Council reviews request to reduce lot sizes in Ward 4; staff and planning commission recommend disapproval

Council considered a rezoning request from Infinity Investments LLC to change a parcel at the southeast corner of Hillsborough Road and Binks Drive from R‑1 single‑family residential to R‑2A single‑family residential, a proposal planning staff and the planning commission recommended disapproving.

Planning staff said the parcel is in Council Ward 4 within the Lafayette Futures Mill planning area and identified as a suburban neighborhood on the future land use map. Staff said the requested R‑2A classification would reduce minimum lot size from 15,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet and reduce lot width from 90 feet to 40 feet, which staff said would be inconsistent with the development pattern internal to the subdivision. Staff estimated a historical expectation of about four units on the lot under the current designation and said no adverse environmental issues were identified.

Councilperson Streetman asked staff to distinguish this in‑neighborhood request from a separate rezoning on Peachers Mill Road that had been considered months earlier. Planning staff replied that the Peachers Mill application was along a state highway and was different in context; staff reiterated policy preference for gradual density transitions from corridor edges into established neighborhoods. Councilman McLaughlin asked whether the corner lot would allow multiple driveway access; staff said driveways should be on the lesser road (Binks) and that any Hillsborough access could require review by the access appeals board or street department interpretation.

Planning staff and the planning commission recommended disapproval, citing inconsistency with the goals of the comprehensive plan and the neighborhood’s development pattern. The transcript does not record a final council vote on the proposed rezoning.