Mooresville approves Bromley Farm rezoning and annexation after developer agrees to traffic improvements and variance effort

The Mooresville Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to rezone and annex the 55.488‑acre Bromley Farm site at 1304 Oak Ridge Farm Highway and approved conditions requiring early traffic mitigation and a county variance effort for an adjacent small business.

The move rezones the property to a conditional residential general (CRG) district to allow 108 single‑family detached homes—proposed as an age‑restricted (55 and older) community—and annexes the site into Mooresville to enable town utilities and services.

The change matters because the developer agreed to realign the intersection of state roads 150 and 152 into a signalized junction and to have “all traffic mitigation measures identified in the signed MMA … under construction prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy on the first house,” a condition the board added during the meeting. The developer also agreed to “apply for a variance with the county in good faith” to address a side‑setback conflict affecting Sovereign Traditions, a neighboring retail store.

Planner James Coley summarized the request, saying the project would use the high‑density option allowed by local rules and would be in voting Ward 3 if annexed. Coley told the board the site spans two watersheds (Back Creek and Cottle Creek), is 55.488 acres, and would include at least four different home elevations and two large open spaces. He noted the Planning Board recommended approval 6‑2 on July 22.

Kevin Donaldson, attorney for the developer, emphasized the intersection work: the proposal would “realign 150 and 152 into a signalized intersection” with left‑turn lanes and, he said, the NCDOT had indicated the improvement would not otherwise be done in the near future. Donaldson said the change will “significantly” improve safety and traffic operations compared with the current configuration and that the traffic improvement was a major factor in the developer’s request.

Residents and nearby business owners raised concerns in public comment. Charles Minnick, a resident and small‑business owner, said the area’s roads are insufficient and warned that the new neighborhood would add congestion and delivery traffic. Amber Lipscomb, owner of Sovereign Traditions, said the proposed intersection would eliminate 13 parking spaces at her store, possibly making the site nonconforming for required parking. She asked about potential soil contamination where an old oil tank existed and requested developer help and a plan to protect the store’s operations during construction.

June Goodman, the property owner, told the board she would prefer to see the store “grandfathered” so the business could remain; she also said she supports the development. Developer representative Jimmy McKnight told the board the intersection is costly and that the developer needs some home sales to generate cash flow to pay for the signal; McKnight said the team would do “their best” to accelerate construction and noted the engineering and permitting timeline with NCDOT can take months.

As part of the final motion, the board recorded two explicit, binding items the applicant accepted: (1) that traffic mitigation measures identified in the signed traffic mitigation memorandum of agreement (MMA) shall be under construction prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the first house, and (2) that the applicant will apply for a county setback variance in good faith. The applicant agreed to seek the variance and to pursue remedies (including an engineered access plan) if the new road created a side‑yard setback issue for the Sovereign Traditions building.

Commissioner DeWeese made the motion to approve the rezoning with the agreed conditions; Commissioner Avent seconded. The board voted in favor; the mayor declared the motion passed unanimously. Later the board approved the voluntary annexation (AX 2025‑12) for the same parcel by motion; that measure likewise passed with board assent.

Next steps include final engineering and NCDOT approvals for the signalized intersection, preparation of construction documents, and the developer’s filings to implement the variance remedy for the adjacent store if needed. The rezoning ordinance and annexation ordinance will be recorded as binding documents that include the conditions the board adopted at the meeting.

The project drew prolonged public comment and multiple rounds of staff, Planning Board and developer review; the board framed its approval as a tradeoff that secures a major intersection improvement and other site conditions in exchange for allowing the proposed residential development.