Planning board recommends denying DR Horton’s 275-home Fern Hill proposal amid traffic, school and infrastructure concerns

The Mooresville Planning Board voted to recommend denial of a conditional rezoning application from D.R. Horton that would have allowed up to 275 single-family detached homes on roughly 127.6 acres at 313 Fern Hill Road.

Planning staff presented the request (CZ‑2025‑16) as a rezoning from Iredell County Residential Agriculture to Town of Mooresville Conditional Residential General. Staff noted the site contains a stream, wetland and an existing pond; the proposal called for preserving stream buffers and providing more than 25 percent open space. Staff said the development lies in the town’s Tier 4 growth area and that a traffic impact analysis (TIA) was still under staff review, though the applicant’s consultant said NCDOT had approved the TIA and staff approval was expected soon.

Lisa Thompson, land use consultant for D.R. Horton, presented the project and said the company is “seeking a maximum of 275 single family residential lots.” Thompson’s presentation described more than 31 acres of open space, a multi-use path along Fern Hill Road and a phased construction schedule the applicant projected to start site permitting in 2026, with the first homes completed in 2028 and buildout around 2032 if approved.

Residents and other speakers at the public comment period urged denial. Kelly Hughes, a Fern Hill Road resident, told the board that school officials had told her Parkertown Elementary, slated to open in 2027, is projected to be full on opening and that potable-water and wetlands constraints made the proposal premature. Resident Sean Murphy, of Atwater Landing, described traffic backups on Bluefield Road and Cornelius Road, and questioned timing because a planned I-77 interchange’s right‑of‑way acquisition is not scheduled until 2028 with construction not slated to begin until much later.

D.R. Horton representatives said the developer would phase traffic improvements — including a right‑turn lane into the middle access and a southbound left turn lane at Perth and Fern Hill — and that utilities were available for the site. The company also said the proposed homes would be for‑sale product intended to help mitigate a countywide housing gap.

After questions and extended public comment, Planning Board member Mr. Cole moved to recommend the Town Board deny CZ‑2025‑16 on the grounds that the request is inconsistent with the town’s comprehensive plan and the tiered growth map and is incompatible with surrounding low‑density development. A second was made and the board voted in favor of the denial recommendation by voice vote; the chair recorded one opposed voice during the roll call. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Town Board for final action.