Wendell commissioners approve rezoning for 41.43-acre West End mixed-use project with park dedication and timing changes

WENDELL, N.C. — The Wendell Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to annex and rezone roughly 41.43 acres along Wendell Falls Parkway to a neighborhood center conditional district, approving a mixed-use plan that calls for multifamily buildings, townhomes, up to 20,000 square feet of commercial space and dedication of about 4.4 acres for a public park.

The plan approved Tuesday would allow up to 535 dwelling units (a maximum the ordinance lists as 450 multifamily units and 160 townhomes, while the applicant proposed 384 multifamily and 151 townhomes). The developer’s site plan shows commercial frontage on Wendell Falls Parkway, multifamily in the western portion of the site and townhomes closer to the eastern property line abutting the existing Wylie Oaks neighborhood. The developer will construct a 10-foot multiuse path through the site and provide several on-site amenities, including a clubhouse, pool and dog park for the apartments and a central park and playground area for the townhomes.

Why it matters: The property sits between Poole Road and Martin Pond Road and directly abuts existing and planned residential and commercial developments. Commissioners, staff and the developer framed the project as filling an activity-center node called for in the town’s Blueprint Wendell 2030 plan while also dedicating land for…