Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fuquay Varina board approves rezoning for 305 Jones Road to allow 41 townhomes; residents raise traffic, drainage and privacy concerns
Summary
The Fuquay Varina Board of Commissioners on June 2 approved a conditional rezoning for 4.42 acres at 305 Jones Road to allow 41 townhomes with conditions including tree preservation, a buffer and a dog park. Neighbors spoke against opening Jones Road and raised worries about emergency access, drainage and loss of neighborhood character.
The Fuquay Varina Board of Commissioners on June 2 approved a zoning map amendment for 305 Jones Road that rezones 4.42 acres from Residential Low Density to Residential High Density Conditional to permit a 41-unit townhouse development.
Planning director Pam Davidson told the board the proposal “includes limiting the allowed use, a townhouse development, capping the overall density, incorporating a site specific development plan, and setting architectural standards,” and said the project is intended to “transition development density and intensity between the apartments to its east and the single family lots to its west.”
The developer’s conditions, as described in staff materials, include a cap on density (just over 9 dwelling units per acre), preservation of existing trees, an expanded evergreen landscape buffer on the western boundary, an active open space area with a dog park, and pedestrian connections to Judd Parkway and Jones Road. The planning board had unanimously recommended approval at its May 19 meeting.
Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing urged the board to reconsider the street connection and raised safety and quality-of-life concerns. Marie Regan, 623 Monterey Pine Drive, said opening Jones Road would worsen cut-through traffic and create safety hazards: “If you have 2 cars parked, there’s no fire engines or ambulances coming through there. There’s not enough room.”
Asher Schweigert, who lives off Jones Lane, said he supported the site plan but opposed connecting Jones Road and Jones Lane because it would invite drivers to cut through residential streets to avoid the Judd Parkway traffic signal. Susan Moore, 627 Monterey Pine Drive, asked the board to preserve low-density zoning and said three-story townhomes would overlook existing single-story yards until plantings mature.
Board members discussed site design details including trash collection, fire-truck turning radii and stormwater compliance. Planning and engineering staff said the property is inside an existing public right-of-way and that any development along the frontage must construct Jones Road to town standards as required by the town’s comprehensive transportation plan; a truck-turning-radius study and fire department review will be required at preliminary plan stage. Engineering staff said there are no statutorily regulated wetlands or flood hazard soils on the parcel and that stormwater controls would be required under state regulations.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve REZ-2024-13 as presented; the motion carried by voice vote. The motion language on the record was to approve the zoning map amendment and the corresponding land use plan change to Multifamily Neighborhood as “reasonable and in the best interest of the public for the reasons identified by management and staff.”
What the board approved tonight were zoning and land-use classifications and conditions; final engineering details — including the precise location of trash pickup, turning radii, and stormwater infrastructure — will be addressed at the preliminary plan and permitting phases.
