.

The item before the commission was a request to annex a front portion of a county parcel at West Palmetto and Toscana Drive that the applicant said is intended for townhouse development. Staff said the annexation would move the parcel from county jurisdiction into the city and apply NC 6.3 zoning, which permits townhouses and other residential forms under city standards.

Homeowners from the adjacent Villa Toscana subdivision spoke in opposition or with concerns. Ken Winslow, president of the Villa Homeowners Association, said residents were told at a staff meeting that the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) density standard would limit the site to 26 units: “because of this, the Unified Development Ordinance, that the number of units that would be built here would be limited to 26.” Winslow also asked the city to check water pressure in the neighborhood; he said a prior fire‑department test recorded 35 PSI and called for the city to confirm valves and supply.

Resident Bob Litchman and homeowner Gloria Lucier raised related concerns about stormwater runoff, traffic and preservation of the existing brick entrance and landscaped right‑of‑way that Villa Toscana residents maintain. Lucier described the neighborhood as primarily single‑family, owner‑occupied homes and said the proposed dense rental development would be “completely different and incompatible with any of the neighborhoods around it.”

Staff told the commission that the UDO limits townhouse density to roughly one unit per 2,400 square feet and that a 1.4‑acre parcel would mathematically cap out at about 26 units before parking and other code requirements reduce that number. Planning staff also noted that buffers and landscaping requirements increase where higher‑intensity residential uses abut existing single‑family homes.

Developer Louie Hopkins, who said his team has considered 26–28 units, told the commission the parcel is unzoned under county jurisdiction and that annexation into the city is sought to obtain city utilities and development standards. “Our plan was originally to build 28 units ... and then after looking at it, I think 26 is the maximum we can build,” Hopkins said; he also said the project could be market‑driven as either for‑sale or rental product.

After public comment and discussion, the commission voted to defer the item to allow additional conversations between the developer, staff and residents. The commission’s deferral was put forward by motion and second and carried; staff said the item will return at a later meeting for further review or recommendation to city council.