Wendell board OKs rezoning for eight townhomes near downtown over residents' objections

The Wendell Town Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a rezoning request that will allow eight townhome units on roughly 3.58 acres at the corner of Wendell Falls Parkway and Cook Street.

The measure rezones the parcel from Residential-3 to Downtown Mixed Use Conditional District, allowing a DMX development (conditional) that, if built as proposed, would place four units facing Wendell Falls Parkway and four units facing an internal alley. The board-approved zoning conditions include rear-loaded 20-by-20 garages, a 15-foot landscape buffer and a 6-foot stained wood privacy fence along the western lot line, a prohibition on vinyl siding (fiber-cement required), a three‑story height limit, and a requirement that end units have at least one window per floor. The plan shows roughly 1,500 square feet of on-site open space; staff said the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) requires 8,000 square feet and the applicant proposed a fee-in-lieu for the remainder.

Why it matters: The parcel sits a few blocks from Wendell’s downtown core and Blueprint Wendell 2030 designates the area as a downtown fringe where attached single-family townhomes and denser residential can be allowed. Supporters called the project the type of infill the town’s comprehensive plan envisions; opponents said the density and design don’t fit the adjacent older homes and will worsen traffic and parking on Cook Street.

What happened at the meeting: Planner Jim Coats summarized the application as Conditional District 2402 and walked the board through the site plan and zoning conditions. He said the property is not in the Wendell Historic District, noted neighboring uses (single-family to the north and west, commercial and a recently rezoned property to the south, Chocolates by Whitney to the east), and said the Technical Review Committee and staff found the proposal consistent with the comp plan. He also reported the Wendell Planning Board voted 6-1 to recommend denial.

Dozens of residents spoke during the public hearing. Bradley Barham, who said his 1938 home is listed on the North Carolina historic register, described the existing streetscape as a historic corridor and said a three-story block “is gonna stand out like a sore thumb in historic Wendell.” Other neighbors raised traffic and parking concerns, noting a school bus stop nearby, limited room on Cook Street during holidays, and the proposed single shared driveway and narrow alley that they said could lead to on-street parking and congestion.

The applicant, Parker Jones of Cook Street Partners, and consultant Lewis Hardy of RDU Consulting defended the plan as consistent with the downtown fringe place type of Blueprint Wendell 2030. Jones told the board he had inspected the existing structure, said the house had been dilapidated and unsafe, and said he had tested alternatives (two- and three-story designs and six-unit options) but that eight units were required to make the project marketable. Jones said the fee-in-lieu is a real payment to the town that can be used for parks or sidewalks, not “an attempt for us to buy our way out of having to do something that’s good for the city.”

Board action and vote: Commissioner [name recorded in meeting minutes as mover] moved to approve the rezoning as presented, with the proffered conditions. The motion carried 3-2. The planning board had recommended denial 6-1; that recommendation was included in the staff report and presented to the board during the hearing.

Key details and outstanding questions: - Parcel size: approximately 3.58 acres (as reported by staff). - Proposed units: 8 townhome units in one phase (the plan shows one phase). - Open space: UDO requires ~8,000 sq ft (1,000 sq ft per unit); the site plan shows ~1,500 sq ft; the applicant proposed a fee-in-lieu for the remainder (amount not specified in the hearing record). - Parking: Each unit includes a 20-by-20 garage (two spaces per unit); the developer proposes a 16-foot alley for access. - Buffers/landscaping: 15-foot Type B buffer with 6-foot opaque wood fence along the western lot line; street trees required along Cook Street and Wendell Falls Parkway. - Stormwater/erosion: Staff said the site does not meet local thresholds requiring a Wake County erosion-control permit or state stormwater permit; the town will complete separate stormwater improvements at Wendell Falls Parkway/Wendell Boulevard as part of a Local Access Project (discussed at the meeting).

What’s next: With the board’s approval, the applicant can proceed to final engineering and permitting. Several residents asked the board to seek a different design or reduced density; the motion approved the application as conditioned. The town manager and planning staff will follow up on technical details such as refuse collection logistics and coordination with the town’s planned roadway and stormwater improvements.

Ending: The vote was one of the evening’s most contested items: widespread public comment opposed the proposal, the planning board had recommended denial, and the town board approved it 3-2 after extended public hearing and questioning of staff and the applicant.