Kernersville aldermen deny Brookford Village rezoning after residents raise flooding, traffic concerns

The Kernersville Board of Aldermen on Sept. 24 unanimously denied a proposed amendment to the town's land-use plan (zoning docket KDP76) and a related conditional rezoning (zoning docket K791A1) for a proposed 181-unit development east of Brookford Road and south of Interstate 40.

The proposal, presented by Keystone Group representatives, sought to change a portion of the town's extraterritorial jurisdiction from low-density residential (RS-20) to medium-density residential (RM-5) and to approve a conditional use site plan for townhouses and twin homes. Community development staff said the site plan had been revised to move development out of the mapped floodplain and to reduce the unit count to 181 from 184. Catherine Garner, the town's community development staff member, told the board the proposal fits the RM-5 definition (0'7 units per acre) and that the submitted plan uses a high-density stormwater option and provides buffer yards to adjacent properties.

Neighbors and area residents told aldermen they opposed rezoning because the site and surrounding tributaries flood repeatedly, and because Brookford Road is narrow and sees crashes. Resident Eric Compton showed photos and video the board heard had been taken during recent storms and said portions of the area have flooded several times in recent years. Rick Hall, another nearby resident, said he and his neighbors regularly see standing water that reaches yards and damages road culverts. Resident testimony emphasized concerns about how additional development runoff and a new stormwater pond would interact with existing creek flows.

Keystone Group representatives, including company president Scott Wallace, said they redesigned the plan after on-site meetings with neighbors to eliminate fill in the flood fringe and to relocate and raise the stormwater pond outside the 100-year flood elevation. Wallace said the revised design will capture runoff and release it at predevelopment rates; engineer Chuck Truby described the wet detention pond as being designed to avoid pond failure and to reduce runoff that now flows to a different unnamed stream south of the site.

Staff presented traffic and crash information: the ITE trip generation manual classifies the proposed use as multifamily low-rise, with an estimated average of about 7.32 vehicle trips per dwelling per day; the submitted site plan yields roughly 4.22 units per acre. CDOT counts show Brookford Road averaged about 450 vehicle trips per day since 2019. Town staff also reported 35 reported crashes on Brookford Road and the nearby Kernersville Medical Parkway corridor since February 2021, including several at multiple intersections; six crashes involved a deer and one involved a fence.

Planning Board members had recommended denial of both the land-use amendment and the rezoning in June; staff recommended approval of the conditional rezoning with conditions (including no fill in the floodplain and construction traffic limited to the Brookford Village Drive entrance), but the board of aldermen adopted motions to deny both items on Sept. 24. Alderman Apple moved to deny the land-use plan amendment (KDP76); the motion was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Thompson and carried unanimously. Alderman Barrow moved to deny the rezoning (K791A1); Alderman Pinnocks seconded and the board again voted unanimously to deny.

The board's votes leave the parcel under its current RS-20 designation. Staff noted that RS-20 zoning still allows development under current rules and that, without the rezoning, the owner could pursue a by-right subdivision consistent with RS-20 (staff estimated roughly 93 single-family lots as a general potential under that zoning, subject to final platting, roads and layout).

Aldermen who spoke during the discussion said the decision was difficult because the flooding and roadway issues described by residents reflect broader infrastructural changes in the area, not solely the developer's proposal. The board emphasized that denying the amendment does not prohibit all development: as staff repeated, property owners retain existing development rights under current zoning.

The board did not adopt any post-vote direction for additional town-led flood studies at the Sept. 24 meeting; residents and some aldermen noted federal and state roles in floodplain mapping updates and road improvement authority (N.C. Department of Transportation) would affect long-term solutions.

Votes at a glance: KDP76 (land-use plan amendment) ' Motion to deny by Alderman Apple; second Mayor Pro Tem Thompson; outcome: denied (unanimous). K791A1 (conditional rezoning/site plan Brookford Village) ' Motion to deny by Alderman Barrow; second by Alderman Pinnocks; outcome: denied (unanimous).

Questions and follow-ups raised during the hearing included requests for: (1) updated floodplain mapping and which agencies administer revisions; (2) more detailed hydrologic modeling of the combined tributaries feeding the area; and (3) clarification of construction traffic routing. Staff said conditions in the most recent submittal prohibit construction traffic on Brookdale Forest Drive and require use of the Brookford Village Drive entrance for construction vehicles.

Ending: The developer may revise and resubmit in a different form or pursue development rights under the current RS-20 zoning. The board did not set a date for further town action related to this parcel on Sept. 24.