Smithfield council approves 20‑lot Powell Tract subdivision with conditions amid traffic, septic and airport‑noise concerns

The Town of Smithfield council approved a preliminary plat for the Powell Tract (case S‑25‑2), a 20‑lot single‑family subdivision on 21.24 acres in the R20A district, after a quasi‑judicial public hearing and with six conditions attached.

The vote followed staff testimony that the applicant, Swift Creek Road Land Development LLC, had revised an earlier plan to meet the town’s new septic‑lot standard of 30,000 square feet per lot and added a looped street layout, sidewalk on one side maintained by a homeowners association and a 10‑foot buffer along the development’s northern property line. Planning Director Steven Winsman said the project would be served by county water, septic systems and Duke Energy and that an open space lot will include the stormwater detention area.

The developer’s attorney, Marcus Burrell of Hewitt Law Group, and the project engineer, Jerry Dalton of Dalton Engineering Associates, presented the revised design. Dalton described the change from the previously denied cul‑de‑sac plan to the current looped road and said the plan meets or exceeds the town’s Unified Development Ordinance standards.

Why it matters: The project sits adjacent to an airport approach zone and a mapped stream, issues that neighbors and some council members said could affect safety, noise exposure and onsite septic siting. Winsman recommended a disclosure statement about aircraft noise and a condition requiring Johnson County Environmental Health to approve septic sites before construction drawings are approved.

Discussion and concerns: Several residents and council members questioned traffic safety along Swift Creek Road, a state‑maintained route. NCDOT reviewed the site and, according to Winsman and the applicant, preferred a single entrance but did not require it; the developer proposed two entrances and said NCDOT engineers found no statistical safety threshold that would mandate a turn lane. Neighbor William McClure Jr. and resident Angie McClure urged the council to require additional traffic improvements, citing speeding and a blind curve. Winsman and Dalton said NCDOT separation standards were met and that the two‑entrance layout may improve circulation for emergency vehicles.

Septic and buffering: Council members pressed whether the large septic lots would produce uniform house placements and whether wells on adjacent properties could limit septic siting. Winsman and Dalton said septic approval and setbacks are under Johnson County Environmental Health review and that the final construction drawings — and soil/perk tests — will determine exact house and tank locations.

Council action: The council voted to approve the preliminary plat with six staff conditions (approval of construction drawings by staff; HOA maintenance of sidewalks; easements over street yards and buffers; Johnson County Health Department approval of septic plans before construction plan approval; a recorded disclosure about airport noise; and protections for the northern buffer). The motion passed 4‑2.

Next steps: The applicant must submit construction drawings for staff review and obtain Johnson County Environmental Health approval for septic systems. The council also asked staff to review whether the town’s Unified Development Ordinance requirements for stub streets and connectivity should be revisited after hearing neighbor objections.